In an attempt to deal with these challenges, the Corporation's program, Education and Healthy Development of Children and Youth, is focusing on the early developmental years, when the biological, emotional, and intellectual underpinnings of long-term healthy development and educational success are established, and on the transition from ages ten to fifteen, when many young people begin to engage in risk-taking behaviors and move toward dropping out of school.

The subprogram in early childhood and early grades includes efforts to strengthen families with young children, improve the quality of early care and education, and ensure success in moving from preschool to the early elementary grades. Under young adolescents, the foundation seeks to enhance the educational achievement of middle grade and junior high school students and reduce their involvement in violence, drug use, and early sexual activity. Across both age spans, the Corporation emphasizes ways that families, schools, community organizations, and the media can cooperate in helping children and young adolescents become healthy, productive, problem-solving adults.

Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York, NY. Technical assistance to the Starting Points State and Community Partnerships for Young Children. Appropriation administered by the officers of the Corporation. One year, $440,000.

The Starting Points State and Community Partnerships for Young Children is a program of grants to ten states and six cities to test strategies for adopting recommendations of the Corporation's task force on meeting the needs of young children. The recommendations are to promote responsible parenthood, ensure high-quality child care choices, provide children with good health and protection, and mobilize community action toward these ends. In June 1997, experts in child development, programs, and policy met with the grantees to review progress and assess the impact of new health and human services block grants on state and city programs. Corporation staff described the initiative to legislators and business leaders and advised a public engagement campaign to place young children's needs higher on the nation's agenda.

Michael H. Levine, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Technical assistance and research on state and community initiatives to meet the needs of young children. Fifteen months, $200,000.

Early results of the Starting Points partnerships are the subject of analyses by the Harvard Family Research Project and the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University. Team members are studying the sites' use of evaluation data to improve decisions about their programs, their formulation of strategies to sustain progress, and the impact of devolution, especially welfare changes. Papers will be issued to the sites and to policymakers at all levels who are concerned with educational, health, and social programs. The Harvard researchers are also helping site leaders share information with each other and perform their own assessments.

Heather B. Weiss, Director, Harvard Family Research Project.

Boston University, Boston, MA. Technical assistance and publications on young children's healthy development. One year, $183,500.

Members of the pediatrics department of Boston University's School of Medicine are preparing educational materials synthesizing research findings on brain growth in the first three years of life and on the relationship between mothers' well-being and their children's healthy development. Starting Points leaders will use these materials in presentations to policymakers, business leaders, health providers, and parents. Project staff members are also fostering cooperation between Starting Points sites and the Healthy Steps demonstration program, funded by the Commonwealth Fund, that trains pediatricians to work with parents in support of young children's growth and development.

Barry S. Zuckerman, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine.

Families and Work Institute, New York, NY. Public education campaign on meeting the needs of young children, conducted in collaboration with the Reiner Foundation. Twenty-two months, $350,000.

In 1995 the Reiner Foundation and the Families and Work Institute began collaborating on a national campaign to increase public understanding of the importance of the early years in laying a foundation for lifelong health and learning. The campaign has produced public service announcements and a prime-time television program that first aired on abc in April 1997, coinciding with the publication of a special issue of Newsweek concentrating on the healthy development of children and their families. A videotape and a cd-rom for new parents have been developed, along with a toll-free telephone number linking callers to community resources. More than a hundred national organizations, and coalitions in every state, have participated in the campaign, which has also been supported by other foundations.

Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute.

Columbia University, New York, NY. Support of the National Center for Children in Poverty. One year, $500,000.

The National Center for Children in Poverty, based at Columbia University's School of Public Health, promotes promising state and local approaches to maternal and child health, early childhood development, and family and community support. In 1998 it is issuing an update of Map and Track, an inventory of program and policy initiatives for young children in all fifty states. The new edition will expand the indicators of child health and well-being and examine the effect on children of changes in relevant federal policies. Jointly with the Harvard Family Research Project, the center is analyzing progress achieved under the Starting Points grants initiative and providing technical assistance to the grantees.

J. Lawrence Aber, Director, National Center for Children in Poverty.

Yale University, New Haven, CT. Dissemination of the final report of the Quality 2000 Initiative for the Advancement of Early Care and Education. Eighteen months, $300,000.

The 1997 report of the Quality 2000 Initiative for the Advancement of Early Care and Education, Not by Chance, concludes that most of the nation's early childhood programs are of low quality and do not prepare children adequately for school. The report, produced in consultation with scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and business leaders, calls for high standards of care and education, improved training and compensation for and accountability by caregivers, and licensing of facilities that promote children's health and development. Quality 2000 staff have prepared an abridged version of the report and are creating a World Wide Web site. The A. L. Mailman Family Foundation also provides support.

Sharon Lynn Kagan, Senior Associate, Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.

National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices, Washington, DC. Assistance to states in implementing policies that promote young children's healthy development and school readiness. Eighteen months, $175,000.

Governors in several states have become strong proponents of programs to promote young children's healthy development and readiness for school. The National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices is producing and distributing fact sheets, reports, a handbook, and other written materials for governors and their policy advisors on such topics as states' responses to welfare changes, estimated savings in health and other expenditures that may result from investments in early childhood programs, new measures of the effectiveness of these programs, and the establishment of public/private partnerships on behalf of children.

Evelyn Ganzglass, Director, Employment and Social Services Policy Studies, National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices.

Finance Project, Washington, DC. Research and planning on the financing of programs for young children and their families. One year, $120,000.

Early care and education programs are a patchwork of numerous separate, uncoordinated federally funded programs and a few initiatives financed by states and localities. As the nation faces a growing demand for services for young children, states and cities are recognizing the need for new financing strategies. The Finance Project is an independent organization created to improve the effectiveness and equity of public funding for early childhood programs. Staff members are bringing state and local policymakers together to identify solutions to common financing problems and receive updates on the impact of block grants and welfare changes on the funding of services for young children. Additional funding comes from the W. K. Kellogg and the Miriam and Peter Haas foundations.

