Carol Barkin

Of the 33 million adolescents in the United States, almost 10 million are at risk of failing to become responsible adults. They attend schools that do not serve their needs, lack the support of caring adults, and, as a result, are alienated from mainstream society. African-American and Hispanic children, increasingly segregated in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, are particularly vulnerable. In Adolescence: Growing Up in America Today, a follow-up to Joy Dryfoos's landmark volume, Adolescents at Risk (OUP, 1991), Joy Dryfoos and Carol Barkin take a close look at the lives of young people, identify some of their problems, and present solutions based on state-of-the-art prevention and treatment strategies. They examine important issues in adolescents' lives - sex, violence, drugs, health, mental health, and education. Reviewing successful prevention programs and policy studies, Dryfoos and Barkin demonstrate that we know what to do to prevent high-risk behaviours: young people need to establish relationships with adults; parents need to be involved in their children's lives; and programs need to be comprehensive, sensitive to cultural differences, and staffed by highly trained personnel. Dryfoos and Barkin argue that turning our backs on adolescents will lead to disturbing consequences: the achievement gap will grow, outcomes will worsen, school systems will struggle with the growing disparities, and we as a nation will fall behind the rest of the world in our capacity to educate our youth. If, however, we decide that we want a better quality of life for our children, we will ensure that every young person has access to an excellent education. Schools, youth workers, and parents cannot alone provide a better quality of life for our adolescents, but each must play a major role, and all must work together. Providing a roadmap for the development and implementation of sound policies for American teenagers in the twenty-first century, this volume is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of our nation's youth.

"During the summer before he went to college, he was obnoxious; he said, 'There's a reason I'm acting this way; it will make it easier for you to have me leave.'""When she was packing to leave, she was completely preoccupied with how many sheets and towels to take. I was thinking, 'My kid is leaving home forever, and life is taken up with minutiae.'"It's an emotional rollercoaster, a combination of missing him and feeling happy and excited for him."New BeginningsYou've taught them how to do their laundry, brought them a year's supply of toothpaste and shampoo, and lectured them on the do's and dont's of life beyond your home. The time has come for your child to leave for college -- but are you prepared to say goodbye?Written by a mother who survived the perils of packing her own child off to school, When Your Kid Goes to College provides supportive, reassuring, and helpful tips for handling this inevitable but difficult separation. Comprehensive and accessible, this practical guide includes info on: Teaching your child how to live on his own, from balancing a checkbook to dealing with a roomate.The difference between financial and emotioanl dependence -- and how to keep them separate.Helping your spouse, younger children, and even pets deal with the transition when your child leaves -- and when she returns.How to fill -- and even enjoy -- the hole that your child's absence leaves.Saying goodbye isn't the end of the world; it's the beginning of an exciting new one for your child-and you

In a conversational, interspersed with letters from fictional columnist K.T. ("Knows The") Answers, the authors offer advice on subjects of concern to middle graders. "This etiquette primer tackles a few issues that are of increasing concern to the target age group. . . . the writing throughout is clear; and it's noteworthy that that the authors do more than simply tell readers how to behave--they usually explain why." -- Booklist

Today's babysitters need skills and awareness that past generations didn't. This comprehensive handbook offers sensible advice on practical matters from changing a nappy to answering the 'phone, and on such sensitive issues as dealing with an intoxicated parent and babysitting for children with chronic illness. Suggestions for games and activities, meals, bathtime and bedtime address the specific needs of infants, toddlers and older children. Appendices discuss minor mishaps and emergencies, explains how to tell which is which, and advises what to do in every case.