The problem researched in this study is that many African American secondary students are not reading as proficient as their peers. In addition, parental involvement in secondary education is significantly less than during their elementary school years. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative phenomenological study was to explore parents' or guardians' perception of African American secondary students' reading proficiency and their beliefs about literacy as they related to the school-family partnership. This study gathered data from recorded and transcribed telephone interviews with nine volunteer parents who agreed to participate in the study in Dallas, Texas. The participants were interviewed using six open-ended questions. Throughout this study, data were collected and analyzed using NVivo9® research software to help determine the different themes. Six common themes related to the perceptions of African American parents and how perceptions influenced their opinions and beliefs became clear through phenomenological and analysis of the data. This study provided insight into parent's opinions and beliefs about reading literacy and how their involvement with their child in reading has shifted. This study helped address the needs of all secondary parents in helping their students decrease reading gaps. Results may prove useful for leaders and parents with a chance to improve the communication gaps. In summary, the study concludes with recommendations for future leaders and with suggestions for further research. [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.]