Cheryl D. Hayes, Executive Director, Finance Project.

Wheelock College, Boston, MA. Support of the Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education. Two years, $350,000.

Making a Career of It, a 1993 publication of the Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education at Wheelock College, reported that states lack coordinated systems for training staff in early childhood programs. With policymakers in four states, the center is creating quality assurance mechanisms, such as staff credentialing and certification systems, and engaging higher education institutions in building model training projects. Beyond serving as a clearinghouse for information on state regulations governing early care and education, it is launching a project to demonstrate, through research and pilot programs, how to expand and diversify leadership of the early childhood field. The center also receives funding from government agencies and other foundations.

Andrea Genser, Executive Director, Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education.

National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force, Washington, DC. Support. Eighteen months, $225,000.

In 1997 the National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force released the results of two studies. One identifies innovative practices being tested by government, business, and the nonprofit sector to improve child care workers' skills and job stability. The second study analyzes the impact that accreditation of a child care facility has on staff quality and compensation. The center is examining the extent to which former welfare recipients and others without previous child care training are entering the field. It is also producing a resource manual for child care centers on ways to stabilize staffing. Additional support comes from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Claudia E. Wayne, Executive Director, National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, DC. Policy analyses and publications on federal and state health and nutrition programs for low-income mothers and young children. One year, $200,000.

In 1996 Congress redesigned the nation's welfare program to be administered by the states. Staff members of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities are assessing the effect of welfare changes on state and local child health programs and on federal programs that serve childrenCin particular, Medicaid, which offers preventive health care and treatment, and the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides nutritious foods. They are also informing professional groups about state outreach and enrollment strategies for ensuring that children eligible for Medicaid continue to have access to health care. Other foundations are providing further support.

Cynthia Mann, Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO. Study of the effectiveness of nurse and paraprofessional home visits for low-income mothers and children. Twenty-one months, $300,000.

Child development expert David L. Olds has been studying a prenatal and early childhood home-visiting program created in 1977 in Elmira, New York, and later implemented in Memphis and Denver. In Elmira, women receiving home visits have shown greater workforce participation and have had fewer pregnancies four years after delivery than women in a control group; in Memphis, women have smoked less and consumed less alcohol during their pregnancies. Olds, who now directs a research unit at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, is analyzing the extent to which the programs, using nurse or paraprofessional home visitors, produce savings in government spending on welfare, Medicaid, education, and criminal justice.

David L. Olds, Director, Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health.

National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, Chicago, IL. Research network to evaluate an early childhood intervention and family support program. Two years, $250,000.

Healthy Families America was launched in 1992 by the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse to provide home visits and health and social services to at-risk families with young children. Today it operates in more than 200 communities nationwide. Members of a research network evaluating the program are identifying ways to reach families in greatest need, examining the factors that influence participation in the program, and determining which families benefit the most. Their findings and those of formal site evaluations will be disseminated in fact sheets, presentations at professional conferences, and articles in professional journals.

Deborah Daro, Director, Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research.

Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York, NY. Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades. Appropriation administered by the officers of the Corporation. One year, $158,700.

In 1996 the Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades released its report, Years of Promise: A Comprehensive Learning Strategy for America's Children. The recommendations include a call for expanded high-quality preschool education and the reorganization of elementary schools to enable all students to meet rigorous academic standards before they complete the fourth grade. Another recommendation is for parents and for leaders of community organizations, after-school programs, and media organizations to coordinate their efforts toward ensuring educational success for all children. This appropriation covered the costs of the report's broad dissemination.

Michael H. Levine or Anthony W. Jackson, Program Officers, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Development and dissemination of an effective instructional program for disadvantaged children. Eighteen months, $500,000.

Success for All is a model elementary education program aimed at ensuring that disadvantaged children succeed in school (see also p. 34). Created by Johns Hopkins University researchers and Baltimore public school teachers, it offers early, sustained help in language development, reading, and writing and provides family support to strengthen links between learning at home and in school. It is used in half the nation's fifty largest urban districts and in a total of 750 schools. A companion program, Roots and Wings, adds math, social studies, and science. The researchers are creating new materials for students and the family support teams and hiring more trainers to scale up both programs. Other foundations provide further support.

Robert E. Slavin or Nancy A. Madden, Codirectors, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk.

Yale University, New Haven, CT. Development and evaluation of a comprehensive model of school reform and services for families of children from birth to age twelve. Two years, $350,000.

Elements of two programsCthe School of the 21st Century and the School Development Program, devised, respectively, by Yale University educators Edward Zigler and James P. ComerChave been combined to create a model of integrated school-linked services for families with children from birth to age twelve. The model is operating on a pilot basis in four school districts. With support also from the Kraft Foundation, staff members at Yale's Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy are studying the model's effect on children's school readiness and academic progress and on parents' knowledge of child development and involvement in their children's schooling.

Matia Finn-Stevenson, Associate Director, Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.

Community Television of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Evaluation of and educational outreach for a television series on intergroup understanding and prosocial behavior for preschool children. Eighteen months, $300,000.

The Puzzle Place, created by Community Television of Southern California and Lancit Media Productions in New York, is a public television series developed to encourage children's prosocial behavior and intergroup understanding. Its puppet characters, who represent various cultures and backgrounds, emphasize taking responsibility, telling the truth, and cooperating with each other. A brochure for parents and a guide for caregivers have been distributed nationwide through parent and community organizations, libraries, and Head Start programs. A research advisory team based at Harvard University is formulating a plan to assess the program's impact on children's development of social skills and ways that parents can reinforce these skills.

