Contemporary sociology makes the case that the concepts of society and social structure are past their sell-by dates. Our world is marked by impermanence and social life is characterised by mobilities. Even self-identity has become liquid. Social actors use consumption artefacts and services to re-design themselves in ways that are commensurate…

Participation in senior secondary education in Australia has experienced tremendous growth since the late 1960s. Much of this growth has come from young people who were the first in their families to participate in schooling at this level. Many of the changes in participation and in curriculum offerings have been documented as part of a number of…

By the beginning of World War I most U.S. American children attended elementary school. However, up to 65% of school age children left their studies to find work after the fifth or sixth grade when they were ten or eleven years old. Four years after the stock market crash of 1929 one quarter of the labor force, or thirteen million workers of all…

This report provides an evaluation of the Prevention Initiative Program's second-funded year in the Chicago Public Schools. The program's purpose was to reduce school failure by providing health and social services to young families, improving parenting skills, and assisting young mothers to complete high school. The program served pregnant or…

This digest addresses the topic of increasing violence among and against youth in society. The opening section "What Personal Qualities Are Associated with Reduction of Violence," identifies: (1) problem-solving and reasoning skills; (2) social capacities; and (3) a productive sense of purpose, independence, and power. The section…

Teacher education programs are rapidly changing to ensure that pre-service teachers are well prepared to successfully conquer the critical issues they will encounter in K-12 public schools. The major issue influencing teaching and learning is school violence and the lack of a sense of peace and caring in educational institutions. The educational…

The phrase "prosocial gang" may seem a contradiction but such gangs do exist. This book describes a gang intervention program, Aggression Replacement Training (ART), which resulted in reduced arrest rates among violent gangs in a large urban area. The book opens with a list of prosocial gangs followed by an analysis of the development,…

The National Goals 2000 emphasizes the importance of public school children's socio-emotional and physical health. Twenty percent of America's public school children suffer significant mental health problems. The longer schools wait to intervene with children at risk, the more expensive and less successful the schools' efforts will be. Aggressive…

In 1993, "Signs of Effectiveness in Preventing Alcohol and Other Drug Problems" appeared. It addressed alcohol and other drug use as a health problem influenced by risk factors in five life spheres or domains: individual, family, school, peer group, and community. Like its predecessor, "Signs of Effectiveness II" reports on…

No ceremony or rite exists to usher the African American male youth into proper manhood. Such ceremonies, referred to as rites of passage, mark commonly agreed-upon standards, activities, tasks, and trials that each youth must master to achieve the community-sanctioned title "man." The clear articulation and subsequent implementation of…

In response to increasing demands that Canadian school boards provide behavior adaptation programs to counter the effects of disruptive home environments, school violence, and victimization, this paper explores definitions and diagnostic criteria for the following behavior disorders: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant…

This study was undertaken to explore whether incest, extrafamilial sexual abuse, and physical abuse are linked with different psychological or behavioral consequences, and whether abuse affects males and females differently. In 1989, a survey instrument was administered to all 6th, 9th, and 12th graders in 84% of all the public schools in…

Ideas submitted by middle school Youth for Justice teams are presented. Sixty-four teams from middle schools in all regions of Ohio spent 5 months researching and preparing their ideas for the Youth Summit. Ideas that identify and propose solutions and action steps to address the multiple problems of violence by and against youth are compiled in…

This bulletin examines manifestations of street violence (bullying, gangs, weapons possession and use, substance abuse, and community violence) threatening schools and describes steps that concerned citizens are taking to restore security and calm. Schoolyard bullying can be mitigated by widely publicized rules, buddy systems, parent education…

This document presents a review of the literature on the nature of alcohol and other drug problems among Hispanic American youth, analyzes a series of programs funded by the Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP) for Hispanic Americans, and presents the results of an evaluation of those programs. The section reviewing literature on drug…