This paper explores how youth programs, particularly programs that try to prepare young people for the world of work and higher education, are organized and implemented in the field. It is argued that, in many cases, the needs of program practitioners are overlooked by the research community. The focus is on the field of "second-chance" youth programs that promote the self-sufficiency of disadvantaged groups of adolescents. Although there have been some significant exceptions, few of the lessons learned in the demonstration and pilot programs of the past decade seem to have had widespread impact. Most research on youth programs has involved tests of formal models of program design and the search for impacts in the postprogram period. A better approach would be more site-specific studies to develop appropriate theories and models of intervention. Applying an integrative theory to youth programs provides a framework that considers the design of the service delivery system, the targeting challenge, the development of a service concept, and a focused operating system. Looking at these aspects, as examples from several urban programs illustrate, will help eliminate approaches that rely on fads and will lead to research that is sensitive to the local implementation of a plan. (Contains two figures.) (SLD)