This report by the National Institute on Out-of- School Time (NIOST) in association with The Forum for Youth (FYI) investigates how after-school programs in Boston can most effectively promote positive youth development as a support to academic achievement. The positive youth development approach addresses the broader developmental needs of youth,…

This issue provides information on recent publications and resources on outcomes for teenagers in families receiving or transitioning off the welfare rolls and in innovative youth development programs for those and other at-risk youth. Thirteen publications are listed for additional information. A list of 17 Web sites for more information is…

Most researchers continue to assume that one's self-concept is primarily governed by environmental determinants despite abundant evidence of the strong influence of genetic heritability. Ways in which the self-concept is developmental in the organism, particularly how adolescents' perceptions of personal, relational, and academic self-identity…

Recent research has begun to examine heterosexual male behavior and the early experiences of masculinity. This pilot research project used naturalistic inquiry methodologies to investigate the experience and education of boys/young men in relation to matters of sexual health and masculinity and to develop an understanding of the relationship among…

Dance education provides an opportunity for aerobic exercise and conditioning that is especially appealing to many girls. Dance may act as an outlet for girls and give them confidence, but, at the same time, it may create risks associated with perceived body-image. The benefits of taking dance classes were examined for girls, ages 13-20, enrolled…

This study investigated the potential effects of welfare reform on children in late childhood through adolescence, examining how poverty status and family welfare receipt interacted with current poverty status and welfare receipt during adolescence to influence various outcomes. The study examined how 1998 outcomes varied for adolescents based on…

Depression in adolescence typically has a debilitating toll in terms of academic and social functioning, and it predicts a variety of negative outcomes later. Previous research points out that once on a depressed trajectory in development, an individual becomes more likely to stay on this course because of the tendency to both alienate and…

In June 1999, nearly 40 researchers and specialists in youth development gathered to participate in a conference entitled "Creating Citizenship: Youth Development for a Free and Democratic Society." This executive summary identifies a number of qualities and capacities of young people that are essential for achieving the goals of…

This book serves as both a scholarly and practical guide for teachers, school psychologists, and parents on helping boys and adolescent males grow up. It provides practitioners with a comprehensive handbook on understanding and responding to the developmental, cultural, and special concerns of boys and adolescent males. It attempts to provide…

National standards call for increased focus on meaningful teaching and learning that is developmentally appropriate and helps all students reach proficiency not only in basic skills but also in higher order thinking skills and real-world application of skills. Among recommendations for including real-world experiences into students' education is…

Presenting the idea that girls need the ability to approach passages of text with a critical, resistant eye that sees what values, social codes, or political agendas the passages communicate, a literacy club for at-risk girls within the school setting can enable girls to read and write their ways into richer selves by exploring and generating…

This study examined the degree to which religion is perceived as a source of stress and as a coping resource among Jewish students. Subjects, 75 sixth- through eighth-grade students in a Midwestern city, completed a survey in Sunday school. Twenty of the students also responded to a structured interview about their stressors and coping strategies.…

Previous research relating the quality of the relationship with the mother, father, and sibling to adolescent self-concept only investigated social and general self-concept and not various social and cognitive dimensions of self-concept. This study investigated family relationships and their link to the several domains of self-concept.…

The partnership described focuses on a severe problem with environmental pollution at Akwesasne, the Mohawk reservation situated along the St. Lawrence River, at the juncture of New York, Quebec, and Ontario. Industries are located along the river and its tributaries and in past years have discharged PCBs (and other toxins) into the waterways in…

The allegory and fantasy in Madeleine L'Engle's four novels: "A Wrinkle in Time,""A Wind in the Door,""A Swiftly Tilting Planet," and "Many Waters," make the books powerful means for addressing the violence pervasive in the lives of so many young people. These books are a valuable curriculum addition because…