This report highlights findings from the 1998 Minnesota Student Survey, administered to 3,791 voluntary participants, comparing students in alternative school settings with those in public schools. Alternative schools and area learning centers are high school diploma granting programs designed for students who are behind in their work, have…

The initial intent for this study was to tease out the sources of the most critical contributor to individuals' engagement in dangerous behaviors and to add to the literature addressing these at-risk behaviors by attending to the limitations of the current body of literature. White university students (N=60) completed three measures for the study:…

The federal government supports many information clearinghouses and research institutions that produce free and low-cost publications and materials that can support and enrich the work of a professional counselor. This sourcebook is designed to help tap into and take greater advantage of these resources. The sourcebook provides syntheses of…

Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) is an early childhood public/private initiative designed to identify new, empirical knowledge about the effectiveness of integrating substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services with primary health care and childcare service settings (e.g., Head Start, day care, preschool) to…

The Healthful Living Education program promotes behaviors that contribute to a healthful lifestyle and improved quality of life for all students. The Framework for Healthy Living Education supports and reinforces the goals and objectives of its three major components: health education, physical education, and alcohol and other drugs. When the…

This report describes an innovative program to prevent substance abuse among Native American students that was implemented at the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe (New Mexico). The program emphasized traditional values, history, and spirituality to enhance self-esteem. It involved readings, classroom discussions, Native American…

An intervention targets cultural and eco-developmental risk factors that predispose Hispanic adolescents to substance abuse. Parent participatory-learning groups foster family cohesiveness and communication, facilitate parent-school connections, and create supervisory networks among peers' parents. The multidimensional focus, parent empowerment,…

Maslow's theory of a hierarchy of needs is used to analyze Navajo youths' struggles for identity, fulfillment, and self-esteem. Answers to the challenges of substance abuse, violence, and gang membership are offered based upon George Bearden's eight-step plan, which stresses the importance of understanding human needs to perceive and transform…

Discusses legislation aimed at prevention, identification, and treatment of prenatal exposure to controlled substances and the consequences of such exposure. Coercive state intervention can include involuntary civil commitment, child protection; and criminal prosecution. Such intervention raises constitutional issues of privacy and…

Reviews of seven software packages are presented including "The Environment I: Habitats and EcoSystems; II Cycles and Interactions"; "Super Sign Maker"; "The Great Knowledge Race: Substance Abuse"; "Exploring Science: Temperature"; "Fast Food Calculator and RD Aide"; "The Human Body:…

Correlations between delinquency among high school dropouts and a number of non-educational factors are explored. The study posits that unemployment and other labor market factors, as much as academic failure, influence dropout criminal behavior. The effects of free time, boredom, youthfulness, substance abuse, and peer pressure are also…

Uses data from 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey to compare Bureau of Indian Affairs/tribal schools to public schools with high and low Indian enrollment. Examines ethnicity and qualifications of principals and teachers, educator salaries, school problems, and teacher shortages. Indicates the continuing shortage of educators from local native…

A survey of 2,216 low-SES Mexican American students in grades 4-6 investigated family, social, and psychological risk factors related to substance abuse. Use of major and minor substances was related to respondent score on an index of 11 risk factors. Relationship between major substance use and risk index was significantly greater for females…

Explains the incidence and nature of drug trafficking and chemical dependency among adolescent black males. The paper also discusses the social science theories of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Molefi Asante to better understand the behaviors, and the consequences of those behaviors, of young black males who participate in drug trafficking. (GR)

Analyzes the frequency and correlates of suicidal behaviors among 1,093 male and 1,250 female white and 609 male and 812 female African-American South Carolina public high school students. Suicidal behaviors are not infrequent among adolescents (75% reported no suicidal behaviors); they often coexist with other high-risk behaviors. (SLD)