ࡗ In the Mix, Yet on the Margins: The Place of Families in Urban Neighborhood and Child Development ResearchIn the 1990s, the most popular theoretical and empirical research issue concerning the local ecologies of families focused on the impact of family structures (e.g., household composition) and processes (e.g., child management strategies) on the relationship between urban neighborhoods and child and adolescent development. In this article, we synthesize and critically examine the decade's prevailing literature on the topic, organizing this review into three areas: (a) the research designs of quantitative and ethnographic studies of urban neighborhoods, families, and child outcomes; (b) the conceptual approaches used in these studies; and (c) the role of structural and behavioral features of family and parenting as factors that influence the relationship between urban neighborhoods and child development in ethnically and racially diverse populations. Results suggest that although family has been center stage in the neighborhood effects research question of

The primary goal of this article is to discuss the family experiences of socially mobile adolescents in poor African American neighborhoods. Based on a review of existing qualitative studies, these data identify and describe an array of family strategies that buffer adolescents from the risks of growing up in poverty. These observations expand on quantitative studies that limit their discussions to a small number of parenting behaviors. The secondary goal of the article is to use the qualitativefindings to inform youth-serving programs. Grounded in the real-life experiences of families and their children, such programs can use qualitative data to maximize positive developmental outcomes for poor African American youth. Program proposals are suggested that demonstrate how scholarly research can be usedfor applied purposes.

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Impoverished inner-city neighborhoods in the United States are threatening contexts for the development of youngsters during middle childhood and adolescence. Nevertheless, some African-American families living in such neighborhoods succeed in protecting their children from the risks of "the streets" and launch them on paths toward achievement. Using quotes and ethnographic material from many studies, this article illustrates some of the parenting strategies that help inner-city African-American youths to overcome risks and achieve success.