The interests of two different at-risk populations in Pennsylvania are compared. Both urban minorities and rural youth participated in programs designed to motivate them to continue their education. Participants (52 rural and 30 urban middle school students) completed an interest survey as part of the program orientation. Although the rural youth…

What Motivational Educational Entertainment (MEE) has learned about popular urban youth culture and the "hip-hop generation" is updated and expanded, focusing on substance use and abuse, violence, and sexuality. Qualitative focus groups were used to obtain the opinions of former high school dropouts who were enrolled in General…

The Summer Academic Skills Enhancement Program was funded by the Private Industry Council (PIC) of Franklin County (Ohio) through the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to provide JTPA clients with the reading comprehension and language mechanics skills required for employment in entry-level positions. The program was coordinated by the…

This report describes an assessment of substance abuse among Portland (Oregon) Public School students in grades 7 and 10, determining the relationship between early and later substance use for planning and development of alcohol and drug education, prevention, and intervention. The survey was administered in 17 middle schools, 10 high schools, and…

The Phi Delta Kappa Study of Students At Risk assessed who is at risk, what puts students at risk, what schools are doing to help those students, and how effective these efforts are. Data were provided on at-risk students in 85 U.S. and Canadian communities by teachers who knew each student best and had access to a student's school records. This…

This report reviews and analyzes programs to educate homeless children and youth. A look at the national perspective describes the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, its passage and content. The paper argues that the Department of Education, charged with implementing the Act, failed to do so. Delays, inadequate monitoring, and…

This study examined the effects of African-American preadolescent children attending Saturday programs on African heritage and history offered at an African-American heritage center located in their neighborhood. In the first year, the study planned, designed, and implemented the program on a trial basis at a local community center. The second…

Effective communications strategies for delivering substance abuse and other prosocial behavior messages to African American inner city teenagers were studied. After pilot studies, the final sample consisted of middle school and high school students from the urban centers of New York City; Washington, D.C.; Camden (New Jersey); Philadelphia…

The issues facing urban Appalachian children and their families in Cincinnati (Ohio) are addressed. Appalachians have the highest school dropout rate in Cincinnati proportionate to their numbers, with low access to jobs and generally poor access to, and use of, public services. Much of the information for this report comes from a survey of 246…

The educational outlook for children of school age in low-income minority neighborhoods of New York City is discussed, drawing primarily on the researcher's observations in a field study in Central Harlem. The decline the neighborhoods have undergone is summarized; and the role of drugs, especially crack, is discussed. Some opinions of residents…

To gain perspective on how the structure of a family impacts young people, data from a national study conducted by the Search Institute were reexamined. Of the 47,000 students of the study, 8,266 live in a single parent household, due largely to divorce. Analysis focused on at-risk behavior, deficits, and the dynamics of healthy single-parent…

This book originally written in 1978, houses a pessimistic view of American culture that the author sees no reason to modify. The central argument is that the national faith in individual initiative and free opportunity has become a breeding ground for guilt about our own limited successes and prejudice against all who exhibit signs of failure.…

This fifth annual report on dropout rates in the United States presents data for 1992 on high school dropout and retention rates and high school completion and graduate rates. The report is based on the best and most current available data, drawing on the Current Population Survey of the Census and the National Education Longitudinal Study of…

This report provides background, implementation, and diverse outcome data from the first 3 years of an ongoing effort to implement a highly specified school reform design in a high-poverty, urban elementary school, Woodson Elementary School, Baltimore (Maryland). The design that is being implemented is the Calvert School model. The Calvert School…

This analysis considers the urban and educational crises in modern Britain, outlining and explaining the problems and suggesting interrelated solutions. Included is an indepth analysis of the social, economic, and educational revitalization of one inner-city community in Birmingham (England). The first six chapters of this book discuss "The…