Reimagining Parent and Family Engagement for African American Children and their Families
Achievement gaps and mental health disparities for Black children have been written about extensively and still persist. Closure of these gaps have moved at a glacial pace. These disparities have significant implications for one's sense of agency. Black family voice has remained underutilized. Because of this untapped potential, it may be, that the pathway for more equitable outcomes have not been fully understood. Parent and family engagement is associated with positive outcomes, yet, gaps remain in realizing its full impact. Social work is also uniquely positioned to spearhead efforts to address educational concerns and scholars have begun to call upon the field to break its silence around issues of education justice. Additionally, parent engagement plays a significant role in funding and legislation as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 made provisions for parent and family engagement. Thus, this 3-paper dissertation explores engagement and its relationship to academic achievement and social-emotional learning through a mixed methods study along with a new proposed model for school-family partnerships with Black families. Implications for research, practice and policy are discussed.
academic achievement;African American families;education debt;K-12 education;parent engagement;social-emotional learning, Education
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations