African-American Parents' Knowledge and Perceptions About BMI Measurements, School-Based BMI Screening Programs, and BMI Report Cards: Results from a Qualitative Investigation and Implications for School-to-Parent Communication

Research on parental educational involvement has been organized into three overarching domains—home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and academic socialization. Conventional empirical work in these domains typically centers involvement strategies around White, middle-class experiences rather than examining how optimal parenting approaches vary by race and context. Even fewer studies have explored the manifestations of involvement across these categories in underresourced urban educational settings. In response, the current study draws on the voices of African American parents and their children attending urban public schools to describe the distinct approaches to home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and academic socialization that parents use to ensure a quality education for their children. Findings demonstrate how African American parents engage in racially infused and contextually tailored navigational involvement approaches as they seek to offset the effects of inhibiting educational contexts. Results add ecological nuance and new typologies to how parental involvement in education is conceptualized across the settings.

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Fortifying Parent Partnerships Through the Black Church Space

Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership - Social Justice and Parent Partnerships in Multicultural Education Contexts ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3943-8.ch007 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 118-137

Author(s):

Libra N. Boyd

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Black Church ◽

African American Parents ◽

Technology Access ◽

School Based ◽

The Social ◽

Parent Partnerships ◽

Successful School ◽

Collaborative Activities ◽

Community Space

This chapter examines the Black Church as a community space for African American families to engage in collaborative activities with schools. The author explores why the Black Church functions as a desirable space for collaborations between schools and African American parents, as well as how schools can make greater use of church space to strengthen their parent partnerships. The author identifies several barriers to successful school-based partnerships including parent work schedules, socioeconomic status, mistrust of mainstream education, busyness of school staff, limited technology access and proficiency, and lack of culturally relevant experiences. The author offers recommendations for expanding outreach efforts with approaches that lean on the social and cultural relevance of the Black Church as well as some of its resources.

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A School-Based Support Group for Urban African American Parents

Children & Schools ◽

10.1093/cs/15.3.133 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 133-139

Author(s):

Geoffrey L. Greif

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Support Group ◽

African American Parents ◽

School Based

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Understanding Parents’ Perceptions of School-Based BMI Screening and BMI Report Cards Using Perceptual Mapping: Implications for School Nurses

The Journal of School Nursing ◽

10.1177/1059840518789243 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 144-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dominique G. Ruggieri ◽

Sarah Bauerle Bass ◽

Mohammed Alhajji ◽

Thomas F. Gordon

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

School Nurses ◽

Report Card ◽

Report Cards ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Screening Programs ◽

Perceptual Mapping ◽

School Based ◽

Parent Response ◽

Vector Modeling

Half of U.S. states measure students’ body mass index (BMI), with many communicating that information to parents through a “BMI report card” or notification letter. School nurses are usually responsible for implementing these programs and communicating results to parents. The purpose of this study was to understand parents’ perceptions of BMI screening programs to help inform school nurses about messages that are most helpful to use in report cards to motivate parents to follow-up with a health-care provider or to make behavioral changes for their child. Using a cluster analysis and perceptual mapping methods, a commercial marketing technique that creates three-dimensional graphic maps, we identified four unique clusters of parents based on their core attitudes and beliefs related to BMI screenings and report cards. Based on vector modeling techniques, key message strategies were developed that can be used by school nurses to enhance parent response to a BMI report card.

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BMI Health Report Cards: Parents’ Perceptions and Reactions

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839917749489 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 896-904 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marla Jones ◽

Cassie Huffer ◽

Tom Adams ◽

Logan Jones ◽

Bryan Church

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Report Cards ◽

Physical Educators ◽

Limited Information ◽

Obesity Epidemic ◽

Screening Programs ◽

School Based ◽

Health Report ◽

Diet And Exercise

In 2003, Arkansas became the first state to require body mass index (BMI) testing in public schools to raise awareness of the growing obesity epidemic among children and adolescents. Limited information exists regarding the effectiveness of school-based BMI screening programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if BMI health report cards affected parents’ knowledge or actions regarding their child’s health and to determine the accuracy of parents’ perceptions of their child as underweight, normal weight, or overweight according to their child’s BMI. A questionnaire was developed with the help of physical educators, pediatricians, and exercise scientists to determine parents’ perceptions and behaviors regarding BMI report cards. The questionnaire was distributed to parents/guardians of children who sought medical care at two pediatrician’s offices in Arkansas. Based on responses to survey questions, parents are not making changes to their child’s diet and exercise habits if their child is classified as “at risk” or “overweight.” However, parents did report that BMI health report cards are influencing their knowledge about their child’s health. The majority of parents in the study (approximately 66%) did not accurately perceive their child’s BMI category.

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