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Losing Generations Adolescents in High-Risk Settings Panel on High-Risk Youth Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education National Research Council n™al academy press Washington, D.C. 1993 NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS • 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20418 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee re¬ sponsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Support for this project was provided by the Stewart F. Mott Foundation, The Medical Trusts of the Pew Charitible Trusts, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Research Council Fund. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Losing generations : adolescents in high-risk settings :panel on high -risk youth / Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-309-04828-1 1. Socially handicapped youth—United States. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. HV1421.L67 1993 362.7'4'0973—dc20 93-4358 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Box 285, Washington, DC 20055. Call 800-624- 6242 or 202-334-3313 (in the Washington Metropolitan Area). Copyright 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Cover: Photograph by Eric Futran, copyright 1993. Errata Page ii, line 11 of the Notice, and page ix, line 1 of the Preface: The name of the Mott Foundation should be the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Page 44: Table 3-1 should read as follows: TABLE 3-1 U.S . Households with Children Under 18 (in 1,000s) Household Percent Change, Type 1970 1980 1990 1970-1990 Married with children 58,939 48,624 46,503 -21.09 Single parent 8,199 12,466 15,867 +93.52 Single mother 7,452 11,406 13,874 +86.18 Single father 748 1,060 1,993 +166.44 Other 2,024 2,337 1,768 -12.64 SOURCE: U.S. Congress (1991:1080). (continued on reverse side) Losing Generations: Adolescents in High-Risk Settings National Academy Press, Washington, DC 1993 ISBN 0-309-04828-1 Page 83: Table 5-1 should read as follows: NA" table 5-1 Deaths of People Aged 15 to 24, by NO Age and Cause of Death, 1965-1988 (number per Got 100,000] fror .-—- Eng Cause of Death 1965 1980 1988 spo. for 15 to 19 years old prot All causes 95.1 97.9 88.0 Nat Motor vehicle accidents 40.2 43.0 37.3 Inst All other accidents 16.5 14.9 9.4 Suicide 4.0 8.5 11.3 < Males, white 6.3 15.0 19.6 Met Females, white 1.8 3.3 4.8 and Males, all other races 5.2 7.5 11.0 and Females, all other races 2.4 1.8 2.6 Homicide 4.3 10.6 11.7 Libi Males, white 3.0 10.9 8.1 Females, white 1.3 3.9 3.0 Los Males, all other races 30.6 43.3 64.4 Females, all other races 7.1 10.1 10.2 ] Cancer 7.6 5.4 4.4 Heart disease 5.3 2.3 2.2 Pneumonia/influenza 2.1 0.6 0.5 20 to 24 years old I < All causes 127.3 132.7 115.4 1 Motor vehicle accidents 49.3 46.8 39.7 All other accidents 18.7 18.8 12.4 Suicide 8.9 16.1 15.0 Males, white 13.9 27.8 27.0 Females, white 4.3 5.9 4.4 Males, all other races 13.1 20.9 20.0 210 Females, all other races 4.0 3.6 3.0 624 Homicide 10.0 20.6 19.0 Males, white 7.4 19.9 14.8 Coj Females, white 2.3 5.4 4.7 Males, all other races 80.5 109.4 105.6 Prii Females, all other races 17.3 23.3 19.7 Cancer 9.0 7.2 5.7 Heart disease 9.3 3.5 3.6 Pneumonia/influenza 2.3 1.0 0.9 SOURCE: Office of Education Research, and Improvement (1991). Losing Generations: Adolescents in High-Risk Settings National Academy Press, Washington, DC 1993 ISBN 0-309-04828-1 PANEL ON HIGH-RISK YOUTH JOEL F. HANDLER [Chair], School of Law, University of California, Los Angeles, California GORDON L. BERLIN, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation., New York, New York THOMAS D. COOK, Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, Northwestern University ALONZO A. CRIM, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia SANFORD M. DORNBUSCH, Center for the Study of Families, Children, and Youth, Stanford University JOY G. DRYFOOS, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York ROBERTO M. FERNANDEZ, Department of Sociology, Northwestern University RICHARD B. FREEMAN, Center for Economic Performance, London School of Economics JOHN HAGAN, School of Law, University of Toronto CHARLES E. IRWIN, JR., School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco RICHARD JESSOR, University of Colorado, Boulder GLORIA JOHNSON-POWELL, Camille Cosby Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Boston, Massachusetts AARON SHIRLEY, Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, Jackson, Mississippi BARBARA STARFIELD, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University LLOYD STREET,* Department of Human Services Studies, Cornell University R. Shepherd Zeldin, Project Director (through September 1992) Susanne Stoiber, Director, Division on Social and Economic Studies Barbara Briston, Senior Project Assistant *Due to extended travel and fieldwork out of the country, Dr. Street did not see the final draft of the report. i Iniuaroii-i/ I ihrr The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetu¬ ating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineer¬ ing research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sci¬ ences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organiza¬ tion of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The Na¬ tional Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of ap¬ propriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to iden¬ tify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Acad¬ emy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the princi¬ pal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the govern¬ ment, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council. Contents PREFACE vii SUMMARY 1 1 ADOLESCENTS AT RISK 13 2 EARNINGS AND EMPLOYMENT 24 3 FAMILIES 41 4 NEIGHBORHOODS 63 5 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE 81 6 ACADEMIC SCHOOLING 102 7 FROM SCHOOL TO WORK 125 8 JUVENILE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE 151 9 ADOLESCENTS IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM 175 VI / CU/ViisJViS 10 GOOD PRACTICE: COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS AND SERVICES 193 11 CONCLUSIONS AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS 235 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PANEL MEMBERS AND STAFF 257 INDEX 265 Preface The title of this report is Losing Generations. In an important sense, it is another in a long list of studies, books, and reports that have said the same thing—many of our nation's children and youth are in trouble. The fact that this report is another in this long line should increase everyone's concern. We believe that the problems of America's young people are getting significantly worse, not better. This is a human trag¬ edy, and it is a national tragedy that will have a serious impact on all of us. This report is different, though, in that by focusing attention on the settings or environments in which young people and their families are living, it fixes responsibility where we think it be¬ longs—on ourselves. The vast majority of those who write and read these reports were born in healthy, nurturing families who loved us and were able to guide us on our way. We grew up in safe, supporting neighborhoods, went to decent schools, were healed when we got sick, and, in time, secured rewarding employment. Some of us stumbled along the way, but we had second and third chances. Today, not only are such nurturing, supporting environ¬ ments denied to large numbers of children and youth, but also, in many instances, the environments in which they live have actu¬ ally increased the dangers to them. Many young people survive and lead productive, contributing lives, but large numbers of oth¬ ers do not; the odds against them are simply too great. This is not fair. High-risk settings do not just happen: they are the result