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Managing to Make It

Urban Families and Adolescent Success

One of the myths about families in inner-city neighborhoods is that they are characterized by poor parenting. Sociologist Frank Furstenberg and his colleagues explode this and other misconceptions about success, parenting, and socioeconomic advantage in Managing to Make It. This unique study—the first in the MacArthur Foundation Studies on Successful Adolescent Development series—focuses on how and why youth are able to overcome social disadvantages.
Based on nearly 500 interviews and case studies of families in inner-city Philadelphia, Managing to Make It lays out in detail the creative means parents use to manage risks and opportunities in their communities. More importantly, it also depicts the strategies parents develop to steer their children away from risk and toward resources that foster positive development and lead to success.

"Indispensible to anyone concerned about breaking the cycle of poverty and helplessness among at-risk adolescents, this book has a readable, graphic style easily grasped by those unfamiliar with statistical techniques." —Library Journal

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Part One: The Theory and Research Design
1. Parenting in the Inner City
The Problem
2. The Philadelphia Study
Part Two: The Findings
3. How They Fared
Measuring Adolescent Success
4. How Parents Manage Risk and Opportunity
5. Parenting Matters
6. Family Influences and Adolescents’ Lives
7. How Do Neighborhoods Matter?
8. Adolescent Competence and the Effects of Cumulative Risk Factors
9. Looking Ahead: Patterns of Success in Late Adolescence
10. Managing for Success: Lessons from the Study
Appendix
Notes
References
Index

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