Children in Chaos: How Israel and the United States Attempt to Integrate At-Risk Youth

(Hardback)

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High-risk youth are rarely able to succeed in school, at work, in their family relationships, or in society at large. They often express hopelessness, frustration, anger. Even after they have acquired skills, and have begun to work, they tend to lose jobs, fail again in schools, and become involved in crimes. There is a noted connection between youth who come from dysfunctional families and have low academic skills, nonexistent career goals, poor work history, drug and/or alcohol abuse, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Ivan C. Frank explains the need for longer term alternative educational programmes in highly supportive environments for high-risk youth. He describes the features and coverage of programmes in Israel and in some American cities that have rehabilitated high-risk youth.

Author Bio

IVAN C. FRANK is Educational Director and Youth Director of the Jewish Community's Intercongregational Sunday School and Hebrew Schools of Emanuel Synagogue and Temple B'nai Israel in Oklahoma City. He lived with his family in a kibbutz from 1977 to 1982, during which time he was coordinator of the Education Department of the Regional College of the Negev and taught at Ben Gurion University. He worked with high-risk youth in Pittsburgh from 1982 to 1990 as a teacher, coordinator of an alternative educational program, psychometrist, and educational advocate.