Explores the effects of deindustrialization and the shift to a postindustrial society on the hopes and dreams of urban high school students. Uses the concept of liminality to characterize urban environments as transitional intersections of socioeconomic change. Includes verbatim comments from urban youth about the efficacy of their future. (MJP)

Focuses on the impact of weak labor force attachment on grade retention by the ninth grade among urban black children. Suggests that higher risks of grade retention are associated with welfare dependency only when income is obtained from welfare alone and receipt of welfare is persistent. (MJP)