Marjorie Kaplan, Vice President, Lancit Media Productions.

Judge Baker Children's Center, Boston, MA. Evaluation of a social skills and literacy development program. Two years, $300,000.

Voices of Love and Freedom, a program for grades KB12, aims to strengthen children's relationships with family, friends, and community. Created by the Judge Baker Children's Center and the graduate schools of education of Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts, it is being adopted within Boston schools. By reading and discussing stories about children who, like themselves, may be experiencing interpersonal problems, students learn social skills based on self-awareness and intergroup understanding. The center is studying the program's effects on students' social and academic skills and on the likelihood of their engaging in risk-taking behavior.

Robert L. Selman, Senior Associate, Judge Baker Children's Center.

Carnegie Corporation of New York, New York, NY. Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative. Appropriation administered by the officers of the Corporation. One year, $1,050,000.

The Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative, launched in 1990, is a program of competitive grants to agencies in fifteen states aimed at promoting reforms in the education of young adolescents. These reforms were called for in Turning Points: Preparing Youth for the 21st Century (1989), one of several Corporation reports on young people's educational and developmental needs. Each Corporation grant is matched by a commitment of funds from the state.

The Council of Chief State School Officers is a national organization of the public officials who head elementary and secondary education in each state. Since 1991 the Corporation has contracted with the council to provide technical assistance to the grantees in each of the fifteen states participating in the initiative and to networks of schools within the states. The council is also being asked to monitor each grantee's progress. It is organizing conferences for project directors and school principals to consider ways of further integrating middle grade reform into the states' broader education reform agendas. Council staff members will write a book on policies supportive of middle grade reform, for publication in 1998.

Also under this appropriation, researchers at the University of Rhode Island are completing an analysis of the impact of the reforms in the fifteen states. The research correlates changes in school practices with changes in academic and behavioral outcomes for students and with changes in job satisfaction among school staff members. It will be used to support the preparation of a guide to successful practices. In addition, the institute, in cooperation with state project directors and Corporation staff, is planning the establishment of a national middle grade reform research and development center.

Anthony W. Jackson, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative, New York, NY. Implementation of state policy reforms in middle grade education. Eleven grants, two years, $200,000 each.

The Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative, an operating program of the Corporation, has led to the formulation of state policies encouraging local middle and junior high schools to adopt promising practices in line with the main recommendations of Turning Points. Various states have formed partnerships with private institutions and health and other state agencies, thus promoting the efficient integration of programs and resources for students. All the states have concentrated their efforts on networks of "systemic change schools" serving large numbers of low-income students. In each state, students in at least some schools have shown impressive gains in academic achievement.

Eleven states, listed below, have each received a final grant. Strategies for sustaining school reform include the creation of university-based centers to improve adolescent education and development and the establishment of public/private partnerships between state education agencies and middle grade educational associations.

California Department of Education Colorado Department of Education Connecticut State Department of Education Ollinois State Board of Education Maryland State Department of Education University of New Mexico North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education South Carolina Education Improvement Act Select Committee Texas Education Agency Vermont Department of Education

Anthony W. Jackson, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. Research on the impact of adopting middle grade reforms. Two years, $449,000.

In 1990 the Association of Illinois Middle Schools created the Illinois Middle Grades Network. Through consultations, workshops, and referral to expert advisors, the association helps the seventy-three schools in the network plan and adopt changes recommended in Turning Points. Researchers formerly at the University of Illinois and now at the University of Rhode Island are analyzing the impact of introducing the reforms in the Illinois schools. Early results reveal that as implementation moves from a narrow to a wide range of reforms, academic and behavioral outcomes for at-risk students improve dramatically. The study team is presenting these and other findings in professional journals and at national conferences.

Robert D. Felner, Director, National Center on Public Education and Social Policy, University of Rhode Island.

Puerto Rico Community Foundation, Hato Rey, PR. Project to improve middle grade schools in Puerto Rico. Seventeen months, $350,000.

In 1992 the Puerto Rico Community Foundation created a commission of educators and island policymakers to document problems in the education of Puerto Rico's young adolescents and propose interventions. With assistance from the foundation, eight demonstration schools in disadvantaged communities are adopting the commission's recommendations, many of which parallel the principles outlined in Turning Points. In addition to increasing the number of demonstration schools to twelve, the foundation is publishing working papers on critical issues in middle grade reform in Puerto Rico and expanding membership in a network of middle grade educators to include health workers and other professionals serving adolescents.

Andrea Barrientos, Program Coordinator, Puerto Rico Community Foundation.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Development and implementation of a middle grade curriculum. Two years, $400,000.

Success for All, developed by education researcher Robert E. Slavin, is a model elementary school program that assists disadvantaged children with language development, reading, and writing. A program called Roots and Wings adds math, social studies, and science components to the model. Johns Hopkins University researchers are adapting the programs to the middle grades and testing them in schools, some of which are participating in the Corporation's Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative. The curriculum will provide the basis for literacy materials and training to be replicated in additional schools.

Robert E. Slavin or Nancy A. Madden, Codirectors, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk.

Philadelphia Education Fund, Philadelphia, PA. Development and dissemination of effective middle grade reforms. Two years, $500,000.

The Talent Development Middle School model is a comprehensive approach to middle school reform that provides all students with a demanding curriculum in reading/language arts, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. It was created by Douglas J. MacIver of Johns Hopkins University's Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk. The Philadelphia Education Fund, the School District of Philadelphia, and the center are refining the model and implementing it in three middle schools that serve very poor families in Philadelphia. Staff members of the fund are creating networks for the city's middle school principals and teachers, through which they can learn about and share effective practices. Further support comes from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Warren Simmons, Executive Director, Philadelphia Education Fund.

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. Support of the Forum on Adolescence. Eighteen months, $800,000.

