To provide a comprehensive view of the unique contexts shaping adolescent development in the U.S., we utilized latent class analysis (LCA) with indicators of risk and protection across multiple domains (family, peers, school, neighborhood) and examined how latent class membership predicted heavy episodic drinking, illicit substance use, and…

Objectives and Participants: The purpose of this article is to describe weight indicators and weight-related behaviors of students enrolled in 2-year colleges, including sex differences. Methods: During Fall 2011 and Spring 2012, 441 students from 3 Minnesota community colleges enrolled in the Choosing Healthy Options in College Environments and…

This report presents findings from the "CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey." CalYOUTH (the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study) is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections Act on outcomes during foster youth's transition to adulthood. CalYOUTH includes collection and analysis of information from three…

This study uses a subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to examine protective factors for lower-income, first-generation students. A logistic regression model is used to explore the impacts of (1) gender, (2) race, (3) perceived sense of belonging during middle or high school, and 4) protective adult…

A number of qualitative studies examining student achievement outcomes in higher education show that access to social capital is an important predictor of student success. Critical Race Theory (CRT), and other qualitative studies, examining student outcomes have operationalized social capital in terms of access to information. Most of these…

This report presents findings from the "Baseline Youth Survey of the California" Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH). CalYOUTH is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act on outcomes during the transition to adulthood for foster youth. CalYOUTH includes collection and analysis of…

School-based character education and violence prevention programs focus on improving prosocial competencies and reducing negative behaviors in students. The Capturing Kids' Hearts Campus by Design model is a school-level intervention that impacts student behavior by enhancing school climate through improved relational and conflict management…

Background: Previous research has identified individual and school-level characteristics that are associated with sexual risk-taking, but the impact of school-level mechanisms on sexual risk-taking is not well understood. We examine the aggregated effects that early sex at the school level have on risky sexual behaviors. Methods: We use 3 waves of…

Research on social capital in education rarely considers how the resources students can access through their friendships affect educational outcomes later in life. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we explore how having resource-rich best friends impacts adolescents' college completion. We compare the influence of…

Background/Context: Brown v Board of Education fundamentally changed our nation's schools, yet we know surprisingly little about how and whether they provide equality of educational opportunity. Although substantial evidence suggests that African American and Latino students who attend these schools face fewer learning opportunities than their…

Understanding the implications of the significant expansion in higher education over the latter half of the 20th century remains one of the central questions of research in stratification and inequality. Attaining a college degree is associated with numerous advantages ranging from higher earnings to improved health and wellbeing. As higher…

Objectives: We sought to explore the association between childhood maltreatment (e.g., neglect, physical and sexual abuse) and longitudinal growth trajectories of body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to young adulthood. Methods: We used latent curve modeling to examine data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 8,471),…

Despite an apparent connection, depression and delinquency have rarely been examined simultaneously. Instead, research has examined each topic separately and emphasized gender differences--rather than similarities--in outcomes. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this paper examines possible parallel pathways between social…

Immigrant adolescents are one of the fastest growing segments of our population, yet we know little about how schools prepare them for citizenship. Although prior research suggests that high school civics education, academic achievement, and a sense of connection increase political participation in early adulthood, we do not know if these…