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The Carnegie Corporation's Council on Adolescent Development builds on the work of many organizations and individuals to stimulate sustained public attention to the risks and opportunities of adolescence, and generates public and private support for measures that facilitate the critical transition to adulthood. The Council's concluding report explores some of the risks of adolescence and gives recommendations for meeting the essential requirements of healthy adolescent development and adapting pivotal institutions to foster healthy adolescence. This executive summary reviews the concluding report of the Council, summarizing its main themes and recommendations. The summary notes how social and technological changes have introduced new stresses and risks to the adolescent experience, then lists specific health and educational risks. The summary then lists steps for meeting the essential requirements for healthy emotional and social adolescent development. Finally, the summary presents a generic approach for adapting pivotal institutions to foster healthy adolescents, then offers core recommendations: (1) reengaging families with their adolescent children; (2) creating developmentally appropriate schools for adolescents; (3) developing health-promotion strategies for young adolescents; (4) strengthening communities with young adolescents; and (5) promoting the constructive potential of the media. Steps other institutions--such as business and universities--can take to promote healthy adolescent development are also noted. (HTH)

The Carnegie Corporation's Council on Adolescent Development builds on the work of many organizations and individuals to stimulate sustained public attention to the risks and opportunities of adolescence, and generates public and private support for measures that facilitate the critical transition to adulthood. This document explores some of the risks of adolescence--which encompasses ages 11 and 12 in early adolescence and 17 and 18 in late adolescence. The report also gives recommendations for meeting the essential requirements of healthy adolescent development and adapting pivotal institutions to foster healthy adolescence. Following an executive summary, the report presents the following chapters. (1) "Early Adolescence: The Great Transition"; (2) "Growing Up in Early Adolescence: An Emerging View"; (3) "Old Biology in New Circumstances: The Changing Adolescent Experience"; (4) "Reducing Risks, Enhancing Opportunities: Essential Requirements for Healthy Development"; (5) "Reengaging Families with Their Adolescent Children"; (6) "Educating Young Adolescents for a Changing World"; (7) "Promoting the Health of Adolescents"; (8) "Strengthening Communities with Adolescents"; and (9) "Redirecting the Pervasive Power of Media." The report concludes with an epilogue on sustaining the perspectives of the Council of Adolescent Development. Five appendices include task force, working, group, and advisory board members; meetings and workshops; and an index of programs cited in the report. (HTH)

This booklet describes how eight European countries structure educational provision for children in the middle years of schooling, ages 10 through 14. The booklet discusses the status of middle years education, the tracking of students, equal opportunities for minorities, specialization of teachers and counselors, academic versus holistic education, and the school as a community of learning in the context of developments in several European countries and in the United states. Individual sections on the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Italy, and The Netherlands describe the structure of middle years schooling, curriculum, teaching, guidance, transition, school administration, and contact with families. A separate section on developments in Germany and Switzerland focuses on middle years education in general in these two countries and specifically on the systems in place in the German state of Saxony and the Swiss canton of Valais. (MDM)

This guide explores the key issues in the development, sustainability, and effectiveness of after-school programs including before school, weekends, and summers, and identifies federal strategies to promote effective programs. The first part of the booklet presents the core elements of an effective after-school program, noting that programs should: (1) be based on research on early adolescent development; (2) emphasize social relationships by encouraging a family-like atmosphere; (3) encourage parental involvement; (4) be developed for and by youth and tailored to specific community and neighborhood needs; (5) be flexible, fun, culturally relevant, and linked to activities that capture adolescents' interests; (6) provide food; (7) have clear rules for membership; (8) collaborate with local community organizations; (9) be safe and accessible to all youth; (10) provide linkages to schools; and (11) offer a wide array of services. The second part proposes federal strategies to promote after-school programs, suggesting that the federal government can provide leadership in supporting such programs for young adolescents through supportive legislative and innovative funding mechanisms. The appendixes provide an overview of selected federally-supported after-school programs and a list of organizations that are useful resources for youth professionals expanding their programs during the out-of-school hours. (AA)

