The Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) research demonstration was initiated in 1984 to test the effects of a two-summer remediation, work, and life skills intervention on the lives of 14- and 15-year-olds from poor urban families who were already seriously behind academically. The program provided youth with half-day summer jobs combined with half-days of remedial reading and mathematics provided through the use of specially designed curricula and innovative teaching approaches. The results of research on nearly 5,000 participating youth in five cities showed that the STEP's effects were positive. Reading and mathematics test scores after the first summer were about a half grade higher for the STEP youth compared to a control group receiving only summer jobs. Participants also showed more knowledge about responsible sexual and social behavior, high attendance rates, and a high (75 percent) return rate for the second summer. However, follow-up research found that on returning to regular life and school, STEP youth experienced the same school dropout, college entrance, teenage pregnancy, and employment rates as did control group youth. This report presents the above research and findings, describes the development and implementation of the program from its beginning, and explores and analyzes the experiences of the STEP program for lessons to apply to later initiatives. Included are 11 figures and 41 references. (JB)