LANGLEY PARK, Md.  Class at the youth center had just let out, and a gaggle of teenagers moved toward the door, turning saggy pants and ring tones thrumming with reggaetón hits into adolescent statements of Latino cool.

Some had rap sheets, and some had babies. Some had gang tattoos. Most had immigrant parents with menial jobs who survived on sweat and worry. They were children of the Washington suburbs, but the poverty and violence around them rivaled that of urban cores. Jesselyn Bercian paused to rub the belly of a pregnant staff member.

“I’m not very happy with my job right now,” Jesselyn told her.

An American-born daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, Jesselyn was 19 years old with a smooth face and a friendly air; her MySpace name was Gigglez. But she had an eighth-grade education, a gang history and an ex-boyfriend in prison for murder. Off the streets though not free of them, she was studying for a high school equivalency diploma and working at the mall.

“My boss is always complaining about me,” she said.

The staff member, Nancy Morning, recognized the affliction: teenager with attitude. “You’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing,” she said.