The Community for Learning program (CFL), also known as the Learning City Program, a school-based intervention program, is described. A major premise of this program is that the national standards of educational outcomes can and must be upheld for all students, including those at risk. At the core of the program's design is over 20 years of…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

Project Choice was begun with the goal of increasing the number of inner-city students who graduate on time. Ewing M. Kauffman and his business and foundation associates designed and elected to test a model that used the promise of postsecondary education or training as the incentive to stay in school. This report details the evolution of Project…

This digest discusses how race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and area of residence, whether urban, suburban, or rural, impact girls' sports experiences. The social context of girls' lives shapes their sports choices and opportunities, with financial restraints often restricting African American girls' opportunities. When access to sports is…

In Project Choice, Ewing Marion Kauffman, through his Kauffman Foundation, offered a college education to inner city youth in selected schools in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. In exchange students and parents agreed among other things that students would avoid disciplinary problems in school and the community, maintain…

The factor structure of the Coping Resources Inventory Scales for Educational Enhancement (CRISEE) was examined for its application to Hispanic, African American, and Non-Hispanic White middle school students. The study was designed to provide additional evidence for the validity of the CRISEE scales and to determine whether its psychometric…

This study examines the relative influence of peer and parenting behavior on changes in adolescent gang involvement and gang-related delinquency. An ethnically diverse sample of 300 urban ninth-grade students was recruited and assessed on 8 occasions during the school year. Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling. Results…

This document explains the advantages of afterschool programs for students and describes the components that make them successful. The major benefits from such programs are increased safety for children, a reduction in risk taking among children participating, and improved learning. Among the elements that characterize high quality afterschool…

Analyzes the impact of a negative income tax experiment on the school performance of children in grades 4 through 10, indicating an increase in reading achievement for the younger children but not the older. Discusses evidence from previous research, welfare reform and educational achievement, and the research methodology and results. (MF)

In Los Angeles County, the GIG intervention offers education to adolescents about pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections at a social event geared to the youth culture. Pre- and posttests completed by 609 Latino adolescents indicated an increase in knowledge and attitude changes. Use of peer educators was an important component of program…

Tested a developmental-ecological model of violence using longitudinal data from poor, urban African American and Latino adolescent boys and caregivers. Found that community structural characteristics significantly predicted neighborhood social processes. Parenting practices partially mediated relationship between neighborhood social processes and…

Observes the changes in socializing patterns of Yemenite Jewish male and female adolescents at two Tel Aviv (Israel) youth clubs. The presence and acceptance of females at traditionally all-male social events indicated a modernization of attitude. (FMW)

Explores peer relationships between individuals and their involvement with and commitment to delinquent peers in group and dyadic relationships. Preliminary findings from the Puerto Rican Adolescent Survey for approximately 820 males in New York City suggest that emotional estrangement within the peer group characterizes involvement with…

Studies gender differences in the U.S. achievement ideology for 48 gifted and 100 nongifted African-American fifth and sixth graders (59 males and 89 females) in an urban Ohio school district. Results indicate no differential determinants of underachievement by gender but show significant differences by gifted and nongifted academic programs. (SLD)

Identifies psychological characteristics of 49 male and 8 female Latin American youth who were primarily responsible for their own lives. The subjects' capacities to adapt to their different environments and the conditions in which they live are discussed for their implications for social and substance abuse prevention programs. (SLD)