Almost any youth program has the potential to be hollow busywork or a vibrant learning experience. Research has documented important features of supportive environments, choice and flexibility, balancing youth and adult-driven stances, and the centrality of relationships. The challenge for practitioners is to construct and carry out youth…

This study examines the formation of group cohesion and social support in exercise classes among former sedentary adults, participating in a Danish community-based intervention. Furthermore, the aim is to analyze the impact of this process on exercise activity among the participants. A multimethod approach was used, analyzing both survey data and…

An earlier article published in this journal sought to recover the views of professionals concerned with the delivery and implementation of a "Third Way" multiagency programme tackling the social exclusion of young children and their families known as Sure Start. The tentative findings suggested a "bottom-up" partnership…

Internal Audit Services conducted an Early Implementation Review of the Understanding the Early Years (UEY) Initiative in 2006-07. This review is intended to provide assurance to senior management that program delivery has been established appropriately in order to meet its objectives and highlight any areas that require focused management…

Sustainability is a critical issue for out-of-school programs. Time-limited grants, narrow categorical funding streams, and difficult economic conditions leave program leaders in a continual struggle to find a stable base of resources to continue their program over time. In the face of these challenges, many out-of-school initiatives have…

This article reviews the current and changing status of residential supports for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). It examines four major trends in those supports: (1) Decreasing use of larger institutions and increasing use of community housing; (2) Decreasing size among community settings; (3) Increasing numbers…

Background: This study examined physical activity opportunities and barriers at 36 geographically diverse middle schools participating in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. Methods: Principals, physical education and health education department heads, and program leaders were interviewed to assess policies and instructional practices that…

A. C. Snider has suggested that CEDA (Cross Examination Debate Association) should create an outreach program to connect CEDA debate programs with the high school policy debate community. Most debate educators would laud programs that promise to train more students in argumentation, but a pilot program shows that an outreach program does not…

This checklist is intended to help communities evaluate their provision of Personal Assistance Services (PAS) for people with significant disabilities. Although PAS services are the key component of individualized supports for such persons, they should be considered in conjunction with other services. Essential qualities of effective PAS are: (1)…

Substance abuse treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing not only substance use, but also the economic, health, and social costs associated with substance abuse. This document examines how health care reform can preserve and enhance community substance abuse services. The cost effectiveness of funding substance abuse prevention…

The third generation of educational research and policy analysis gives consideration to the nature of the policy instrument and the design and organizational context through which reform ideas and policy goals are translated into results. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the use of systems change as a policy instrument. It…

In an effort to translate their students' inert, classroom learning into action aimed at generating a common good, a quest for citizenship, a paradigm of morality, Morris Brown College (Georgia) instituted a service learning program. One of the program's goals is to strengthen the connection between African-American institutions of higher learning…

This workbook is designed to help communities and program administrators assess the success of their Title V delinquency prevention programs, but it may serve as an evaluation tool for other prevention efforts as well. It provides information and resource aids on program planning, conducting evaluations, tracking programs, describing activities,…

Major ongoing supported employment studies conducted at the Rehabilitation Research Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University are profiled in this newsletter. The training center involves individuals with disabilities in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research. The first research study examined the opinions of 110…

A study used data from the 1996 National Household Education Survey, Youth Civic Involvement component, to determine how students in grades 6-12 were involved in community service activities and how schools might encourage community service participation and integrate it with classroom learning. Some of the results are as follows: (1) about half…