Nadia L. Ward

Improving Equity and Access for Low-Income and Minority Youth into Institutions of Higher Education.

This article discusses the educational achievement status of racial and ethnic minorities, specifically African Americans and Latinos as compared to their Caucasian peers. In addition, this article describes several long-standing federal educational initiatives designed to improve educational equity and access on the part of low-income and underrepresented minorities into institutions of higher learning. Finally, the promise of a relatively new educational initiative called GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is illustrated with a detailed description of Connecticuts successful implementation of this approach. Underscored are implications this article has for research, policy, and practice in the educational arena.

Building Full-Service Schools: Lessons Learned in the Development of Interagency Collaboratives

Although the history of clinical–school–community collaboration can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, the full-service school movement represents a new era in the quest for more effective ways to deliver human services to children. Building on the personal experience of the authors and the literature concerning the development of integrated service delivery systems, this article outlines conceptual, administrative, fiscal, legal–ethical, and practical issues that can hinder local efforts to develop full-service schools. The systematic analysis of potentially negative influences is presented as something that must be pursued by educational and psychological consultants so that, as the next millennium begins, they will be in a position to help local working groups develop interagency collaboratives that more effectively integrate school and human service systems, increase service use, and promote positive developmental outcomes for children living in high-risk situations.

Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Urban Youth: Applying Lessons From the Community Mental Health Movement

Despite the serious problems faced by urban minority youth, services provided to such youth remain fragmented and uncoordinated. In this article we examine lessons learned from the community mental health movement in addressing the needs of a similarly disenfranchised population, individuals with psychiatric disabilities. A model alternative school intervention program is presented that draws on strategies developed within a community mental health center paradigm to provide a comprehensive model of service delivery to youth based on prevention strategies, a positive youth development approach, and culturally appropriate interventions derived in collaboration with the population served. Despite the lessons learned and progress made in servicing this multiproblem population, further work is needed to achieve full integration of school interventions and their home communities.

An evaluation of training for lay providers in the use of Motivational Interviewing to promote academic achievement among urban youth

This study examined training outcomes for lay service providers who participated in a motivational interviewing (MI) training program designed to help increase intrinsic motivation and academic achievement among urban, low-income minority youth. Seventeen lay academic advisors received 16 hours of workshop training in MI. Additionally, two 2-hour booster sessions and five 2-hour weekly group supervision sessions were conducted with lay advisors over a period of 7 months; 100% of lay advisors (n = 17) participated in the workshop training and booster sessions, and 71% of lay advisors (n = 12) completed all group supervision sessions and submitted tapes for review. MI training was associated with increased knowledge of MI principles among lay advisors, increased proficiency in responding to simulated clients in an MI consistent style, increased use of MI-adherent behaviors in sessions with real clients, and maintenance of high motivation to use MI from pretest to post-test. Although lay advisors increased their knowledge of MI, further training is required for advisors to increase competence in delivering MI. Overall, implications for using MI in the context of school-based settings are discussed.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Low-Income Fathers: Testing a Stress-Coping Model

This research used a stress-coping conceptual framework to examine intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who are fathers. The current study examined how perceived stress explained associations between stressors (e.g., employment status, psychological and physical female-to-male partner violence [FMPV], substance use, criminal justice system involvement) and male-perpetrated physical and psychological IPV. Participants were 1,971 low-income, ethnically diverse fathers involved in a statewide fatherhood program. Findings indicated that, across African American, White, and Hispanic/Latino men, male-reported FMPV and criminal justice involvement were associated with psychological and/or physical IPV via perceived stress. Employment status and alcohol use were associated with psychological IPV via perceived stress among African American men only. Implications for community-based fatherhood programs are discussed.