Managing Youth Development Programs for At-Risk Youth: Lessons from Research and Practical Experience, Urban Diversity Series No. 103

How youth programs, particularly those that try to prepare young people for work and higher education, are organized and implemented in the field is reviewed. In many cases, the needs of program practitioners are overlooked by the research community. The focus here is on "second-chance" programs that promote the self-sufficiency of disadvantaged groups of adolescents. A framework of the major categories of youth program research is followed by an examination of the typical youth program from an implementation perspective. Remaining sections apply an integrative theory to youth programs by adapting the concept of youth programs as service organizations. The elements of a service concept are presented, along with some limitations of the service concept model. Suggestions for realizing youth research and program practice include the following: (1) work to put professional development education high on the national agenda; (2) encourage new research on program implementation and service concepts; (3) emphasize in program analysis and process/implementation studies; (4) expand support of organizations that attempt to translate research for use by practitioners; (5) connect nationally focused researchers with local change initiatives; (6) support technical assistance and in-service training of program staff; (7) put program managers on review committees that guide funding decisions; and (8) expand the repertoire of skills that managers must possess. Two figures illustrate the discussion.