Street children, as the offspring of complex contemporary urban environments, represent one of our most serious global challenges. Article discusses the causes of this phenomenon, characteristics of street children throughout the world, and specific circumstances in Nepal, Indonesia, India, Latin America, and the Philippines. (Author/EMK)

Discusses social science research methodologies and reviews domestic and foreign research on homelessness. Concludes that additional research would make only a marginal contribution to solving what has been identified as an economic and political problem. (FMW)

This book evolved out of a presentation on the psychosocial problems of black adolescents and youth at a colloquium jointly sponsored by the Bay Area Black United Fund and the School of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley in the Spring of 1982. The problems of black inner-city males are so severe that society tends to ignore…

Reviews recent research on the epidemiology, subject characteristics, and service needs of the homeless population who are dually diagnosed to suffer both severe mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Discusses evolving approaches to providing social services, various treatments, system and legal issues, and problems with current research.…

This issue brief looks at the relationship between gang presence in schools and students' reports of victimization and fear. There is limited data about the causes of either juvenile street violence or school-related crime. Data collected in 1989 and 1993 reveal: (1) minority students living in urban areas are not the only ones who attend schools…

Views suicide as an historical indicator of social factors related to urbanization and urban life. Discusses historical and contemporary problems with data collection, especially in terms of race and sex of victims and underreporting among particular groups. Suggests theoretical approaches to the study of suicide in contemporary society. (GC)

Reviews problems associated with urban crime, describing the extent and costs of victimization and discussing criminal justice and health care approaches to reducing violence. Research suggests that the health care approach can successfully reduce crime and violence in African-American communities. Contains 53 references. (SLD)

Research problems related to studies of school desegregation in urban areas are identified and discussed. A review of statistical models used in desegregation research indicates that deviation models are the most appropriate for investigating short-run effects of desegregation. (Author/DB)

The sexually charged "Kids" was one of the most controversial films about teenage sexuality and youth of 1995. The pessimism and one-dimensionality of the film foster a conservative pedagogy and politics that fail to break dominant discourse about subordinate youth in this country. (SLD)

Critically examines several perspectives from which the underclass is viewed and identifies policy prescriptions related to them. Conflicting perspectives correspond to assumptions about human nature characterized by Thomas Sowell as "constrained" and "unconstrained." Argues for an expanded federal role in helping the poor through employment…

The concept of municipal overburden refers to the relationship between municipalities' educational funding and the fiscal stress generated by their heavy expenditures on both educational and noneducational services. The authors examine three aspects of the problem of municlpal overburden. First, in a literature review, they discuss the measurement…

Reviews the descriptive empirical literature on homeless women, using a theoretical perspective on stress. Finds that homelessness is highly stressful, and examines the sources and mediators of homelessness. Suggests that more is known about the risk factors than about the mediating factors that may decrease the stressful circumstances' impact.…

Examines features of residential segregation in five mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel and the role of ideology and state politics among the charter group (Jewish) as a dominant factor in this social process. Findings reveal all five cities exhibit high indices of segregation and hypersegregation--a situation of neighbors without neighborly…

This review of perspectives on the current status and policy issues of urban America is divided into nine chapters, each of which includes a bibliography. Chapter one presents an overview of the postindustrial demographic and economic changes in the United States and the Federal government's response to these changes. The ongoing transformation of…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints Series present debates about current issues that can be used to teach critical reading and thinking skills. The varied opinions in each book examine different aspects of a single issue. The topics covered in this volume explore the racial and ethnic tensions that concern many Americans today. The racial divide…