All over America, young adolescents' experiences of growing up have changed dramatically in the past two decades. Family life for adolescents has changed, adolescents face greater risks to their health, and greater risks of being poorly educated for the next century. Families, schools, and community organizations, the three pivotal institutions that once met the crucial requirements of adolescents to become productive adults, have been slow to adapt to new social realities. This report provides a summary of a task force examination of community programs for youth. The report discusses the challenges facing today's youth--particularly the large amounts of discretionary time--adolescents' needs, and the potential of community organizations to support youth development. The report outlines 10 principles that are vital for successful youth programs and makes recommendations on how key partners such as families, schools, health agencies, businesses, government, and the media can contribute to quality programs for youth. Descriptions of six successful youth programs are included, as is a list of several organizations that serve as resources for youth program development. (TJQ)

This overview focuses on two out of the six categories of organized youth sports; namely, agency-sponsored and interscholastic athletics. The discussion of the current status and proposed future direction of organized athletics for youth includes seven components of the problem: the role of youth sports in American culture; the role of athletic competition in youth development; education of youth sport coaches; injury prevention and safety in youth sports; patterns of participation and attrition in sports by adolescents; issues of gender in youth sports; and effectiveness of sports programs for adolescents. The discussion focuses on adolescents, especially those who live in high-risk environments. Programs that seem to be meeting specific objectives have been identified as a resource for those who seek models of effectiveness. Responses of youth to a survey about their experiences in organized sports are summarized. Among the findings are: progress toward true equality in sports opportunities regardless of gender has been made, but participation rates for boys continue to be much higher than those for girls; a commitment to provide progams for specific populations, such as low-income or minority groups, is absent from the mission, goals, and objectives of many national governing agencies; the potential benefits of competition are acknowledged, but whether these benefits are actually experienced by a significant number of participants depends largely on the quality of adult leadership; and competitive sports have the potential to produce negative effects, such as the disintegration of moral development. The paper concludes with 23 recommendations, divided among the following topics: Organization of Sports Programs (11 recommendations); Scheduling of Practice and Games (3 recommendations); Quality of Adult Leadership (9 recommendations). Three appendixes provide information on two publications ("Guidelines for Coaching Education: Youth Sports," and "Coaching Certification: A Position Paper") and an address list of representatives of national youth sports governing agencies. Contains 78 references. (AMH)

This report stresses the importance of creating networks of community support for young adolescents during nonschool hours. It pays special attention to the needs and interests of youth from low-income families and of diverse backgrounds. The first part of the report deals with the risks and opportunities faced by youth today at home and school and contains essays written by children. In the second part, a wide variety of community programs is described and their potential discussed. These programs include private, nonprofit, religious, and community organizations and public sector institutions. The third part offers recommendations for: (1) strengthening community programs for young adolescents, including recommendations relating to developmental, societal, and organizational issues; (2) constructing supportive policies for young adolescents, including recommendations relating to institutional funding, government policies, and service networks; and (3) promoting healthy adolescent development. Appendixes include a list of papers and reports, a list of participants in task force consultations, biographies of task force members, and profiles of 20 national organizations that participated in the task force study. An executive summary is included, as well as prefatory material by David A. Hamburg, James Comer, and Wilma Tisch. (Contains 68 endnotes.) (PM)

This document discusses the question of gender in youth development programs, those structured activities and opportunities sponsored by organizations other than schools and offered outside of school hours. Many of these organizations offer programs for people of all ages but the clear focus of this paper is early adolescence, about ages 10 to 15. The discussion is organized by several questions and assumes that planners of youth development programs are interested both in promoting what helps early adolescents to develop into self assured individuals who contribute to the society and in assuring that this process benefits all the potential young participant whatever their sex, color, nationality, culture or income. The questions are: (1) How similar or different are girls and boys at early adolescence? (2) How have issues of gender been addressed in youth organizations, past and present? (3) What gender issues affect the informal education and enrichment offered by youth development programs? (4) What are the implications of the current understanding of the effects of gender for planners of youth development programs? (5) What difference does it make whether youth development programs are offered in mixed-sex or single-sex settings? and (6) What are the priorities for research in understanding the significance of gender in youth development programs? Because people tend to treat youth as an undifferentiated, often middle class white male, mass, much more research is needed on the interaction of racial, ethnic, economic background and community variables with age and gender among early adolescents. (DK)

