Examined 345 6th-grade rural African American youth (189 boys, 156 girls) over 3 years with regard to carrying weapons in school. Recent investigations with nationally representative and urban samples have shown that carrying weapons in school fits into a larger pattern of problem behaviors, including aggression and substance use, which are supported by affiliations with other deviant youth. Very little work to date has specifically examined weapon carrying in rural African American youth. This study found that weapon carriers in the first year were primarily male, more aggressive, and had higher rates of substance use than noncarriers. Concurrent peer affiliations were not related to weapon carrying in the first year. However, among those who were not carriers in the 1st year, transitioning into weapon carrying was related to both individual marijuana use and peer-group aggression and marijuana use. Finally, over the 3 years of the study, weapon carriers tended to maintain their high levels of aggression, drinking, and marijuana use.

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 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.

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The authors examined school discipline problems in relation to academic and interpersonal characteristics of students in a middle school of a rural low-income community. The sample comprised 259 students (83 boys, 176 girlsJ-all of whom were African American-and reflected the community's public school attendance. School records were examined, and students were identified as having no offenses, minor offenses, or major offenses. More than 50% of the girls had no offenses, and fewer than 20% had major offenses. Girls identified as having no offenses tended to be competent across the academic, behavioral, and social domains, whereas girls with major offenses tended to have multiple problems. For the boys, 37% had major offenses and 34% had no offenses. Involvement in aggression appeared to be the primary factor that differentiated among boys who were and were not referred for discipline problems. The authors discuss the results in terms of their implications for assessment and prevention. • In recent years, considerable attention has been placed on school discipline problems both in the United States and internationally. Much of the literature in this area has centered on broad theoretical discussions of the causes and consequences of school discipline problems (e.g.,