Youth's Passage Through School to Work by Stewart Crysdale and H a r r y M a c K a y Toronto: T h o m p s o n Educational Publishing, 1994, 132 pages

Youth's Passage through School to Work adds to the literature of the field in several ways. First it provides additional evidence supporting the theory that appropriate, active intervention in the process of transition from school to work has a positive impact upon the success of young people over time. Second, where the frame of reference for many studying school-to-work transition includes only the impact of schools and work, this study recognizes a third major socialization agent - - the family - - and brings the impact of the interplay among these institutions into the school-to-work dialogue. Third, through the inclusion of the broad concept of family, the presence of cultural activities, recreation, and a drop-in center as part of the intervention and inclusion of variables such as an assessment of self concept, the study contributes to the literature on career development and adds further evidence supporting the complex nature of the career development process. The authors of this longitudinal study are to be commended for pursuing such a complex and rich design and for their persistence in following the cohorts of young men and women over an 11 year period as they moved from early adolescence through their first formal encounters with education and work. Both the education and employment communities have long ignored the need for rigorous research on the nature of transition, how that transition is experienced, and the effects of interventions. Therefore, finding support and encouragement for this type of research is still relatively rare and school-to-work transition research of this scale, depth, and length is relatively unique. As we begin large-scale implementation of school-to-work systems, a grounding in past research and a commitment to studying the change we make will become increasingly important in creating and refining interventions to have lasting results. This study provides an excellent reference for those involved in designing and implementing mechanismsto ease the transition from school to work. As a result of the authors' commitment to long-term data gathering, Youth's Passage offers an unusual opportunity to take an authentic look at a number of individual and structural correlates of success in early Interchange, Vol. 26/2, 215-217, 1995. 9 Academic Publishers. Printed in the Nether/ands.

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experiences of youth in transition to work. Quantitative analyses are enhanced by interview snapshots that capture the thinking and decisionmaking processes of the young men and women from Downtown. Together, these two types of data explain what has influenced the circumstances, hopes, fears, expectations, values, and choices they have made on their journey - - and what factors seem to enhance their progress or increase their propensity to drop out. Using a broad mix of variables, the authors do a fine job of laying out the assumptions and framework of the study. These include, for example, the dynamic interplay and discordance between socializing agents (family, school, employment) based on conflicting goals and procedures and the tension between individual fights and institutional prerogatives. They share some surprises and also confirm a number of existing theories about who and what can make a difference in the lives of these young people. With the exception of a few generalizations that do not seem to be supported by the data, the authors have presented a thorough and thoughtful presentation of their complex findings. A solid comparison of the working class experimental and control groups from "downtown," and their "uptown" middle class peers poses interesting views of how values and belief systems of students from different backgrounds are shaped, what they share, and how subsets (by gender, ethnic group, parental influence, and intensity of the intervention, for example) are unique in their view of the world. The analysis spells out what factors (e.g., tracking, early high school performance, family income, expectations) are or are not influential in student success. Especially interesting is a discussion of how value systems and social structures seem to mold individual responses to transitional pressures and how these responses in turn affect both educational and occupational attainment. The analysis provides important clues about how cross-cutting ideological currents (political, humanitarian, practical, religious) guide lives and decisions. The presentation of the study would have been improved if the authors had captured a whole case study of one or two of the participants and threaded this case study throughout the book. The eloquent voices of these adolescents and young adults reflect views about life and work that run deep. They make the case for more and better quality education, high standards, and increased exposure to real work experiences. Unfortunately, the brief vignettes are sometimes fractured and fail to capture the power, continuity, and depth of understanding that this study worked so hard to

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produce. Having one or two case studies would have pulled together the findings and recommendations into one lasting picture. The analysis would have been strengthened if the reader had been presented with more detailed information about the nature of the intervention and how it was experienced by those who designed and provided the services to the experimental group. Results on the impact of interventions and suggestions for what works and what doesn't is increasingly being requested by practitioners and policymakers implementing school-to-work. Going into more detail on the lessons learned in how to structure an intervention would have spoken directly to current concerns in the field. The final missing piece is the perspective and views of the employers who hired these young people. Hearing the voices of the employers would provide the reader with an understanding of the economic base of the community, illuminate what employers want and how they feel, and round out the story of transition that is told by longitudinal follow-up. Overall, Youth's Passage provides solid ideas and strong recommendations that can be used by practitioners and policymakers to build high quality systems for school to work transition. Crysdale and MacKay's analysis also stimulates and provokes excellent questions for further areas of inquiry. It deepens our understanding of what the transition process means and helps us grapple more effectively with ways to make it better for all students.

Reviewed by Vivian Guilfoy Joyce Malyn-Smith Cathleen Corbitt Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. 55 Chapel Street Newton, Massachusetts 02160 U.S.A.