The National Academy of Sciences' Board on Children, Youth, and Families addresses contemporary conditions that affect young people and their families. The board's Forum on Adolescence, created in 1996 with core support from the Corporation, is charged with synthesizing and stimulating research to advance social action related to adolescent development and communicating the results to policymakers. Guided by experts from a range of disciplines, the forum has convened meetings to encourage collaborative research and action in adolescent health, development, and well-being. Planned efforts include an annual symposium for researchers and policymakers, a workshop on youth development, and a seminar presenting research findings to regional journalists.

Michele D. Kipke, Director, Forum on Adolescence, National Academy of Sciences.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA. Implementation and evaluation of model education enhancement programs for young adolescents in public housing projects. Eight months, $201,000.

Of the two million children and adolescents served by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, two-thirds live in poverty. The organization is completing an evaluation of a model education enhancement program in public housing sites. The program offers young people structured after-school opportunities to do homework, engage in group discussions, participate in sports, and attend cultural events. Five clubs with both the traditional program and the education enhancement model are being compared with ten other public housing sitesCfive with a traditional club program only and five with no club at all. The findings will be published in the organization's Connections magazine and in scholarly journals.

Judith J. Carter, Senior Vice President for Program Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation, Chicago, IL. Training to provide clinical preventive services in school-based health centers. Two years, $600,000.

The pamphlet, Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services, was issued in 1992 by the American Medical Association (ama) for those working in private medical practice, community health centers, managed care facilities, and school health centers. The guidelines offer a practical framework for providing high-quality health care to young people. The ama has created a training program for practitioners in school-based health centers and is continuing to develop demonstration health centers in middle schools. The effects of the guidelines on providers' practices and on adolescents' and parents' attitudes and behavior are being assessed. Funding is to the ama Education and Research Foundation, the group's tax-exempt arm.

Arthur B. Elster, Director, Department of Adolescent Health, American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation.

Children's Aid Society, New York, NY. Information and technical assistance on developing community schools. Two years, $376,000.

In 1992 the Children's Aid Society launched a full-service model community school in a largely Latino section of New York City. I.S. 218, a middle school, consists of four self-contained academies open six days a week, year-round, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Besides a rigorous academic program, it offers breakfast, after-school activities, and family services. Society staff members promote the model through presentations and a newsletter. The William T. Grant and the Charles Stewart Mott foundations are supporting a longitudinal evaluation of educational outcomes at the school. In addition, the society's National Institute for Community Schools is assisting schools across the country and other localities that are engaged in developing similar programs.

Philip Coltoff, Executive Director, Children's Aid Society.

National Center for Youth Law, Chapel Hill, NC. Study of adolescents' access to health care under Medicaid, managed care, and health care reform, conducted with the National Health Law Program. Two years, $390,000.

The National Center for Youth Law and the National Health Law Program have analyzed the effect of changes in Medicaid and managed care on adolescents' access to health services and the quality of those services. Their findings and recommendations are being communicated through written materials and presentations to professional and policy audiences. The two groups are now preparing policy briefs on four adolescent health issues: coverage for the uninsured, the adequacy of copayments for services, age-appropriate performance measures of services, and strategies to meet adolescents' special health needs. They are also helping four states create model managed care arrangements for adolescents.

Abigail English, Project Director, Adolescent Health Care Project, National Center for Youth Law.

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Washington, DC. Support. One year, $500,000.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, created in 1996, is a nonpartisan private-sector effort to address the rate of U.S. school-age pregnancy, the highest of any industrialized nation. Four task forces are enlisting help from the media, stimulating state and local coalitions, linking research findings about effective programs with these efforts, and leading discussions of ways to move forward in a society of diverse values. The campaign, also funded by individuals and other foundations, is observing pregnancy prevention programs, holding meetings, and issuing commissioned papers. Its 1997 report, No Easy Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, received widespread public attention.

Sarah S. Brown, Director, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Cornerstone Consulting Group, Houston, TX. Technical assistance and replication of the Teen Outreach Program. Two years, $150,000.

The Teen Outreach Program (top) is one of the nation's few pregnancy prevention programs to have been carefully evaluated and to have shown positive results. Adopted in middle and high schools in thirty-six states, top combines life-skills instruction with community service and peer support. The program, which was created by the Association of Junior Leagues International, is managed by Cornerstone Consulting Group, a youth-serving organization. Besides revising curricular materials, monitoring program quality, and establishing top in churches, residential care facilities, and group homes, Cornerstone is replicating it in the affiliates of state and national groups. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation also provides funding.

Sharon Lovick Edwards, Cofounder and Partner, Cornerstone Consulting Group.

Child Welfare League of America, Washington, DC. Project to prevent pregnancy in adolescents in out-of-home care, conducted in collaboration with the Council of State Governments. Two years, $253,000.

As states revise their welfare systems, they are studying the link between adolescent childbearing and welfare dependency and devising pregnancy prevention strategies. The Child Welfare League of America and the Southern Regional Project on Infant Mortality of the Southern Governors' Association have informed Tennessee and South Carolina legislators about model efforts in other states. One focus is the needs of adolescent girls in out-of-home care, who have especially high rates of childbearing. Besides holding a briefing in Alabama, staff members are updating a resource manual for child welfare personnel and foster care parents and issuing materials on programs in all the southern states. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation furnishes additional support.

Bronwyn Mayden, Program Director, Adolescent Pregnancy and Prevention Services, Child Welfare League of America.

National Urban League, New York, NY. Education and youth development program. Two years, $250,000.

