This journal issue presents examples of progress in urban education. It shows preliminary data on system-wide improvement in student achievement, dropout and graduation rates, student attendance, and more. Progress in urban schools is the result of a growing national consensus on what needs to be done, and an increasing emphasis by urban educators…

The association between mothers' perceptions of their neighborhoods in terms of crime, physical deterioration, and the availability of important resources and adolescent adjustment in the areas of self-reliance, self-esteem, problem behavior, and psychological distress was studied. Adolescent participants were 37 males and 48 females, all of whom…

Through Title V Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs (Community Prevention Grants), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) allocated $20 million in fiscal year 1997 to states to complement law enforcement and justice system efforts by helping local communities foster strong families and nurture…

The presence of young people in public spaces and the types of activities in which they engage have generated considerable debate and discussion in Australia in recent years. This guide provides brief descriptions of a range of public space projects that have been undertaken in Australia. The aim is to outline the key elements of a youth-friendly…

Economic and demographic changes in the central city have created two conflicting urban groups: (1) the poor, who seek inexpensive housing and greater welfare expenditures; and (2) the elite, who seek neighborhood improvement, fewer housing units, and more environment-enhancing investments. Reconstruction of urban America requires a reconciliation…

"The crises of suburban development, inner-city industrial movement, shopping centers, suburban executive offices, decline of mass transit, New Towns and 'no growth' policy all received a good deal of their impetus from the interstate highway system. The decline of the urban school system can be dated to the start of the interstate highway…

Offers an overview of historical connections between race and residential planning in the United States, beginning with planning strategies between the World Wars. This review gives insight into how enforcement of the Federal Fair Housing Act (Title VIII) can promote a more racially and economically integrated society. (SLD)

Some of the impacts associated with a metropolitan university are estimated, conceptualizing the impact as a series of backward (expenditure) and forward (knowledge-related) linkages. Issues are highlighted through a case study of Northwestern University in Illinois. Results emphasize the magnitude of university expenditure links with the…

Examined connections between culture and problem behaviors among 119 African American fifth and sixth graders. Results indicate that youth endorsed the Afrocultural orientation of spirituality and the Anglocultural orientation of effort optimism most highly. The Anglocultural orientation of person/object relations and the marginalized orientations…

While homelessness results from a variety of factors, ultimately its cause is an insufficient supply of suitable housing. The Federal government must massively intervene to halt the loss of additional low-income housing units, and benefits paid to the welfare-dependent population must approximately double. (MW)

Explores the ways in which producers of contemporary urban graffiti resist the increasing segregation and control of urban environments, and shows how graffiti participants undermine efforts at control. Data come from four years of field work in Denver (Colorado) and research in other cities. (SLD)

Explores adolescent violence in American society and offers solutions. Some problems can be resolved only through massive social change. Behavioral factors, however, may respond to targeted public health intervention strategies. Health care providers could be an early warning network, offering early intervention. (SLD)