The escalation of youth violence is one of the major public health concerns of the United States. Many factors today make juveniles more likely to commit, or to become victims of, violent acts. Drugs, the availability of guns, and the emergence of gang problems in all regions of the country are among the causes of youth violence. Prevention of violence involves a continuum of care that starts at the beginning of a child's life, and continues through late adolescence. Delinquency is least likely to progress to adult criminality when the juvenile forms long-term relationships and the juvenile is able to obtain gainful employment. A section on "Federal Programs of Note" profiles Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT), Safe Futures Partnerships To Reduce Youth Violence and Delinquency, and Youth Violence Prevention Projects. The regular section, "The CIS (Communities in Schools) Connection" describes a survey of violence prevention programs, 91 of which were part of the CIS network. Also included in this issue is a discussion of vital statistics in state education, which notes the enrollment, school system size, finances, and student characteristics of state school systems. The "Recent Research Reports" section highlights some trends that are important to the educational community, such as a decline in teenage births and a decline in reading achievement scores. (SLD)