Three hypotheses were investigated among 121 maltreating and adequate mother/child dyads: that (1) there would be qualitative differences in the supportiveness of mothers' networks; (2) differences would be related to differences in child attachment to mother; and (3) differences in mothers' approaches to relationships might have influenced their…

This publication highlights lessons learned by participants at the May 2006 AYPF field trip to Philadelphia about the best practices the city uses to sustain its comprehensive out-of-school time system. In May of 2006, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) led a field trip to Philadelphia, Pa., in an effort to expose Washington, DC policymakers…

A study examined the role of paraeducators as liaisons to the local community. Phase 1 of the study involved interviews with four paraeducators and three teachers, each of whom was part of a rural teacher/paraeducator team that used the paraeducator's background in the community to enhance school activities. Phase 2 involved five group sessions…

Adolescent drug use in the United States remains higher than that of any other industrialized country. To explore this problem, demographic and psychosocial variables from a survey of 346 pre- and early adolescents were used to predict membership in clusters of students with varying substance use attitudes and expectancies. Cluster analysis…

There are clear signs that community learning is the way to a more sustainable future for Australian communities, especially rural ones. There are also indications that policymakers now recognize that the people who live in communities should play an important role in determining the future of their own communities. Policy must use the best…

Written for faculty of color in order, to address challenges specific to that population, this document discusses the challenges associated with pursuing higher education as a profession. It offers advice about building a career within the academy. Contributors to this volume explore how they have brought new scholarship into the academy, offered…

Studied high school students' (N=31) perceptions of significant adults as well as possible relationships between facets of alienation. Results showed parents were the adults most frequently named as significant. Teachers were not often chosen. There were no differences in adult relationship patterns between alienated and nonalienated students.…

Studied the role of social networks and protective agents in developing social capital among children of color, examining how children wrote a narrative of resistance within contradictory cultural norms. Investigated social dynamics behind discipline statistics provided by referrals issued to middle school students when expelled from class and…

This study examined the personal networks and social supports of 316 blind and visually impaired youth, ages 14-23, in the Netherlands. The average participant had a personal network of 15 people (compared to 15-20 for sighted adolescents.) The oldest adolescents had the largest networks and blind adolescents had the smallest. For all adolescents,…

A study examined self perceptions of eight persons with mental retardation on the adequacy of their social support systems. Suburban participants had more informal sources of support and utilized informal supports more frequently than rural subjects. Suburbanites also had a higher self-perception of the adequacy of their social support systems.…

Describes New York City initiatives for parent participation in education, including the Parent Involvement Program (PIP), the Parent Orientation Program (POP), and the Parent Leadership Assistance Network (PLAN). These programs incorporate commitment to the family, broadened definitions of parent involvement, varied involvement strategies, and…

A survey of 150 elderly people with disabilities in Hong Kong found that a high proportion was living alone in the community with only minimal networks for emotional support. Effective measures to promote family care of disabled elderly people and approaches to integrating the formal and informal care sectors are discussed. (DB)

Examines the development of employment networks among undocumented Mexican migrants in Chicago (Illinois). The ethnographic study of about 100 immigrants indicates that kinship networks have lost importance for migrants seeking employment in Chicago. Presumptive causes for these changes and consequences for the average migrant are discussed. (SLD)

Demonstrates ways that a classroom teacher can get a distorted picture of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and their resources and how viewing literacy in a social context illustrates the way relationships are negotiated. Suggestions are made for teachers to create ESL classrooms where the role of literacy in students' lives can be…

Ethnographic data from a black middle-class Chicago neighborhood indicate that dense social networks fostered by residential stability facilitate informal supervision of neighborhood youth and enhance formal crime-prevention activities. Nevertheless, inclusion of gang members and drug dealers in networks of law-abiding kin and neighbors thwarts…