Community recreation services provide enjoyable, interesting and challenging opportunities that will enhance the well-being and healthy development of participants, enrich community life, and provide life skills training for youth. Leisure skills and interests gained in adolescence contribute significantly to the development of human competence and the achievement of self-actualization. Successful recreation programs operate under the philosophy that youth are a resource to be developed, rather than a problem to be managed; therefore, constructive use of leisure must become an integral part of the school curriculum at all levels. This paper presents an overview of community recreation services for youth, examines current issues in community recreation services for young adolescents with a particular focus on at-risk youth, discusses the value of participation in organized sports, and provides an overview of programming for youth. Innovative and exemplary programs that serve the needs of youth are highlighted. The paper also includes an examination of funding strategies for leisure services, analyzes trends and issues in recreation and leisure services, and sets forth challenges for public policy makers. (Contains approximately 100 references.) (LL)

A decision-making approach to the study of adolescents' risky behaviors is described in detail. In contrast to other approaches, the decision-making approach assumes only that risk taking involves choosing among alternative courses of action, and that the chosen alternative, by definition, entails some chance of loss. A short definition of risky behavior is followed by a description of the decision-making perspective. A demonstration of the ways in which risky behaviors can be approached from such a perspective and an account of some advantages of the approach are offered. The advantages are then highlighted in a section which uses the decision-making approach to reexamine some widely held beliefs regarding adolescents' risky behaviors. Subsequent discussion: (1) explores implications of the decision-making perspective for education; (2) examines difficulties and shortcomings of the decision-making perspective; and (3) offers a brief review of other perspectives on risk taking. Concluding material offers a summary discussion of the claim that adolescents take risks unduly. A total of 116 references are cited. (RH)

Preventive programs designed to support and strengthen families with adolescents are being implemented in response to changes in American society and the nature of adolescence. This paper examines such programs by addressing these questions: (1) What are the primary functions of families in the raising of adolescents? (2) What factors support and undermine these functions? (3) What types of programs do families with adolescents need? (4) What kinds of programs support and strengthen families during their children's adolescent years? (5) What programing gaps exist and what types of programs are most needed? (6) What are some characteristics of effective prevention programs? (7) What research and evaluation questions need to be answered if programs of increased effectiveness are to be developed? Major sections of the paper concern a framework for understanding the needs of families with adolescents, implications of the framework for preventive programs, factors that support or undermine parental competence, programs for families with adolescents and programming gaps, and recommendations. Concluding remarks emphasize several broader themes and issues that should be kept at the forefront when the state of the field is considered and future directions are contemplated. A total of 108 references are cited. (RH)

This paper examines young adolescents' involvement with popular music and the health implications of that involvement. Initial discussion explores three central concepts: music media, adolescence, and mass media effects. A summary of research on music media in adolescence is offereed in two sections discussing exposure to, and gratifications and interpretations of, popular music, and exposure to, and gratifications of, music videos. Also discussed are the messages, interpretation, and effects of popular music. Content analyses reveal that although negative and objectionable messages and images can be found in music and music television, the value orientation of most music is rather mainstream and traditional. Because music videos add the visual dimension and many young adolescents pay little attention to lyrics, videos may have stronger effects on social learning than audios. Very little taboo or deviant behavior appears on Music Television (MTV). It should not be assumed that what adults see in a song or video will be what teens see, or that all teens will see the song or video in the same way. Although adolescents report learning about important issues from music, little is known about the learning or behavioral effects that occur. Concluding discussion offers recommendations for policy and research. A total of 140 references are cited. (RH)

