A time to reflect with students on the many ing each week so that any particular class troublesome issues they are living with, and an was missed only once or twice a semester, opportunity to help them deal with them. Because some classroom teachers were in —A group leader volved as coleaders, staff cooperated in This article describes one public high providing class coverage for each other school's structured group program involvwhen necessary. At the beginning of each ing students and staff in a collaborative session one of the coleaders restated the effort to address many problems affecting group guidelines, and usually asked if students and their success in school. The anyone had anything to share. The begin need for strategies to improve students' ning of each session was frequently a ten academic, affective, and behavioral school tative feeling out of the group in order experiences, documented by increasing to determine who might want to capture numbers of referrals to the high school's the group's attention to discuss their own child study team, led to development of issues, and how those issues could repre general discussion groups centering on sent a common concern (Shulman, 1984). personal concerns. All interested faculty Coleaders went to each meeting with a members were invited to participate as planned agenda, but realized that mem group leaders. Initially, several counselors bers had to be free to decide whether or and teachers were willing to lead these not to focus on that agenda. Leaders groups, but were reluctant to colead reflected content and feeling, clarified groups on specific topics. As the program messages, helped members recognize and progressed, however, they became more use their own resources, and encouraged comfortable in leading structured groups members to find their own solutions to on specified issues. problems in a climate of freedom and trust. They usually met briefly before and after each session for planning and review THE STRUCTURED GROUP PROGRAM
Since the turn of the century, juvenile delinquency, which is defined as antisocial or criminal behavior by children or adolescents (Morris, 1980), has been an important area of study. However, never has the study of delinquency been more important than the present, as schools seek promising paradigms for reaching American youth. An essential foundation for the development and evaluation of preventive interventions is determining the nature, extent, and causes of delinquent behavior.
African Americans represent the largest care, and the mortality rate is high for culturally diverse group in the United African American infants (Kappan Special States (United States Department of ComReport, 1990; National Center for Health merce, Bureau of the Census [USDOC], Statistics, [NCHS], 1990). Additionally, one 1987), yet statistics indicate a high risk out of every two families in this popula factor for the well-being of the African tion lives in poverty (USDOC, 1987). When American population. Economic hardships compared with other cultural groups, Af and the psychological and physiological rican American youth, especially boys, are burden of oppression are lethally comdisproportionately represented among bined to disadvantage African Ameriperpetrators and victims of aggressive cans, adding significant obstacles to their crimes or of violent crimes (Hacker, 1992; successful academic, personal, and social NCHS, 1990). When compared with the development (Barbarin, 1993). Statistics Anglo-American adolescent male popula provide the basis for considerable concern tion, African American male adolescents for the long-term emotional, social, and ecoare at a greater risk in terms of criminal nomic existence of African Americans, esity and death rates at a ratio of 5:1 (NCHS, pecially men. 1990). As a result of the inequities of soci For example, two thirds of the African ety, African American male adolescents are American population have poor health at greater risk for developing frustration and anger (Campbell-Whatley, 1993). Many variables seem to interact with those Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley is art assistant propreviously identified to contribute to poor fessor in the School of Education of Indiana Unieducational development among African versity-Purdue University, Fori Wayne, Indiana. American adolescents as well. Bob Algozzine is a professor and research fellow Research on academic achievement in
of 14, social and economic conditions made system has produced workers who are career guidance a necessity. inadequately trained to compete in today's Over the years, economic conditions have world. They contend that our high school changed and provided a new challenge for graduates need skills in mathematics, school counselors and educators. In the science, and language arts in conjunction recent past, counselors were expected to with information processing and problem encourage their students to prepare for solving to be successful workers in today's work by pursuing some form of higher competitive world. (North Carolina Edu education. Graduation from high school cation Standards and Accountability Com was considered the minimum preparation mission, 1994). for entering the workforce. According to Along with the development of work the latest research, counselors and edu- skills, future employers are expecting stu cators are learning that attending college dents to be able to identify the skills they
