Safe Passage: Making it through Adolescence Pub Oxford Uni Press, 198 Madison Ave, New York Book

Children today face daunting obstacles on the path to adulthood--failing schools, dangerous streets, drug abuse, teen pregnancy. But the good news, according to child advocate Joy G. Dryfoos, is that there are many programs out there that work--models that we can apply to our own communities and our own children. In Safe Passage, Dryfoos helps us find them. Indeed, this book examines hundreds of successful programs, ideas that have worked in the real world--and in a very tough real world, at that--such as the Turner Middle School in Philadelphia, a model of the "university assisted" community school. Dryfoos also studies the new trend toward full-service schools, programs that make the school the hub of the community, serving as enrichment centers and neighborhood safe-havens. She evaluates programs that try to cope with sex, drugs, and violence--revealing which ones work and what aspects of these programs are most effective--and also dissects programs that have failed, like the highly touted drug program called DARE. Her sharp and eloquent study concludes with a passionate call for action, outlining what must be done if our young people are to be assured a safe passage to the future.Read More