The National Urban League, which is supported by corporations and other foundations, was created in 1910 to help African Americans attain social and economic equality. In a pilot effort, the league is working with two of its 115 affiliates to assess the quality of teaching and youth development activities in the community. Each education audit focuses on the quality of teachers and their training, curriculum content and rigor, support for students taking academically challenging courses, access to sophisticated educational tools and resources, and the availability of constructive after-school and summer programs. The audits will be used by these two affiliates to build support for corrective action among parents, members of the clergy, and community leaders.

Velma Cobb, Director, National Education/Youth Development Policy, Research and Advocacy, National Urban League.

Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC. Strengthening the capacity of intermediary organizations to promote youth development. Two years, $400,000.

The Academy for Educational Development's Center for Youth Development and Policy Research is assisting two national and two local organizationsCthe United Way, the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth, the Community Network for Youth Development in San Francisco, and YouthNet in Kansas CityCin becoming stronger advocates for youth programs. United Way affiliates and coalition members are creating funding guidelines for youth programs, while the two local groups are devising public education strategies and materials in support of these programs. Additional funding comes from the Annie E. Casey and Ford foundations.

Richard Murphy, Director, Center for Youth Development and Policy Research, Academy for Educational Development.

National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations, Washington, DC. Policy initiative on the health and well-being of Hispanic youth. One year, $285,000.

The Growing Up Hispanic Youth Policy Initiative, created by the National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations (cossmho), analyzes data from national and state sources on different subgroups of Hispanic adolescents. Sixteen categories are covered, including physical fitness, mental health, and access to insurance and clinical services. The project has been pilot-tested by two cossmho member organizations in Colorado and Texas and, with Ford Foundation funding, has been expanded to California, Florida, New Mexico, and New York. Data will be used to make recommendations to local, state, and regional agencies seeking to improve Hispanic young people's health.

Jane L. Delgado, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations.

Carter Center, Atlanta, GA. Program on guns as a health risk to children and adolescents. Two years, $400,000.

Not Even One is a program of the Carter Center aimed at reducing firearm fatalities among children and youth. In Atlanta, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, and Compton/Long Beach, California, program staff members train teams of religious leaders, criminal justice officials, and parents and other private citizens to use a public health perspective in analyzing every incidentChomicide, suicide, accidentCinvolving the death of a young person by gunfire. From their investigations, the teams identify the factors leading to firearm violence and suggest preventive interventions. The center is refining the program's training, strengthening its data collection, and sponsoring an independent evaluation. Support also comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Wallace S. Woodard, Director, Not Even One, Carter Center.

Omega Boys Club of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. National syndication of Street Soldiers, a radio program intended to prevent youth violence. Two years, $300,000.

The Omega Boys Club of San Francisco serves young men and women ages eleven to twenty-five. Its programs, which receive further funding from corporations and other foundations, include tutorials, college placement and scholarship support, employment training, and discussions of values and family responsibilities. Street Soldiers, a radio call-in show, fields about forty calls a week that address substance abuse, violence, and difficult family situations. Listeners whose problems cannot be handled on air are asked to call a help line, where they are referred to an Omega counselor or to social service agencies in their community. Street Soldiers is being syndicated to ten cities nationwide, and help lines are being created in those cities to connect listeners to local services.

Joseph Marshall, Executive Director, Omega Boys Club of San Francisco.

Vera Institute of Justice, New York, NY. Ethnographic study of violence by and toward adolescents. Twenty-six months, $200,000.

The Vera Institute of Justice's Growing Up Safe and Smart Project is studying violence among New York youth in three schools and an after-school program. Ethnographic researchers are interviewing and tracking students from seventh to tenth grade to learn how much violence they are exposed to or involved in, whether they respond to violence individually or in groups, and whether they feel more reluctant to fight once adults discover the conflict. The findings will be used to design violence prevention programs in New York and elsewhere that foster collaboration among parents, schools, and the police. The Pinkerton and William T. Grant foundations and the National Institute of Justice also provide funding.

Mercer L. Sullivan, Senior Research Fellow, Vera Institute of Justice.

Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, New York, NY. Adolescent studies program. Two years, $500,000.

People who reach the age of twenty without smoking, using illegal drugs, or abusing alcohol rarely take up these practices. This fact is at the heart of the adolescent studies program of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The final report of the center's National Commission on Substance Abuse Among America's Adolescents will detail a survey of young people and their parents and recommend strategies for schools and communities. The adolescent studies program is also refining the six-city Children at Risk demonstration project, which provides social services to at-risk eleven- to thirteen-year-olds and their families. The project will be replicated in five other cities. Funding also comes from corporations and other foundations.

Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President, Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

Educational Broadcasting Corporation. New York, NY. Production and educational outreach for two In the Mix special programs. One year, $135,000.

In the Mix, a half-hour television program for teenagers airing on Public Broadcasting Service stations, consists of news and consumer segments on health, educational, and social issues interspersed with music videos. Two special shows have been created by the independent production company Castle Works, with wnet-tv as the presenting station. The first is SportsCGet in the Game, highlighting the social and physical benefits of playing sports; the second is Self Image, Health and the Media, addressing the media's definition of ideal physical appearance. Discussion guides are being distributed to national and local outreach partners. The Corporation's grant is to the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, the fund-raising arm of wnet.

Sue Castle, President, Castle Works, New York, NY.

Joy G. Dryfoos, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Research and dissemination of a book on programs that foster adolescent development. One year, $50,000.

In her forthcoming book, Safe Passage: Making It Through Adolescence in a Risky Society, Joy G. Dryfoos identifies for parents, teachers, and community leaders some of the innovative programs that have been shown to affect young people's learning and development in positive ways. The book focuses in particular on restructured schools, elements of which include small classes, sustained studentBteacher contact, and the availability of after-school programs and community service opportunities. The Corporation has supported Dryfoos's research and writing on two previous books as well as this one. The current grant is permitting the purchase of copies of Safe Passage for distribution to policymakers and for other dissemination efforts. It is also enabling Dryfoos to continue writing about youth development.

