In the United States, we tend to assume that young people should become educated and then go to work, as though the two were entirely separate stages of life. This dichotomy blinds us to the fact that work itself can be a powerful means of education-giving students opportunities to apply academic subject matter to real-world problems, and pushing…

For young people in the United States, whatever their backgrounds, one of the essential purposes of schooling should be to help them develop the knowledge, skills, and competence needed to search for and obtain work that they find at least reasonably satisfying. Our present educational system does precious little to introduce young people to the…

In the United States, we tend to assume that young people should become educated and then go to work, as though the two were entirely separate stages of life. This dichotomy blinds us to the fact that work itself can be a powerful means of education. Indeed, the workplace is where many young people become most engaged in learning high-level skills…

A study analyzed mitigating conditions and factors that prevented the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships among young people aged 15-19 years of age who had left school in Victoria, Australia. Data were based on a thesis completed in May 2000 involving analysis of theoretical research, observation in the field, and case study interviews…

This study examined links between early adolescent exposure to entrepreneurial gang activity and later criminal justice, economic, and social outcomes, comparing the social and behavioral outcomes of young people with active gang involvement and their non-gang affiliated counterparts. Participants came from a concentrated poor, predominantly…

Analysis of aggregate- and individual-level data for a national sample of white women suggest that adolescent nonmarital sexual activity and contraceptive use are shaped by the local opportunity structure and normative environment. Social disintegration, socioeconomic status, and availability of employment opportunities for women emerged as…

Hypothesizes that the nature and availability of particular kinds of employment determine other aspects of adolescence and dependency. Data concerning Orillia, Canada, during the nineteenth century, indicate that changes in occupational structure related to age at marriage, patterns of school attendance, and place of residence. (Author/AV)

The role of part-time employment among disaffected and mainstream 14- to 16-year-olds and 16- to 19-year-olds in full-time education in the Kingswood area of South Gloucestershire, England, was examined. Data were gathered through the following activities: (1) a survey of approximately 2,000 youths from 6 schools and 1 further education college;…

Examination of neighborhood-level data from three northern California communities with large immigrant populations found that youth violence was not related to percentage of immigrants in the neighborhood population. Youth violence was positively related to alcohol availability and percentage of divorced adults, and negatively related to…

The role of social awareness in the employment success of adolescents with mild mental retardation was examined in a two-phase study. In phase 1, a set of social awareness descriptors designed to measure the three components of social awareness--sensitivity, insight, and communication--was developed and validated in a five-stage process. In phase…

Although the proportion of teenagers in the labor force generally increases during economic expansions, the labor force participation rate for 16- to 19-year-olds changed very little during the exceptional labor market conditions of the mid-1990s. In July 2000, the labor force participation rate for teens was at its lowest level since 1965.…

This book contains 17 papers devoted to the following four aspects of the transition to adulthood: effects of alterations in the structure of opportunity; effects of prior experiences in the family; effects of prior experience in the workplace; and career development and marriage formation during a period of rising inequality. The following papers…

In May 2001, 7.8 million people in the United States (5.7% of U.S. workers) worked multiple jobs. The May 2001 Current Population Survey asked multiple jobholders their main reason for holding more than one job. These percentages of respondents gave the following reasons: to meet expenses or pay off debt, 27.8%; to earn extra money, 35.4%; to…

This series of thirteen reports reviewing available information on the causes and dimensions of youth employment is designed to provide an information base for policy formation. (It constitutes the first of a three-volume compendium; other volumes deal with special needs and problems of youth employment policy and with program experience --see…

The effectiveness of a preemployment program that was initiated at Robert E. Abbott Accelerated Middle School in Waukegan, Illinois, was examined through a follow-up survey of the program's graduates. The survey population consisted of all 176 individuals who had participated in the preemployment club since its inception in 1994 (28 individuals…