Experiential programs should augment the positive self-perceptions of African American youth. Nigrescence and the Cross Model of Racial Identity are explained, along with their usefulness in helping experiential educators identify personal cultural awareness, accept differences, and create positive communities of self-confident African American…

Innercity students who enter a suburban school system often find themselves at a significant disadvantage, both academically and socially, and seek acceptance by flaunting gang symbols. Identifies 10 strategies for addressing the problems of gang influence in suburban schools, including involving transfer students and providing career counseling.…

Some behavior disordered children drift from agency to agency, with little continuity or communication among services. The price paid is a high one, not only in dollars, but also in terms of negative personal, family, professional, and community consequences. A sense of interagency collaboration needs to be revitalized. (JW)

Investigated gender differences in psychological problems--decision anxiety, life-goal awareness, and others--in the career decision-making process (CDM) of 1,006 college students. Results indicated no gender differences in global levels of problems in CDM. Some specific difficulties, such as life-goal awareness and authority orientation, were…

Of 100 adolescents screened for drug use, 43% tested positive for drugs of abuse. Twenty-five percent of these adolescents entered treatment, with 8% requiring medical detoxification or inpatient treatment. Urine screening, when done for clinical rather than punitive purposes, appeared to facilitate entry into treatment. (RJM)

Evaluated the educational, psychological, and medical literature that addressed emotional difficulties and behavioral problems in students. Determined that the lack of consensus on the terms used to describe the problem prevented accurate assessment of its prevalence. Concludes that low-cost, gate-keeping mechanisms are needed to facilitate early…

Evaluation of the impact on several self-perception, behavioral, and family functioning variables of an Outward Bound school program with a family training component for adolescent status offenders indicated that treatment group subjects had significantly higher scores on all variables compared to controls at four weeks, though many differences…

Compared pregnant adolescents intending to relinquish their infants, pregnant adolescents intending to parent, and parenting adolescents on measures of coping and psychosocial adjustment. Pregnant adolescents intending to relinquish their infants showed better overall levels of self-image than the other two groups. Coping strategy differences were…

Explores the complex relationship between parental control and delinquency, accounting for age and gender by examining effects of powers/controls and interactions among powers/controls within age and gender groups, using data from the 1972 National Survey of Youth (402 female and 470 male white 11- to 18-year-old adolescents). (SLD)

Each year, thousands of young people drop out of school, begin a life of unemployment, poverty, low self-esteem, violence, and even imprisonment. This article explains the sad effects of early school exits and the critical need for school-community collaboration to prevent dropouts. School leaders must be culturally sensitive and create school…

Uses Child Assessment Schedule and self-report measures to assess psychiatric status in a group of delinquents (N=72) adjudicated before a juvenile court. A significant difference was found between ethnic groups on self-report scores. Seventy percent of subjects received at least one psychiatric diagnosis. The most prevalent diagnoses were conduct…

Introduces workshop papers proposing research agendas based on the assumption that street children's public image hinders both research and program development. Argues that research emphasis should shift to analysis of children's relationship to the street environment; this approach, derived from social science research, entails innovative and…

In pilot study, special education teachers were exposed to experiences designed to enhance their skills in adapting substance abuse prevention activities and materials for their students. Although pilot students noted an increase in their teachers' emphasis on substance abuse prevention and their criterion-related attitudes/behaviors improved…

Compared background, pre-treatment characteristics, and post-treatment outcomes of African American, Hispanic, and white adolescent substance abusers participating in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents (DATOS-A). Found that patients were similar with respect to basic pre-treatment demographics. Compared to white adolescents,…

There has been widespread concern of the death of children and adults during physical restraint. This topic was the focus of an article by Patterson, Leadbetter, and McComish (2000) in a recent issue of the "Journal of Safe Management of Disruptive and Assaultive Behavior." Following is a discussion of causes and risk factors related to…