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In recent years, an increasing amount of attention has been given to the dropout crisis in the United States, particularly in urban areas. What has not been emphasized as often is the substantial percentage of students who drop out of the traditional educational system, but subsequently drop back into alternative educational programs. This dropping back in is particularly evident in the "adolescentization" of the GED, as currently in the United States, one out of every three GED's is awarded to a person eighteen years old or younger (Murnane, Willett, & Boudett, 1995). However, little research is devoted to describing the life and/or educational experiences of those involved in re-entry (Rumberger, 1987; Metzer, 1997; Altenbaugh, Engel, & Martin, 1995; Chuang, 1997). In this study, thirty students in an urban GED program (GEL) were interviewed regarding their educational experiences. Several themes were identified and examined across student experience according to three main phases: how and why students dropped out of school, how they came to re-enter education, and what kept them there. The overall story emerging from the data and analyses began with students experiencing a tremendous amount of tumult and lack of support in both their home and school lives, which eventually led to their early departure. After dropping out, they experienced internal change and maturation wherein getting their GED became tremendously important to them. It is during this time that students were able to take advantage of the positive individuals in their lives and/or seek out more positive individuals who provided them with support and motivation. Once they decided to go back to school they made multiple re-entry attempts but were dissatisfied with the quality of alternative educational programs until they found the GEL program, at which point they experienced an ethos of caring and support from their teachers and fellow students. Theoretical contributions regarding the role of social capital in re-entry and practice and policy implications are also discussed. / Urban Education

In 1992,Virginia created a system of care that was designed to address the needs of troubled youth and their families. Known as the Comprehensive Services Act, the legislation mandated that family and service system interactions were intended to be child-centered, family-focused, and collaborative in nature. Whether at the assessment, planning, implementation, or evaluation phase of a family's individualized service plan unfolding, strong collaborative linkages between families and professionals were encouraged. The present study focuses on determining perceptions of collaborative experiences from the point of view of parents of emotionally disturbed children who have been served by the system of care's Family Assessment and Planning Team, and the perceptions of experiences of professionals who comprise that team. In addition, the study will attempt to show a relationship between a parent's collaborative experiences and a child's treatment outcome. Data suggest that differences exist between parents and professionals in their perceptions of collaborative experiences during the FAPT process, and that the group to which one belongs is a determining factor in shaping those perceptions. Secondly, no statistically significant relationship was found between parent perceptions of collaborative experiences and treatment outcomes of their children. [App. C and D removed per Dean DePauw, 3/28/2014, GMc] / Ed. D.

The Role of Youth Arts: Providing Opportunity and Intervention for At-Risk Populations considers the positive outcomes of arts experiences during childhood and adolescence. The benefits of arts education include cognitive, social, and emotional growth. The arts are also seen to improve student learning, achievement, and engagement on many levels. Childhood arts participation directly affects adult arts engagement in which individuals gain the cultural capital that allows for social ascent. As well as being a means for opportunity, art can be used as a means of intervention for at-risk youth populations. Through art, children and teens find meaning, belonging, and success that they lack in other areas. This work will discuss my role developing an activity for an at-risk youth program called PATROL, that partners Johnson City police officers with children from local housing authorities. The programs teaches positive actions and decision making while offering support and mentorship for the youth participants.

This study empirically tested Benard’s (1991, 2004) theory of resilience and youth development by examining the influence of caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools on the mathematics achievement and timely graduation of public high school students. Additional analyses focused on subsamples of students who were at risk of academic failure and school dropout—students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile, African American and Hispanic students, and a generic at-risk sample that includes students from these three groups plus students who had nontraditional families, had a disability, or were retained a grade in school. The study used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002, which was designed to monitor young people as they transition from tenth grade to postsecondary education and/or employment. Hierarchical Linear Models and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models were used for the analyses. Experiences within the schools that conveyed caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution were associated with higher senior year mathematics achievement scores and increased odds of timely graduation for the overall public school sample and for the at-risk groups. Suggestions are made for increasing caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools. The limitations of this study and directions for further research are also discussed. / text