American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY. Planning and production of outreach programs and materials in earth and planetary science. Two years, $400,000.

The American Museum of Natural History's National Center for Education, Technology and Science Literacy creates teaching materials and programs for use in schools, libraries, universities, community centers, and science museums. A new initiative of the center concerns the origins, evolution, and composition of the earth and the universe. Jointly with scientists, science teachers, curriculum developers, television producers, and telecommunications specialists, the center is devising educational plans and prototypes for a coordinated set of programs and outreach activities on earth and planetary science. Further support comes from public and other private sources.

Myles Gordon, Director of Education, American Museum of Natural History.

WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, MA. Production of a television program on scientific discovery and related outreach activities. Two years, $150,000.

A Science Odyssey is a public television series for young people designed to recast their perception of science and scientists and portray science as a useful way to solve problems and look at the world. The program, developed by wgbh-tv in Boston, is airing nationally in five segments on pbs stations in early 1998. The topics are technology and engineering; views of the universe and matter; origins of life; health and medicine; and human nature and behavior. wgbh and national youth-serving and science organizations are creating videocassettes and a teacher's guide. They are also carrying out science demonstration activities for youth. Public and other private sources provide further funding.

Thomas Friedman, Executive Producer, wgbh Educational Foundation.

Scholastic Entertainment, New York, NY. Production of a television series about science for elementary school children. One year, $250,000.

The Magic School Bus is the most popular science program on public television for its target audience of six- to nine-year-olds. The series, produced by Scholastic Entertainment (formerly Scholastic Productions), features a school bus that can transport children from the inner spaces of the human body to outer space, where they explore different scientific facts and concepts. Topics aired in the 1997B98 season include molecules, gravity, wetlands, and computers. Scholastic offers free activity guides to schools, museums, public television stations, and youth-serving organizations, with special attention to settings that serve girls and minority children. Additional funding comes from the National Science Foundation.

Deborah Forte, Division Head, Scholastic Entertainment.

College Entrance Examination Board, Washington, DC. Planning and development of a research agenda for the equity 2000 program. Twenty-five months, $400,000.

EQUITY 2000, a precollege program of the College Entrance Examination Board, aims to increase minority and low-income students' rates of college entry and academic success. Because algebra and geometry are usually prerequisites for college preparatory courses, the program encourages participating schools to offer these gateway courses to all their middle and junior-high-school students. Evaluations show enrollment gains in algebra and geometry but high course failure rates and lower-than-expected results on state tests. Besides creating algebra and geometry assessments, the board is funding research to explain students' success or failure and will propose ways to improve achievement levels.

Vinetta C. Jones, Executive Director, EQUITY 2000.

National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices, Washington, DC. Assistance to states in implementing national goals for education in the 1990s. Eighteen months, $400,000.

National education goals set in 1989 require that all students, regardless of background or ability, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a changing economy. The National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices offers information and technical assistance to states seeking to create internationally competitive standards. Center staff members are discussing assessments and accountability systems aligned with the standards, recommending ways to link the standards to teacher preparation and professional development, and proposing interstate partnerships as a cost-saving technique. Other foundations also provide support.

John W. Barth, Director, Education Policy Studies, National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Washington, DC. Support. One year, $1,000,000.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was created by the Corporation in 1987 to implement the recommendations of A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century, a report of the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy. The board has set standards for excellence in teaching in different fields and has created a voluntary performance-based certification system, called National Board Certification, to assess and certify teachers who meet these standards. Certification focuses on teachers' mastery of subject matter, understanding of child and adolescent development, and ability to work effectively with children and parents.

Certificates are offered in fields defined by developmental level (early and middle childhood, early adolescence, young adulthood) and subject matter, including special certificates for work with students whose English proficiency is limited and students with disabilities. The certificates are in various stages of research and development and will become available over the next four years. The first seven certificatesC$in early childhood/generalist; middle childhood/generalist; early adolescence/generalist; early adolescence/English language arts; early adolescence and young adulthood/math; adolescence/science; and early adolescence and young adulthood/artCare now being offered, making the opportunity to study for certification available to about half of all American teachers. A total of 912 teachers have been certified by the board.

Twenty-three states have enacted legislation providing incentives and recognition to teachers who obtain board certification. Dozens of school districts nationwide are encouraging teachers to apply and are creating professional support mechanisms to help them prepare.

Major support is also provided by federal, corporate, and other foundation sources.

James A. Kelly, President, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. Implementation of recommendations from a commission on teacher development. Two years, $418,000.

The report of the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, What Matters Most (1996), urges higher standards for students and teachers, better teacher education and recruitment, restructured schools, and systems to reward teachers' expertise. The commission, based at Teachers College, Columbia University, is educating practitioners, policymakers, and the public about ways to implement the report. It is devising model legislation for presentation to state boards of education and professional groups and assisting efforts to redesign teacher training and foster professional development. It is also working with twelve states to create strategic plans that incorporate the recommendations. The Rockefeller Foundation cosponsored the commission.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Executive Director, National Commission on Teaching & America's Future.

Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC. Support of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium. Two years, $450,000.

The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium helps states assess and license new teachers according to clear standards of what they should know and be able to do in different subjects. Thirty-nine states, the two largest teachers' unions, and national education groups participate in the consortium, a program of the Council of Chief State School Officers. Eighteen states have adopted or adapted the model standards to guide reforms of new-teacher licensing. In addition to publishing its work on licensing standards in mathematics, English/language arts, and science, the consortium is creating standards in elementary education and social studies/civics.

M. Jean Miller, Director, Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, DC. National system of teacher education accreditation. Two years, $350,000.

