Before and after School Desegregation: African-American Parents' Involvement in Schools

A longitudinal, 3-year study investigated the participation of African-American parents of 24 preschoolers in special education programs in a large urban school district. Data were collected through ethnographic interviews with parents and professionals, observations of conferences, and examination of students' documents. Despite current perceptions of low levels of participation by African-American parents, the data show consistent initial efforts by families to support their children's schooling, eventually giving way to disillusionment with the separations created by special education placements and the lack of avenues for parental influence. The article explores ways for professionals to move from preoccupation with compliance to true communication.

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Socioeconomic and Institutional Factors that Facilitate and Prevent Low-Income African American Parents' Involvement in a Children's Savings Program

Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work ◽

10.1080/15313204.2011.594991 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 167-184

Author(s):

Toni Johnson

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Low Income ◽

Institutional Factors ◽

African American Parents ◽

Parents Involvement

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Engaging African American parents: insights from a cultural arts after school program

Journal for Multicultural Education ◽

10.1108/jme-08-2020-0083 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Brenda Brand ◽

Mary Alice Barksdale ◽

Tamara Wallace ◽

Yolanda Latrice Avent

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Comparative Method ◽

Research Question ◽

After School ◽

African American Parents ◽

Content Type ◽

Academic Challenges ◽

Exploratory Case Study ◽

Field Notes

Purpose Literature indicates African American parents can feel real or perceived discrimination that strains their interactions with teachers, resulting in them feeling alienated from their children’s school. Design/methodology/approach This is an exploratory case study of two African American parents, who although guarded in their relationships with teachers, exposed their vulnerabilities to Project ESTEEM faculty as they requested support in resolving behavioral and academic challenges with their children. It is an exploratory case study in that the field notes were taken prior to defining the research question, positioning it as research that sets the stage for a future more comprehensive study. The researchers, as participant observers recorded field notes of events and interactions that occurred. The research question was, “What were the factors that influenced the relationships between the Project ESTEEM faculty and African American Parents? The subquestions were “What were the distinctions of alienation that challenged the parents’ relationships in the schools? and "How were the factors that challenged the parents’ relationships with teachers mitigated in Project ESTEEM faculty’s relationships with the parents?” A constant comparative method was used beginning with open coding, followed by identifying patterns, themes and subthemes reflecting the specific needs of the parents in relationship to the overall theme. Findings The stories highlight sociocultural contexts influencing the alienation of some African American parents in their children’s education through an analysis of the relationships fostered with Project ESTEEM faculty. Research limitations/implications This case study reports the experiences of two parents from one community and school, participating in a specialized program. Originality/value The significance resides in the representation of alternate viewpoints in understanding the alienation experiences of African American parents from schools.

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APA Journals Article Spotlight: Perceived Underemployment Among African American Parents: What Are the Implications for Couples' Relationships?

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e500892020-001 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

African American Parents

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Racial Identity Beliefs of African American Parents: A Qualitative Approach

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e664732012-001 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Allana Zuckerman ◽

Dominique Thomas ◽

Ciara P. Smalls

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Racial Identity ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

African American Parents

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Achieving Social Mobility Through Education: An Ethnographic Study of African American Parents

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e665292012-001 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Ashland Thompson ◽

Sherry C. Eaton ◽

Linda M. Burton ◽

Whitney Welsh ◽

Jonathan Livingston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Social Mobility ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

African American Parents

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Nuanced and Dissenting Voices

10.1093/oso/9780199959723.003.0004 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Peggy J. Miller ◽

Grace E. Cho

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Working Class ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Self Esteem ◽

The Self ◽

African American Parents ◽

Dominant Discourse ◽

Social Positioning ◽

Conservative Christian ◽

Bakhtinian Theory

Chapter 4, “Nuanced and Dissenting Voices,” examines the nuances diverse parents brought to their understandings of childrearing and self-esteem. Framed within Bakhtinian theory, this chapter gives voice to African American parents, working-class parents, conservative Christian parents, and mothers, particularly women who had experienced low self-esteem. These parents endorsed self-esteem, but refracted the language of the self-esteem imaginary in ways that made sense, given their diverse values and ideological commitments, social positioning, and idiosyncratic experiences. This chapter also describes the perspectives of two groups from the larger study who challenged key elements of the dominant discourse: grandmothers of Centerville children who raised their children in an earlier era, and Taiwanese parents who grew up in a different cultural context but were temporarily residing and raising their children in Centerville. These two groups of dissenters underscore again the book’s theme that self-esteem is rooted in time and place.

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