Wayne County Public Schools

This piece discusses the growing empirical evidence that the communities where American children spend their formative years—not just the households they are raised in but where those households are located—matter for their prospects of success in subsequent stages of their lives. The authors explore the various community characteristics—including social capital, family structure, school quality, and income—associated with educational attainment, health, teen pregnancy, social mobility, violence, crime victimization, and more.

This study examined possible predisposing factors that may contribute to rural adolescents' early sexual behavior. Sexual behaviors, demographics, family structure, history of abuse, sexually active friends, and substance use were analyzed in 410 rural and urban adolescents, aged 10 to 19 years, who were enrolled in a school-based health center in North Carolina between 2005 and 2007. Results indicated that Black students residing in single-parent urban households were more likely to engage in sex earlier than other analyzed ethnic groups (odds ratio [OR] = 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-23.6). As age increased, risk of engaging in sex also increased. Rural students reporting history of abuse had a higher risk of engaging in early sexual behaviors than urban students (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.0-6.8) with a similar history. Students residing in a single-or no-parent household had requested more health education services than those residing in a dual-parent household. An inverse association was observed between the amount of parental communication among urban adolescents and engagement in risky sexual behaviors (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1-0.9). Rural/urban location and student race should be considered as moderators of the relationships between demographic characteristics and sexual behaviors in adolescents enrolled in a school-based health center.

This study chronicles the responses of middle school students to their teachers’ efforts to re-engage them in school. Working with two teachers and their team of 42 eighth graders selected as at-risk of failure, researchers interviewed participants, observed interactions, and gathered data from students’ first semester of high school. Teachers established a sense of community and co-constructed experiential learning experiences with students. During their eighth grade year, thirty-five students (83%) developed stronger academic momentum, consistently demonstrating three patterns of behavior: cooperating with class mates and teachers, engaging with academic tasks, and expressing a sense of progress. After a semester of high school, some students continued to demonstrate academic momentum while others experienced difficulty. Results indicate that three types of connections encouraged academic momentum: individual support from teachers, personal academic interests, and stronger work habits. The variation of student responses suggested that students will need strong support from their high school teachers to maintain momentum.

Reduction of youth risk behavior calls for schools and communities to work together. To accomplish this, leaders must objectively assess where they are, plan where they want to be, implement a series of strategies, and evaluate progress. This article describes a collaborative community response coordinated by a local school health advisory board that addresses key findings from a youth risk behavior survey.

This article discusses a wilderness camp program for children with social and behavioral problems and provides a detailed approach for applying the program ideas in a public school setting.

This study assessed the safety and first aid behavioral intentions of 285 third grade students. Of the participants, 19% were left at home unsupervised by someone older than age 12 at least three days a week. Students responded to a survey instrument that described situations related to stranger safety, fire safety, accident prevention, and first aid. Stranger safety items received the most correct responses, with females scoring significantly higher than males. Most responses to fire safety items were inappropriate, and 40% of accident prevention items received a dangerous response most frequently. First aid items received more dangerous responses than appropriate ones. Supervised students scored significantly higher than unsupervised students in accident prevention and first aid. Results indicated students' behavioral intentions often were dangerous for situations requiring judgments about safety or application of first aid.