ABSTRACT
In the years since Bronfenbrenner (1977, 1986) outlined his ecological model, researchers have been increasingly encouraged to view development in context. Children live through and develop in multiple contexts, Bronfenbrenner argued, each with the potential to independently or in interaction with other contexts, influence the ways in which development occurs. As places where American children spend most of their out of home time, neighborhoods and schools are two of the most important contexts for children (Duncan & Raudenbush, 1999) and thus are logical places to examine how contexts affect individual child development.