A conceptual framework derived from formal and behavioral theories was used to describe and evaluate a sample of the best developed programs for teaching decision making to adolescents. The internal validity of the programs was evaluated in terms of the adequacy of their coverage of the normatively prescribed steps to good decision making. The degree to which a program's pedagogy was sensitive to the descriptive research about the process of intuitively making judgments and decisions was also evaluated. Generally speaking, the programs covered the prescriptive steps fairly well, but largely ignored the descriptive research. The external validity of the programs was analyzed in terms of evaluation studies of the programs. Many of the curricula had considerable face validity: their underlying principles seemed plausible. Implementation of curricula was often imaginative. It is noted that the fact that the programs have gotten as far as they have shows enormous commitment and ingenuity. However, before a strong case could be made for adopting any of the programs, the program in question would need to give greater attention to its pedagogical underpinnings and the measurable impacts of the program on behavior. Programs reviewed used decision making and general thinking skills curricula. Life skills and social skills programs were also reviewed. Citations number 146. (RH)

From the mid-1960s until 1980, adolescent drug use rose sharply. Although use has declined somewhat since, adolescent cocaine use remains at peak levels, and crack presents a major threat. Treatment for compulsive drug or alcohol use is needed by 5 to 15 percent of the teenagers who experiment with drugs and alcohol. Drug abuse experts now believe that reducing demand for drugs through education and prevention programs is the most promising strategy for combatting drugs. However, past prevention and education efforts have generally proved unsuccessful in reducing substance use. Reaching adolescents who have dropped out of school and are at highest risk for substance abuse is extremely difficult. During the past 6 years, federal drug policy has emphasized supply control. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 represents an important first step in developing a comprehensive, well-funded national response to the drug problem. However, a cabinet-level office is needed to lead and coordinate agencies and insure the implementation of a comprehensive, coherent national strategy. Citations number 92. (RH)

A large and complicated body of law deals primarily with required parental involvement in health care decisions concerning adolescent children. Addressing that body of legislation, Part 1 of this two-part background paper focuses on a survey of laws requiring parental consent to health services for minors or parental notification of a minor's decision to obtain health services or receipt of health services. Part 1 furnishes an overview of laws allocating authority for adolescent health care decision making among adolescents, parents, health professionals, and the state. Other topics covered in Part 1 are the legal requirement of parental consent, exceptions to the parental consent requirement, confidentiality and parental notification, and the impact of parental consent and notification requirements. Part 2 reviews empirical studies regarding the competency of minors to make health care decisions and discusses the implications of these studies for the formulation of public policy with respect to the allocation of authority for adolescent health care decision making. Concluding discussion deals with the role of the federal government in public policy formulation and proposes a conceptual framework for policy formation. A total of 116 references are cited. A summary of core studies and ethical standards concerning minors' access to health services are appended. (RH)

This paper reviews social support programs designed to have a preventive impact on young adolescents. A review of supportive programs for reducing adolescents' risks of educational failure and poor health has identified a number of innovative school- and community-based support programs. School-based support programs are aimed at enhanced classroom participation, mobilization of parent and teacher support, encouragement of peer leadership, reorganization of the school environment to produce stable and supportive peer groups, and provision of school-linked clinics. Community-based support programs include youth organizations, youth participation in community projects, mentoring programs for inner-city youth, visiting nurse programs for pregnant adolescents, and special programs in black churches that are aimed at enhancing support to young adolescents and increasing their academic skills. An executive summary is followed by sections on: (1) adolescent transition and risk; (2) social support for adolescents; (3) ingredients of successful social support programs for adolescents; (4) supportive interventions for adolescents in the schools; (5) support from school-linked clinics; (6) community supports for adolescents; (7) personal support though mentoring; (8) personal support through outreach; and (9) directions for future research. A total of 58 references are cited. (RH)