Parental agency: Stories from parents on the influence of their voice in a suburban school district

Parental involvement at the high school level has been shown to positively impact academic achievement, but due to systemic exclusion and bias, parents of color do not report the same level of comfort and belonging in American school systems as their White counterparts. Parents who are not knowledgeable about or comfortable in the culture of school miss opportunities to advocate for and support their children. By employing qualitative methods in order to amplify the voices of parents sharing their experiences and beliefs, this study highlights the impact that parent peer groups, past experiences, and the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the parents of high school students in a suburban, midwestern city. Research grounded in critical theory highlights the complex factors, parental experiences, and perceived agency that are essential for social change; recommendations for initiatives and professional development are outlined based on the findings of this study.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Ludwick-Solodky, Erin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hood, Denice
• Pak, Yoon
• Mason, Curtis
• Kang, Hyun-Sook

• High School
• Parent Involvement
• COVID-19

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Erin Ludwick-Solodky

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115525

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115525