This publication presents an overview of the 2000 survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students, with a particular emphasis on recent trends in the use of various licit and illicit drugs. It also shows trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug, which this study has shown to be particularly important…

This English and Spanish language multimedia packet comprises an educational curriculum designed to help families talk about self-esteem, sex, and peer pressure with their children in grades 4 through 8. The packet consists of a planning and training manuals, family activity books, and a videotape. The curriculum is comprised of four parent…

Knowledge production and learning in engineering is a local, situated, negotiated, and thoroughly social process. Although engineering work entails the construal, production, and application of artifacts and technical devices belonging to the "object world," the process of designing is a process of achieving consensus among real or…

This booklet provides step-by-step guidelines for developing a leadership-through-service-learning component for a school athletic team. It is based on a program called LIFE LINE (Leaders in Football and Education) founded in 1996 as a peer leadership group that would increase team unity and success both on and off the field. The guide summarizes…

The effects of career-related factors and ethnic background on career resilience were examined in a study of 467 graduate and undergraduate students (68 African American, 42 Hispanic, and 357 Anglo American). The students ranged in age from 17 through 56 years and were predominately from middle- to upper-middle-class homes. The 102-item Career…

This booklet reports on the results of the 1998 Texas School Survey of Substance Use among Students: Grades 4-6. The statewide school survey monitors trends in substance use among public school students, identifies emerging problem areas, and serves as a basis of comparison for local school surveys which are conducted annually by various school…

This report summarizes evaluation results for AISD's federally-funded Title IV Safe and Drug-free Schools program activities for the 2003-2004 school year.

Discusses the increased use of Peer Mediation (PM) programs to solve interpersonal conflicts in school settings in the past 10 years. Provides three distinctive models of PM programs and discusses the stages generally necessary for developing a PM program. Describes three exemplary PM programs: an elementary school model, a middle school model,…

Explores the extent of and reasons for alcohol use among Soviet juvenile delinquents, ages 14-18, confined to labor-upbringing colonies. Examines reasons for drinking, for committing crimes, onset of drinking, and links between types of crimes and frequency of drinking. Illustrates alcohol-crime link. Postulates how family influence predetermines…

Substantial research and theory suggests that smoking initiation is socially mediated, with both peers and parents playing important roles. To learn more about how parenting behaviors influence smoking initiation, students (n = 1002) from four middle schools were surveyed at the beginning of the sixth grade (T1), and the end of the sixth (T2) and…

Theoretical foundation of Response mechanisms in networks of online learners are revealed by Statistical Analysis of p* Markov Models for the Networks. Our comparative analysis of two networks shows that the minimal-effort hunt-for-social-capital mechanism controls a major behavior of both networks: negative tendency to respond. Differences in…

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to examine the practice validity of a new ecological assessment instrument for third through fifth graders in terms of whether it provided school staff with new knowledge about students. Method: Preassessment knowledge of school staff was compared to data obtained from 21 children and their parents…

Since 1996, our research team has conducted 15 focus groups with 169 middle-school youth in small communities as formative research for campaigns against alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and violence. Some key findings of a synthesis of focus-group results are that girls and boys perceive different risks to alcohol and tobacco use; peer relationships are…

Noting that the current generation of adolescents is experiencing more stressful and negative experiences at an earlier age than previous generations, and that the consequences include drug abuse, delinquency, and mental illness, this book provides caregivers and parents with specific tactics to move teenagers successfully through adolescence. The…

A nationwide survey was conducted to solicit input from a random sample of junior and senior high school students (N=250) and teachers (N=258) regarding violence in the schools. This report presents a summary of survey results under five headings. The first, perceived seriousness of violence, indicated that one in three teachers and one in four…