This research was a three-article dissertation with two integrative literature reviews and one case study that examines the perception of career and technical education (CTE) among Black American communities with an in-depth look at the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois. There is a tremendous skills gap in the nation and an…

According to the US Census data (2023), since the COVID-19 pandemic, more families are choosing to homeschool their children, the rate of white homeschooled children increased from 5.7% in the spring of 2020 to 9.7% in the fall of 2020. For Asian children, homeschooling rates increased from 4.9% to 8.8% during this same time. There was an overall…

"The opportunity is there, this is what I think of when I think of role models, I think of my experience" (Anthony -- a participant in this study -- commenting on the effectiveness of advocating for his child). Black children encounter racism in American schools and parents need to advocate for them. The purpose of this qualitative study…

Family engagement is rapidly shifting from a low-priority recommendation to an integral part of education reform. Research demonstrates evidence that family engagement positively impacts student outcomes, including grades, course rigor, test scores, social skills, and behavior. There is also a consistent relationship between family engagement and…

The problem that was addressed through this study was the decline in home-to-school partnerships within a local, public, and ethnically diverse middle school (DMS) in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents' perspectives on the decline in home-to-school partnerships at a DMS. Using Epstein's six…

Using a critical phenomenological methodology (Salamon, 2018; van Manen, 1990), this study aims to better understand how Black families' perceptions of place shape their physical movement in pursuit of quality schools and educational opportunity in Metro Detroit. By perceptions of place, I refer to the ways in which families think about, feel…

The purpose of this generic quality study was to explore African American parents' experiences of mental health support after their child was diagnosed with ADHD. Mental health support can help parents navigate their environment to better aid their children in coping with their ADHD diagnosis. Due to the dearth of literature relating to African…

Legislation outlined in ESSA (2018) pushes schools to address the needs of the diverse populations within the school community as well creating a place for equitable family engagement. This study focuses on the family rather than the parent. Due to changes in family dynamics it is necessary to incorporate not just the parent but all members of a…

The general problem for this study was that African American families are less involved in their child's education compared to their Caucasian counterparts, and when parents are not involved in their child's K-12 schooling experience, students may struggle academically, emotionally, and behaviorally. As a result, teachers often interact…

This dissertation explores everyday interactions and opportunities for teachers and families to collaborate in spite of forces that often put Black families and schools at odds in one predominantly Black elementary school. I examine interactions among Black families and teachers to consider how organizational norms, values, and routines influence…

Federal law stresses shared accountability between schools and parents for high student achievement. Yet, there is minimal regulation regarding what parental engagement programs must actually look like. As a result many school districts fail to consider nontraditional constructs of parental engagement that honor the available cultural capital,…

The purpose of this study was to explore the tenacities, practices, and discourse of family-based literacy practices and their connection in African American families. It scrutinized the influence of the practices of African American families on the multiple contexts of literacy practices in their passageway across the school-community periphery.…

From 1959 to 1964, approximately 1,700 Black children in Prince Edward County, Virginia were denied schooling, due to the county leaders' decision to close schools--a defiant response to federal racial desegregation mandates stemming from "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954, 1955). Yet from one of the most extreme cases of injustice in…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a critical content analysis of the African American characters found in Newbery Medal award winning books recognized between the years of 1991 and 2011. The John Newbery Medal is a highly regarded award in the United States for children's literature and esteemed worldwide. Children's and adolescents' books…

Academic achievement gaps for African American children have been associated with disparities in early cognitive development, inequitable access to high-quality education, and father absence, often resulting in lower rates of graduation. Examining ways that may mitigate this problem is important to families and educators. The purpose of this…