By better understanding differences in health-risk behaviors among youth in rural, suburban and urban communities, health educators and other public health practitioners can more appropriately focus prevention and health care programs. In this study, we examined data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to determine whether…

This text gives social workers tools for effective and ethical practice in school settings. Readers learn practical skills for observation, assessment, intervention, and research that will enable them to respond to the needs of diverse students from preschool through the secondary grades. The book presents strategies for dealing with particular…

Research indicates that lower levels of school commitment may be one potential outcome of policy initiatives such as high-stakes testing and exit exams. Such outcomes may lead these policy initiatives to have unintended consequences for students, particularly racial or ethnic minority students. This study examines whether race or ethnicity…

Strong kids have the fortitude to resist drug/alcohol abuse and other tendencies towards anti-social behavior. Research has shown that strong kids have attained a high level of development in six crucial areas. The S+T+R+O+N+G Kids Program builds upon each of these areas: (1) Self-Esteem; (2) Trust; (3) Responsibility; (4) Options; (5) Needs; (6)…

A lack of adequate substance abuse information at an elementary school prompted this practicum examining at risk students. Classroom guidance lessons on substance abuse prevention were given, which included small group counseling sessions regarding self-esteem and problem-solving skills, followed by posttests. Classroom guidance lessons revealed a…

This document describes an effort to change perceptions of social norms and examines the effect of this change on binge drinking and alcohol-related problems at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The first section of the report discusses the historical and theoretical basis for this approach to prevention. The next section describes a…

This report evaluates the Saginaw Drug and Alcohol Abuse Education Training Program conducted in 1990-1991, which provided in-depth training for 94 professionals including 63 teachers and 7 counselors through a workshop lasting 5 days and containing 6 hours of instruction per day. The workshops addressed the identification of both drug abuse…

In April 1991, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to a sample of 1,412 high school students in Colorado public schools to collect information about priority health-risk behaviors among adolescents. Questionnaires were received from 1,170 students, a response rate of 83%. Classes in Colorado's 280 public schools were also selected to…

This document is the first in a series of technical reports concerning the high-risk youth demonstration grants of the Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP). The report summarizes the 130 demonstration grants funded in 1987 to develop, test, and evaluate promising approaches for working with high-risk youth. These approaches involve…

This biography chronicles the life of Lloyd "Swee'pea" Daniels, considered one of the finest basketball players ever to come out of New York City. The book also serves as a sociological expose of the dark side of collegiate and professional sports, in its description of a youngster chasing the dream of playing basketball, but finally…

This guide, intended for adults who deal with adolescents, was originally designed as a companion to "No Hang-Ups!," a telephone tape call-in service addressing topics of vital concern to teenagers. The format of the guide consists of a series of brief two-page fact sheets on a wide range of adolescent issues: problems in school, teenage fears,…

This publication was written by practicing school psychologists and university trainers to aid Wisconsin's schools in their efforts to provide excellent psychological services to students, parents, and staff members. Overviews and selected papers are included in the areas of the professional development of school psychologists in Wisconsin, the…

This report presents an update of the facts surrounding adolescent alcohol and drug abuse and provides resources to assist school boards in developing effective school policies addressing the problem. The prevalence of drug and alcohol use among young people is demonstrated by the results of a survey of the high school class of 1986. Areas of…

In the early 1990s, the University of Rhode Island (URI) had a reputation as the number one party school in America, and data showed that the number of URI students engaging in binge drinking was significantly higher than the national average. In order to salvage its reputation and the health of its students, administrators undertook a campus…

The results of the twenty-first national survey of drug use and related attitudes among U.S. high school students are reported. This volume contains the results from the secondary school samples taken from eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders. All the data come from an ongoing national research and reporting program. Distinctions are made among…