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, a coalition of thirty organizations representing teachers, school specialists, and state and local policymakers, sets standards for teacher education. Through its New Professional Teacher Project, the council is attempting to create a national accreditation system founded on performance-based expectations for teacher preparation that correlate with the expectations and standards that are being developed for students. The initial focus is on teaching in the elementary grades. The council is also holding statewide forums for educators, policymakers, parents, and the general public to formulate plans for reforms in preparing and licensing teachers.

Arthur E. Wise, President, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Recruiting New Teachers, Belmont, MA. Outreach and response programs. Two years, $300,000.

Recruiting New Teachers aims to increase the public's respect for the teaching profession and to expand the pool of future teachers. Its direct-response advertising campaign has generated more than a million inquiries from prospective teachers, almost 40 percent of them members of minority groups. As part of its effort to enlist more people to teach in city schools, the organization is developing a self-assessment tool that urban districts can use to study and improve their recruitment, induction, and professional development practices. It is also updating its handbook on careers in teaching. The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Stuart Foundations provide additional funding.

David Haselkorn, President, Recruiting New Teachers.

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Technical assistance to school districts in designing new teacher compensation plans and research documenting the process. Two years, $300,000.

For standards-based education reforms to work, teachers must have the professional skills to teach a world-class curriculum to diverse student populations. Today's teachers, however, rarely receive compensation, such as pay contingent on pursuing professional development, or group performance awards, linked to these skills. The Consortium for Policy Research in Education is a network of university-based centers that conduct research aimed at strengthening American public precollegiate education. Professors at two of the centersCthe University of Wisconsin and the University of PennsylvaniaCare designing and implementing new teacher compensation structures for four school districts across the nation. They will produce detailed case studies.

Allan Odden, Professor of Educational Administration, University of Wisconsin.

Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York, NY. Education Rights Project. Three years, $450,000.

Most Puerto Rican and other Latino students in this country are educated in large school systems that are ethnically and economically segregated. Schools in these systems tend to have relatively inexperienced teachers and low-quality programs and are often crowded. The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund attempts, through its Education Rights Project, to make high-quality education available to students in such schools. The fund is devising an education desegregation plan for Hartford, Connecticut. It is also investigating whether New York City's major education reformsCincluding higher standards and new small, thematic schoolsCprovide equal opportunities for Latinos. Further support comes from other foundations.

Juan A. Figueroa, President and General Counsel, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.

University of California, Oakland, CA. Evaluation of a writing, mentoring, and academic counseling program for Hispanic high school students. Eighteen months, $162,400.

The Puente Project was founded to help Hispanic students transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions. Puente now runs a pilot program, operating in eighteen California high schools, that aims to increase the number of Hispanic students who graduate from high school and go on to earn college degrees. Each school is served by an English teacher, a counselor, and a liaison to the community who recruits and trains Hispanic professionals to become mentors. As part of an evaluation of Puente, University of California researchers are studying students' attendance and retention in school, grade point average, and college enrollment. They are also assessing the effects of refinements in the mentoring program.

Patricia McGrath or Felix Galaviz, Codirectors, Puente High School Pilot Program, University of California.

Aspen Institute, Queenstown, MD. Public policy project to promote the well-being of children. One year, $400,000.

The Aspen Institute's Children's Policy Forum brings members of Congress together with scholars and practitioners to examine the problems of America's children and youth. Its meetings and an annual retreat are designed to inform a core group of legislators about selected issues so that they can help shape public policy for children. A 1996 retreat on preparing youth for the twenty-first century addressed family life, citizenship, international comparisons of education, and business perspectives on the needs of the future workforce. The 1997 retreat explored the developmental needs and problems of children ages three to ten.

Dick Clark, Director, Congressional Program, Aspen Institute.

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Creation of a children's studies program. Two years, $1,000,000.

Improving the lives of children in the United States will require access to the knowledge and insights of many professions and academic areas. It will also require partnerships of universities, schools, and community-based institutions. Harvard University's new interdisciplinary Children's Studies Program aims to draw increased academic and professional attention to the needs of children, encourage faculty members and students to devote their talents to children, and mount effective universityBcommunity efforts on behalf of children. Leaders of the program include professors of pediatrics, psychiatry, health policy, government, law, education, and religion.

Undergraduate and graduate-level courses, a fellowship program, research grants, faculty seminars, and universitywide events are being developed at Harvard around three themes: the conditions that foster or impede children's resilience in the face of adverse circumstances; the influence of ethnicity, race, and gender on children's aspirations and behavior; and the social and cultural roots of the public discourse about children that in turn influence social policies.

These themes also underlie efforts to strengthen existing links between Harvard faculty and students and more than 100 programsCincluding school-based health services, family support centers, legal clinics, literacy and reading projects, and social skills development and violence prevention programsCin the Boston area. The directors of the Children's Studies Program are conferring with mayors, school and health officials, and community leaders in Boston, Cambridge, and neighboring cities on ways to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of these partnerships. They are also identifying possibilities for creating other collaborative activities to benefit children.

Martha Minow, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School.

American Forum, Washington, DC. Production and dissemination of media packets on public policy issues affecting children and families. Two years, $180,000.

At a time when news outlets depend on wire services for information of national interest, the American Forum produces media packets of articles on issues that are tailored to conditions in the South. The packets are used by newspapers and radio and television stations to fill gaps in news coverage, write editorials, and prepare public service announcements. The forum is producing fifty-four packets on topics concerning children and families, developing a Web site to serve as an online wire service, and expanding to the Midwest. It is also surveying the authors of its articles and its media contacts to assess the materials' effectiveness. The forum receives further support from other foundations.

Denice Zeck, Executive Director, American Forum.

New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY. Center for urban epidemiologic studies. Two years, $250,000.

The Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, based at the New York Academy of Medicine, is a consortium of six academic medical centers, the city's health department, and other institutions dedicated to improving the health and well-being of disadvantaged young people and their families in New York. Among the center's research projects are studies of asthma among children and the effectiveness of hiv prevention strategies. A conference on asthma in the urban environment and a symposium on setting priorities for urban health were held in 1997. Support also comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Department of Health, corporations, and other foundations.

Ezra S. Susser, Director, Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies.

Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. Fred M. Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media. Two years, $300,000.

Fred M. Hechinger, an education writer for the New York Times and a trustee of and senior advisor to the Corporation, had an abiding interest in the role of education in shaping individuals and the nation. When he died in 1995, he was a trustee of Teachers College, Columbia University. The college's new Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media holds seminars for education reporters, editors, and producers to examine the social context of education and to address topics relevant to educational policymaking. It also brings together educators and journalists to improve press coverage of educational issues. Other foundations provide additional funding.

Gene Maeroff, Director, Fred M. Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media.

National Council of La Raza, Washington, DC. Task force on education policy for Hispanic children. One year, $100,000.

The National Council of La Raza operates community-based projects that bring together parents, teachers, and business leaders to help Hispanic young people succeed in school. An Education Policy Task Force of council board members, representatives of council affiliates, outside experts, and practitioners is developing a new public policy agenda for education. The task force is analyzing programs and policiesCincluding educational standards, school choice, and early childhood programsCand assessing their potential for producing sustainable improvements in educational outcomes for Hispanic students. Its findings will be incorporated in a variety of council publications.

Charles Kamasaki, Senior Vice President, National Council of La Raza.

Children Now, Oakland, CA. Conferences on children and the media. One year, $125,000.

Children Now works with members of the media industry to improve news coverage of issues affecting children and their families. It organizes an annual meeting that brings together leaders from the print and broadcast media, children's advocates, and policymakers to produce recommendations on enhancing the treatment of children's issues. The most recent meeting explored the depiction of girls in entertainment media. The program also briefs media leaders on current research regarding children's issuesCfor example, findings on the effects of poverty and of changes in welfare policies on the well-being of children and their families. Other foundations provide additional funding.

Meeghan E. V. Prunty, Director, Children and the Media Program, Children Now.

Center for Media Education, Washington, DC. Public education and advocacy on behalf of children's interests in the electronic media. Two years, $400,000.

The Center for Media Education conducts research, coalition building, and public education on the quality of electronic media for children and on telecommunications policies and regulations and their effects on children. Under grants from the Corporation and other foundations, the center is helping child advocacy groups in twelve states ensure universal access to computers, whether in homes or at community centers, public libraries, and schools. It is monitoring compliance with Federal Communication Commission rules that require television stations to air at least three hours a week of educational programming for children during prime-time hours. It is also organizing support for safeguards against online advertising and program-related marketing of products to children.

Kathryn C. Montgomery, President, or Jeffrey A. Chester, Executive Director, Center for Media Education.

Lawyers for Children, Hartford, CT. Advocacy on behalf of abused children and mediation efforts to prevent violence among children and youth. One year, $100,000.

Lawyers for Children was established in 1995 to involve lawyers in corporate or private practice as advocates for children. Its focus is on two subjects: child abuse and youth-on-youth violence. In the first area, lawyers are trained to represent abused or neglected children in court proceedings. In the second area, lawyers receive training in conflict resolution and peer-based mediation and go on to teach these techniques to middle school faculty and student mediators. In addition to creating a nationwide network of local affiliates, Lawyers for Children is collaborating with the Yale Child Study Center to develop a training curriculum and provide consultations for participating lawyers.

Lesley D. Mara, Executive Director, Lawyers for Children.

Alliance for Young Families, Boston, MA
Toward evaluation of adolescent health services in Massachusetts, $25,000

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC
Toward outreach activities for a children's science radio program, $25,000

Association of ScienceBTechnology Centers Incorporated, Washington, DC
For research on preservice teacher training partnerships among science museums, institutions of higher education, and schools, $25,000

University of California, Berkeley, CA
Toward planning a center on educational research on diversity and school reform, $25,000

Columbia University, New York, NY
For dissemination of reports on the future of American social policy, $14,300

Families and Work Institute, New York, NY
Toward publications and dissemination of a report on brain research and early childhood development, $25,000

Fordham University, Bronx, NY>Toward a national meeting on community schools, $10,000

GlobaLearn, New Haven, CT
For evaluation and evaluation design of interactive educational expeditions for students and teachers on the World Wide Web, $15,900

Los Angeles Educational Partnership, Los Angeles, CA
Toward support of a program to improve science education in the Los Angeles public schools, $25,000

Marylhurst College, Marylhurst, OR
For preparation and dissemination of science curriculum materials for Head Start teachers, $25,000

Mathematical Association of America, Washington, DC
Toward development of a network to expand intervention projects in mathematics for minority students in middle and high school, $25,000

University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
Toward support of the Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies, $22,000

Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
As a final grant toward the School Health Policy Initiative, $25,000

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Toward a planning meeting on safety and security of adolescents, $25,000

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Toward a symposium on science education reform, $25,000

National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver, CO
For a project on the relevance of new research on early childhood development for state legislatures, $25,000

National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices, Washington, DC
Toward a meeting for state policymakers on meeting the needs of young children, $25,000

National Indian School Board Association, Polson, MT
For planning further reforms in Indian schools, $25,000

National Institute for Dispute Resolution, Washington, DC
For a conference for educators in conflict resolution and bias reduction, $25,000

National Middle School Association, Columbus, OH
For development of public education materials on middle school reform, $24,000

New England Medical Center, Boston, MA
Toward dissemination of a career awareness program for middle grade school students, $25,000

New York University, New York, NY
For planning education reform strategies for preschools and elementary schools, $25,000

New York University, New York, NY
For education reform strategies for preschools and elementary schools, $25,000