Between 85 and 90 percent of 17-year-olds self-report committing an act for which they could be arrested (Moffitt, 1993). At the same time, attempts to regulate teens' behavior by either reward or punishment almost always backfire and produce even more aberrant behavior and rebellion. Several methods of engaging with young people and their…

The purpose of this article is to explain how a means/ends test can be adapted for the school environment. Public school officials can use a means/ends test to document an analysis of whether dress-code policies will be effective in diminishing risks to the health, safety, or morality of the school population. Elements of policy evaluation--ends,…