Both programs are concerned with preventing youth involvement in gangs and criminal activity. Each counselor in the RAI establishes a caseload of 55 to 60 students who usually have an absentee rate between 15 and 20 percent. Counselors monitor daily attendance, make home visits when a child is absent from school, and serve as advocates for both children and parents to improve communication and understanding between home and school. They see children on an individual basis as needed, and children participate in a weekly counseling group where they learn to express their feelings in a safe, nonthreatening atmosphere. The RAI demonstrates why children often have difficulty attending school and why their behavior is not always acceptable in that children provide details about their home environment that concern violence, drugs, and gangs. Using a student workbook and a leader's guide containing detailed lesson plans, the CHOICES program teaches children how to build self-esteem by the choices they make and how to develop decision-making skills and deal with conflict. The CHOICES program also encourages parent involvement and has been pilot tested in an Illinois elementary school. Results of pilot testing indicate gang prevention needs to be a cooperative effort involving schools, families, religious communities, businesses, and community agencies. 1 endnote