Saundra Murray Nettles

Community Involvement and Disadvantaged Students: A Review:

This review discusses the effects of community involvement on students who face multiple impediments to success in schools. The first part of the article conceptualizes community involvement as a typology of four processes of social change: conversion, mobilization, allocation of resources, and instruction. Illustrations of these processes are drawn from research and programmatic literature. The second part of the article considers the effects of the varied forms of involvement in a review of 13 evaluations of interventions implemented with significant input from community entities. Overall, the studies indicate that programs can have positive effects on school-related behavior and achievement as well as attitudes and risk-taking behavior. The concluding section identifies gaps in the research and offers a framework for future studies.

The Effect of Residential Neighborhood on Child Behavior Problems in First Grade

Child behavior problems have been identified as being responsible for the greatest reduction in quality of life for children between ages 1 and 19. In this study, we examine whether neighborhood social processes are associated with differences in child behavior problems in an economically and racially diverse sample of 405 urban-dwelling first grade children and whether parenting behavior mediates and/or moderates the effects of neighborhoods. Furthermore, we examine whether neighborhood social processes play the same role with regards to child behavior problems at differing levels of neighborhood economic impoverishment. Results of multivariate multilevel regression analyses indicate that a high negative social climate is associated with greater internalizing problems. High potential for community involvement for children in the neighborhood was associated with fewer behavior problems, but only in economically impoverished neighborhoods. Differences in parenting behavior did not appear to mediate neighborhood effects on behavior problems, and parenting characterized by a high degree of positive involvement was associated with fewer behavior problems in all types of neighborhoods.

Effects of cumulative risk on behavioral and psychological well-being in first grade: Moderation by neighborhood context

This study builds upon existing research by examining whether risk indices for child psychological well-being behave in the same way in different types of neighborhoods. Specifically, we sought to determine if neighborhood characteristics acted to exacerbate or, alternatively, to buffer risk factors at the family and/or child level. Families with a child entering first grade in Fall 2002 were recruited from Baltimore City neighborhoods, defined as census block groups. This study included 405 children, and data came from an interview with the primary caregiver and an assessment of the first grader. The dependent variables were externalizing behavior and internalizing problems. A family risk index consisting of 13 measures, and a child risk index consisting of three measures were the main independent variables of interest. We examined the effects of these indices on child psychological well-being and behavior across two neighborhood characteristics: neighborhood potential for community involvement with children and neighborhood negative social climate. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that cumulative family risk was associated with an increase in both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Perceived negative social climate moderated the effect of family risks on behavior problems such that more risk was associated with a larger increment in both externalizing behavior problems and psychological problems for children living in high versus low risk neighborhoods. These findings further emphasize the importance of considering neighborhood context in the study of child psychological well-being.

Partner abuse or violence, parenting and neighborhood influences on children's behavioral problems

We examined the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, parenting behaviors, experiences of intimate partner abuse or violence (IPV) and childrens behavioral problems in a socioeconomically diverse sample of 383 families residing in an urban environment. Data were collected in the Fall/Winter of 2002. The census block group of residence was used as our measure of neighborhood. Census block groups typically contain 1500 residents on average. IPV was measured using a modified version of the HITS (physically Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Screamed at) scale, a short four item tool assessing emotional and physical violence to which we added an item capturing domination or emotional control. IPV in the last year was reported by 50% of the sample with rates varying by socioeconomic position; families with the lowest and highest income reported the most IPV. Patterns of association between parenting, neighborhood and the childrens behavioral problems differed for families who reported IPV in the last year compared to families who reported no IPV. While positive neighborhood characteristics such as high levels of Community Involvement with Children - based upon four scales capturing neighborhood levels of social interaction and collective socialization of children - were protective for high levels of behavioral problems among families not reporting IPV, this protective effect was not seen among families who did report IPV. Hypothesized interactions between negative neighborhood characteristics and IPV-namely that behavioral problems would be worse among families experiencing IPV in highly economically deprived or areas with negative social climates-were not supported by our data. These interactions between neighborhood factors and IPV were not explained by parental factors.

School Adjustment in the Early Grades: Toward an Integrated Model of Neighborhood, Parental, and Child Processes

Examining recent research on neighborhood influences on child development, this review focuses on social influences on school adjustment in the early elementary years. A model to guide community research and intervention is presented. The components of the model of integrated processes are neighborhoods and their effects on academic outcomes and neighborhoods as moderators of effects of parental behavior on school-related outcomes. The findings on neighborhood risk factors as moderators of the association between school adjustment and family and child risks are also considered. The review concludes with a summary and a discussion of gaps in the literature of contextual factors and child outcomes.

The Role of Community Involvement in Fostering Investment Behavior in Low-Income Black Adolescents: A Theoretical Perspective

A framework for studying community actions to improve the status of low-income Black adolescents is presented. The framework identifies processes predominant in community activities and differentiates them according to content, frequency, and relation of outcome andprocess. Further, the processes are linked to the outcomes expected for youth who participate in community programs and to research methods for examining the outcomes. Investment behavior is described as one outcome that may be particularly amenable to community action, with theoretical significance to achievement outcomes.

Zones of narrative safety: Promoting psychosocial resilience in young people

This essay discusses the potential of narrative expression as a method of primary prevention to promote psychosocial resilience in young people. Conceptual perspectives from resilience research are examined as rationales for “zones of narrative safety,” defined as sites of expression, listening, and reflection in formal and informal activities structured to be supportive and caring. The role of narrative in integrative processes is highlighted, and practical strategies in schools and communities are used to illustrate how narrative formats are applied for the purpose of fostering competence in youths. Further study of such strategies is needed for design of effective prevention programs in different contexts.

Aging Women of Color: Engagement and Place

Conceptions of positive aging include the importance of continued involvement in relationships, optimal mental and physical functioning, and active participation in meaningful activities. This article explores scholarship on social, productive, and contemplative engagement in aging women of color in various places in communities. Five groups of women of color are considered: (1) African American, (2) American Indian/Alaska Native, (3) Asian American, (4) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and (5) Hispanic or Latino. Diversity exists within these five groups; it is impossible to specify personal representations that characterize women within each broad social location. However, general patterns can be identified. Old women of color are actively engaged in home life as caretakers and as keepers of family history. These women maintain positive outlooks through participation in spiritual activities, community involvement, and memories of place and experience. Considering together the roles of engagement and place is one step toward a more complete understanding of positive aging among women of color.