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The relationship of participation in school, community, and church activities to the academic achievement (i.e., end-of-year school grades) of African American youth in rural low-income communities was examined. Participants included 280 students (177 girls and 103 boys) in the 7th and 8th grades of two public middle schools. Participation in school, community, and church activities was measured by participants' involvement in extracurricular activities in these contexts. Results indicated that after accounting for school activities and other control variables, church activities were related to academic achievement. Findings suggested that it is important to consider participation in the activities of contexts outside of school that may support the achievement of African American youth in the rural Deep South. (Contains 6 tables.)

This study examined interpersonal competence configurations in a sample of 315 fifth-grade students (170 girls and 145 boys) from 8 elementary schools in the Appalachian region. Teachers completed the Interpersonal Competence Scale-Teacher (ICS-T) for each student. The ICS-T consists of 18 7-point Likert scales to assess academic achievement, aggression, internalizing behavior, popularity, social skills, and athletic ability/attractiveness. Teachers also completed scales pertaining to social adaptation. Students completed peer behavioral assessments, sociometric surveys, and social network surveys. Nearly 40% of students were in high-competence configurations characterized by high teacher ratings on academic, behavioral, and social adjustment. These configurations were associated with high end-of-year grades and standardized achievement test scores and with positive peer relationships. In contrast, 16% of girls and 27% of boys were in high-risk configurations characterized by high teacher ratings of academic, behavioral, and social difficulties. These configurations were associated with low end-of-year grades and standardized test scores and with social and behavioral difficulties that are predictive of later adjustment problems. We also identified moderate-risk configurations that tended to fall between high-competence and high-risk configurations in terms of their relation to academic achievement and peer relations. Implications for interventions are discussed. (Contains 13 tables.)

The transition to high school has been identified as a potentially difficult time in adolescents' lives. Reductions in both academic and social functioning often accompany this transition. While these effects have been documented in urban youth, the move to high school has not been extensively studied in rural minority youth. Toward that end, the academic grades and substance use in ninth grade of 447 (184 male and 263 female) African-American adolescents from two rural counties in a state in the deep South were examined in relation to configurations of adaptation from sixth through eighth grade. Results indicate that individual with consistently positive patterns across middle school had higher grades and lower rates of substance use compared to individuals with persistent difficulties or those that transitioned to problem behavior. Many individuals who improved in their patterns of adaptation had relatively high grades, but also rather high rates of substance use in the ninth grade.

This study examined the relationship between end-of-year grades and the academic, behavioral, and social characteristics of rural African American youth. Participants included 392 7th and 8th grade students from 2 rural middle schools in the south. Participants were African American and were from 2 communities that have child poverty rates exceeding 50% for public school students. Girls were more likely to have positive characteristics than boys. Academic, behavioral, and social difficulties were linked to low end-of-year grades, and positive characteristics were linked to high grades. Implications for supporting low-achieving African American students from low-resource communities are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

Examined the nominations that elementary students with mild disabilities made for peers they perceived as cool. The total sample was comprised of 948 students (496 girls, 452 boys) from the metropolitan Chicago area and North Carolina and included 107 (11.3%) students with mild disabilities. Overall, students with mild disabilities nominated prosocial and athletic peers who affiliate with students with mild disabilities. However, aggressive boys who are central in the social network were highly likely to view aggressive peers as cool. Results are discussed in relation to implications for social interventions for students with mild disabilities.

Early adolescents' strengths were examined in relation to factors that are associated with developmental risk or resilience in two rural low-income southern communities. The sample was comprised of 279 students (101 boys, 178 girls), all of whom were African American and reflected the public school attendance of this community. Parent reports on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) were used to assess strengths. BERS scores were examined in relation to academic, behavioral, and social characteristics of participants. For girls, total strength scores on the BERS were positively associated with indices of high competence and negatively associated with problematic characteristics. For boys, high and low total strength scores differentiated between youth who did and did not have risks associated with externalizing behavior problems. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for assessment and prevention.