Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Shelli B. Rossman on Adolescents and Youth Development

The SafeFutures Program to Reduce Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Violence was a five-year six-site demonstration supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. SafeFutures sought to prevent and control juvenile crime and victimization through a continuum of prevention, intervention, and treatment services to meet the needs of at-risk and delinquent youth. The At-Risk and Delinquent Girls component was intended to provide services to meet the unique emotional and developmental needs of young women. This report examines the programs targeted to at-risk girls in each site. The report also includes a brief overview of some promising national programs. The report then focuses on the efforts of the six SafeFutures sites in developing and maintaining programs targeted to at-risk and delinquent girls.

Common sense and years of research suggest that community-based collaboratives are the best hope for helping at-risk youth. This report, drawn from evaluations of the Communities in Schools and SafeFuture initiatives, offers a wealth of hands-on advice and real-life examples to help program leaders overcome the challenges of setting up or running their own community-based initiative. Detailed chapters cover fund raising and marketing, case management and service integration, parental involvement, volunteer mentors and tutors, and monitoring program outcomes.

This paper evaluates the Cities in Schools (CIS) program based on three objectives: (1) a study of the national organization, focusing on the training and technical assistance provided to promote replication of the CIS model; (2) a study of a representative sample of CIS sites to assess the effects of local programs; and (3) case studies of 10 CIS programs selected for their innovative features and adherence to the CIS model. The authors discuss the effects of their findings on the CIS model and replication activities, on community programs and school-based projects, and on student outcomes and client satisfaction.