ERIC Number: ED646212
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 146
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8027-5191-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Black Parent Advocacy and Educational Success: Lessons Learned on the Use of Voice and Engagement
Mark Allen McMillian
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Antioch University
"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 was to explore how Black parents developed and used their voice to advocate for their children in a predominantly White educational system with a history of racially disparate outcomes. Particularly, this study drew on the experiences of 15 participants, two men -- one was a grandfather -- and 13 women, whose children had successful outcomes in graduating from high school and going on to post-secondary education. The findings reflect Black parents' understanding of the need to advocate to support their child's success in getting through school: all related incidents of discrimination where they needed to speak up on behalf of their child in response to inequitable treatment within the educational system including in the classroom, participating in extracurricular activities, and in access to resources. Parents facilitated their use of voice on behalf of their children by cultivating engagement with the school, getting to know teachers and administrators, and being involved in their children's activities, making sure they were seen to make sure they would be heard when needed. Most parents in the study recalled role models in their own families as inspirations for their sense of voice in countering experiences of racism. These participants urged other Black parents to be involved and speak up for their children, and to connect with and draw on the social support of other Black parents of children in school. These findings suggest that as we continue to work to address systemic racism disadvantaging the most vulnerable of our community, our children, parental voice by individuals and within the Black community contributes to getting heard at the educational decision-making table and producing positive educational outcomes for these students. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu/). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: African American Family, Parents, Parent Attitudes, Child Advocacy, Educational Environment, Family School Relationship, Parent Participation, Social Support Groups, Academic Achievement
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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