Kansas City YouthNet is taking on a leadership role in promoting community youth development (CYD). YouthNet's efforts to shift the measurement and evaluation focus from delivery of staff services to individual youth achievement is expected to lead to additional funds, a new CYD infrastructure, and improved lives of youth. (Author/JOW)

This article argues that evaluators must go further in mapping how clients' indigenous social structures complement or conflict with the centralized rational structure of program reforms. Evaluation of youth programs in Israel and the United States exemplifies how the respective social rules of program sponsor versus clients may be mutually…

Analyzes data from a juvenile diversion program which seem to indicate that as program services increased, the likelihood of participant recidivism increased. Maintains that the unexpected findings resulted from flaws in data recording within the program and suggests that program designs should incorporate evaluation strategies in order to ensure…

This program assessment package is for those providing after-school services for young adolescents. Introductory material discusses why the focus is on 10- to 15-year-olds, the need for program evaluation, and assessment criteria. The package includes the following items: (1) "3:00 to 6:00 P.M.; Programs for Young Adolescents," by Joan…

This policy paper, prepared for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and focused on institutional strategies for prevention of juvenile delinquency, begins with a definition of delinquency prevention and a framework which classifies delinquency theories according to the individual, social institutions, or social interaction.…

The past five years have seen a ground swell in public attention and public policy aimed at increasing the availability of after-school programs for children and young teens during the "risk" hours when safety, supervision and homework are a top concern. Popularly called "after-school," these programs represent a new and growing variation on the…

Nationwide attention to the problems of teenage pregnancy and suicide, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, dropping out of school, and other conditions is resulting in a proliferation of primary prevention programs, projects, and activities. In too many communities, however, the growth of…

This report synthesizes recommendations on future youth employment policy that emerged from a series of 10 regional Policy Forums sponsored by the National Youth Practitioners' Network. Introductory information lists the sessions and the five discussion questions on the agenda at 10 forums. These three general recommendations are then discussed:…

Describes a study of 192 first-year vocational agriculture teachers to determine their attitudes toward using the Future Farmers of America as an instructional technique. Sixteen conclusions from the analysis of data are listed. Seven recommendations for improvement of beginning vocational agriculture teachers are provided. (LRA)

The structure of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is built on the belief that flexibility and responsibility are necessary at the state and local levels to tailor successful programs. The purposely limited federal role allows state and local decisions to flourish. JTPA's private-public partnership has been a major public relations success…

On February 3, 2003, the Bush Administration unveiled its request to cut funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program by 40 percent in fiscal year 2004. This date also marked the administration's release of When Schools Stay Open Late: The National Evaluation of the 21st-Century Learning Centers Program, First Year Findings, the…

High school is becoming the next frontier for after-school advocates. The conceptual and practical leaps from programming for elementary and middle school students to high school students are significant, with huge marketing challenges. Arguing persuasively for investments in this population requires revisiting almost every strategic decision,…

This policy study of official efforts to develop the relationship between education and employment in the United States focuses on both the transition of youth from school to work and the education and employment system for adults. Federal legislation is overviewed, and federal programs for youth to improve the relationship of education to…

This monograph discusses seven topics regarding ways in which local K-12 school districts could and should relate with the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) Prime Sponsor in their particular geographic area. The seven priority issues were identified by participants in a series of 15 two-day mini-conferences conducted by the Office…

Current delivery systems for vocational education and their implications for the future is the topic of presentations included in this report of an EPDA (Educational Professions Development Act) leadership development seminar. Major contents are an evaluation summary, texts of the three major speeches, and outlines of afternoon interaction…