Teachers and administrators across the United States struggle to maintain safe, civil, and community- and achievement-oriented schools. Disciplinary actions (such as school suspensions) and security measures (such as school resource officers/security guards and security cameras) are some approaches commonly used in schools to try to improve school…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) has a long history of providing representative data on the nation's high school students. These assessments are crucial to CDC's mission of identifying health behaviors and experiences; understanding the determinants and co-occurrence of risks;…

Too many parts of the world are suffering from conflict and its repercussions. Millions of children and young people are at risk of not reaching their full potential. Before more decades of development efforts are undone and future progress is blocked, it is a moral obligation of society to collectively find ways to foster social cohesion among…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) alternative educational options. The WCPSS options are similar to those in other North Carolina districts. WCPSS student outcomes based on state assessments and federal standards are also equivalent or higher than other districts, although the capacity for WCPSS…

A pilot evaluation is reported of a reminiscence program aimed at increasing personal meaning. Fifty-seven older persons completed both a sentence completion questionnaire measuring personal meaning and a depression scale administered before and after the program. In comparison to a group from a representative survey that was matched on life…

This report presents the results of a survey of 1,010 K-12 public school teachers about their views on the teaching profession, teachers unions, and various reforms aimed at improving teacher quality. It reveals the challenges teachers see in their profession, including weak evaluation processes and a rigid tenure pay system; how teachers feel…

Kin caregiving research tends to focus on the experiences of grandmothers. Often unnoticed and underserved are grandfathers who also take on this responsibility. Here, two groups of grandfathers participated in focus group interviews to discuss their experiences as caregivers to their grandchildren. Common themes for the grandfathers were the…

This study was conducted to examine the educational aspirations and course enrollment practices of a sample of California high school sophomores. In May 1988, 10th grade students (N=2,949) enrolled in 46 high schools in California completed questionnaires on background characteristics; educational aspirations and post-high school plans; career…

This report presents an examination of the association between psychological functioning and substance abuse among adolescents aged 12 to 17 using data from the 1994-1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The survey, conducted annually by Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides estimates of the…

For more than a decade, Florida's Palm Beach County has been building an infrastructure of prevention and early intervention services to promote and support the healthy development and school readiness of children from birth to age 8. The county began this effort with a set of programs focused on serving families in four targeted geographic areas…

U.S. research-doctorate programs in the social and behavioral sciences were assessed by a committee of the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils. Attention was focused on 639 research-doctorate programs in seven disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political sciences,…