The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development undertook a 2-year project to assess non-school programs offered by various community-based youth organizations. This project included focus group interviews with youth about their current activities and preferences for after-school activities. Sixteen focus groups were conducted in the metropolitan…

The Puerto Rican language-culture nexus is seen as the natural field where young Puerto Ricans forge their ethnic identities. Ethnographic theory and methods were used to study this nexus from a naturalistic perspective. A focus group of 12 Puerto Rican 8th grade students (9 males and 3 females) attending a school within 1 Puerto Rican barrio in…

As part of a long-term study of dropout related issues, this serial issue focuses on the topic of extracurricular activities and their availability in 15 of the largest urban districts in New Jersey. Following an opening section reviewing some of the positions taken over the years regarding extracurricular activities and their role in schools, the…

This book is a compilation of information about youth service in the State of Washington, a summary of the benefits and challenges to increasing youth service, and a summary of strategic options for supporting and enhancing youth service statewide. The report is divided into five sections. The first part describes many examples of youth…

This study tested M. Deutsch's theory of cooperation and conflict resolution using an intervention project at an inner city alternative high school in New York City. The study was designed to test the theory by confirmatory structural modeling and by evaluating the intervention. The procedure involved a pre- and post-test procedure administered…

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the seven alternative schools in the Houston (Texas) Independent School District by describing the students who were served by the programs, and by assessing the effectiveness of the programs in improving student academic performance and attendance. The following schools provide education to at-risk…

This paper reports on a study of the Houston (Texas) Independent School District's Lighted Schoolhouse Program, which is designed to serve as an intermediary between homeless children and community service agencies, to provide a range of after-school activities for unattended children, and to provide opportunities for participation of families and…

This publication is the second report, tailored to a non-specialist audience, of five country case studies under the Urban Child Program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) International Child Development Center. The crisis of unprotected children and adolescents in Brazil has developed along with rapid industrialization and great…

This report reviews six recently published books on the education of urban and minority youth, and the social and cultural environment in which they live. "The Homeless in Contemporary Society" (edited by R. D. Bingham, R. E. Green, and S. B. White), is a primer on homelessness in America. "Gender Influences in Classroom…

A preliminary study investigated whether regular periods of sustained silent reading (SSR) would positively affect verified silent reading comprehension scores for eighth grade students. The hypothesis tested was that students allowed 15 minutes of recreational reading (reading self selected material for enjoyment) five times a week for three…

This monograph is the third of a trilogy of studies on the Unitas Therapeutic Community, a program that attempts to strengthen the competencies of the Hispanic and Black youngsters living in the Longwood/Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, New York City. The program uses indigenous nonprofessionals as surrogate parents, uncles, and aunts for…

THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PATTERNS (CHILD CARE PRACTICES, PARENTAL ATTITUDES, AND OTHER INTRAFAMILY AND EXTRAFAMILY INFLUENCES) WHICH ARE DETRIMENTAL OR BENEFICIAL TO THE OPTIMAL LEARNING AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF LOWER CLASS PUERTO RICAN CHILDREN. A SAMPLE POPULATION CONSISTED OF 95 CHILDREN WHOSE BEHAVIOR HAD BEEN…

This study identifies the opinions and ideas of black scientists that are agreed upon by black elementary school teachers as being useful for improving the science education experiences of black elementary school children. Background information about the scientists and teachers who participated in the study is provided. Relevant literature is…

THIS EXTENSIVE REPORT DESCRIBES THE CONTINUATION OF A PROJECT WHICH INVESTIGATED THE READING PROGRESS OF DISADVANTAGED URBAN NEGRO CHILDREN FROM FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE USING TWO BASIC TEACHING APPROACHES. THE PROJECT OPERATED IN TWELVE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED ARE THE SECOND-GRADE CONTINUATION PROCEDURES,…

Evaluation research of the human relations component of a larger project that attempts to bridge the black-white cultural gap in the Louisville school system is the basis of this paper. The overall purpose of this major component is to enhance positive attitudes toward intercultural, racial, and ethnic relations and understandings through…