Fostering the well-being of Latin American and Caribbean youth is vital to the region’s success. Despite their significant presence in the population, many youth face extraordinary challenges, such as poverty, exposure to violence, and lack of access to quality education. We review some successful interventions from an ecological perspective that address the needs of at-risk youth in the region. Interventions in a variety of countries have been aimed at altering the microsystems or ecosystems of youth as well as involving them directly. Direct interventions with youth must involve them in meaningful activities that provide a sense of empowerment. The lessons learned from these interventions reveal the outstanding potential of youth to thrive despite the obstacles they face. / Fomentar el bienestar de los jóvenes de Latinoamérica y el Caribe es vital para lograr el éxito en la región. A pesar de que tienen una presencia significativa en la población, muchos jóvenes enfrentan desafíos extraordinarios, tales como la pobreza, la exposición a la violencia y la falta de acceso a una educación de buena calidad. Hacemos una revisión desde una perspectiva ecológica de algunas intervenciones que abordan las necesidades de los jóvenes en riesgo en la región. Las intervenciones en una gama de países se enfocan en alterar los micro sistemas o ecosistemas de la juventud, así como involucrar a los jóvenes directamente.La intervención directa con los jóvenes debe involucrarlos en actividades que tienen sentido para ellos y brindarles empoderamiento. Las lecciones aprendidas a partir de estas intervenciones revelan el potencial excepcional de la juventud para prosperar a pesar de los obstáculos que afrontan. / Promover o bem-estar dos jovens na América Latina e no Caribe é vital para o sucesso na região. Apesar de ter uma presença significativa na população, muitos jovens enfrentam desafios extraordinários como a pobreza, a exposição à violência ea falta de acesso à educação de qualidade. Nós revisamos a partir de uma perspectiva ecológica de algumas intervenções que abordam as necessidades dos jovens em risco na região. Intervenções em uma série de países foco em micro sistemas ou alterando ecossistemas jovens e envolver os jovens diretamente. Intervenção direta com os jovens devem participar de atividades que fazem sentido para eles e fornecer capacitação. As lições aprendidas com essas intervenções revelam o potencial excepcional de jovens a prosperar, apesar dos obstáculos que enfrentam.

This study reported an Outcome Mediation Cascade evaluation of the Changing Lives Program (CLP), a positive youth intervention. This study examined the effects of participation in the CLP on positive outcomes (Personal Expressiveness and Well-Being) and negative outcomes (Internalizing and Externalizing problem behaviors) as mediated by Identity Distress. 137 females and 101 males comprised the sample of this study, which draws from archival data of adolescents in alternative high schools in Miami. Findings indicated that the hypothesized model fit the data (χ2 (11) = 14.544, p = .020; RMSEA = .04; CFI = .995; SRMR = .028). Findings also provided preliminary evidence consistent with the hypothesis that in addition to having effects on targeted positive outcomes, PYD interventions are likely to have progressive cascading effects on untargeted problem outcomes.

Even with increasing availability of alternative educational systems, individual learning plans, and vocational schools, the high school dropout rate among males is still rising. High school dropouts have a negative effect on a community because their chances of being employed and contributing to the community are reduced. The theoretical frameworks of multiple intelligences, self-efficacy, and developmental constructivism were used to conduct a hermeneutical phenomenological study of the lived experiences of a specific population of male youth in rural Ohio who decided to return to school and complete the requirements for a high school diploma or GED after being exposed to music education. The specific focus of inquiry was on the role that their musical education or exposure to music, as a means of developing and accessing an alternative way of learning, might have played in their decisions. A purposive sample of seven males ages 18-22 years who had dropped out of school and subsequently returned to complete their GED participated in the study. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews and analyzed using hermeneutical phenomenological content analysis, validated by independent peer review. Findings from the study indicated that music played a key role in participants' lives as a stress reducer, and music education escalated feelings of self-worth, contributing to ability to focus on their GED completion. This study impacts social change by identifying previously undervalued strategies to support young men returning to complete high school or GED education.

This qualitative study is comprised of indepth interviews with 16 at-risk high school students. The students were asked to give reasons for their discipline problems in high school. They were also asked to give their perspectives on various forms of popular culture. Questions regarding television, movies, music, video games, and sports were posed to determine the participants' interest level in each of the areas. The students were then asked to gauge how much these interests had taken away from their schoolwork. The students' perceptions and life experiences were explored in depth via the interview process. In general, the lives of these students had been impacted in some way by some form of popular culture. There has been a tendency in recent literature to decry the influence of the media on today’s youth; this seems to be borne out by some of the statements made by these students. Throughout the interview process, they stated that their lives had been both positively and negatively influenced by their culture despite the beliefs held by many parents, teachers, and administrators that popular culture has a strong negative impact on their lives. The implications for the future include ways that educators can incorporate popular culture and the media into the curriculum effectively. Additionally, teachers, administrators, and parents need to gain a better understanding of how important popular culture is to adolescents and how they can combat its negative effects while keeping students interested in school.