The goals for public schools are to educate all students so that they may attend colleges and/or develop relevant job and citizenship skills. African American students enrolled in American public schools struggle to keep up academically, revealing a so called “achievement gap.” Consequently, many African American children are unable to realize their potential and participate as successful contributing citizens. This study examined how African American parents might engage in their children’s schooling and how schools might support this participation to better meet the needs of these students. The segregation and racism historically practiced in public schools has led to negative perceptions between educators and African American families and communities. The gap in traditional measures of academic achievement between Black and White children has been debated and analyzed by scholars, legislators, and practitioners for decades. School based issues associated with this trend are lower teacher expectations for students of color, lack of curriculum rigor, effective teacher development and training, inadequate resources, tracking of African American students into less demanding programs, a lack of appreciation for Black cultures and inappropriate/misguided school administration. This study examines African American parents’ perceptions of public education and how it impacts Black student success and offers a synopsis of significant events that may have shaped some of these perceptions. Findings include evidence that African American parents perceive that schools do not reach out to them to foster a partnership or encourage participation, but most often engage them when behavior or academic issues arise with their children. Additional areas for investigation surface by the findings include evidence that the disconnect perhaps does not come from a lack of engagement, but from a lack of active participation and partnership. Parents are left feeling as if they have no influence on school culture. Recommendations for improving school and family interactions that may improve African American student outcomes include teacher led parent-school partnerships, communication outside the classroom and school setting, and consideration for cultural differences.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Additional advisors: Aaron Kuntz, Aaron Moyana, Andrew McKnight, William Boyd Rogan. Description based on contents viewed June 5, 2009; title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 212-228).

This study examined the effectiveness of training low income Black American parents in child parent relationship therapy (CPRT). In response to the cultural values and challenges faced by low income Black American parents, the CPRT manual was adapted slightly for use with parents for this study. In this quasi-experimental design, 14 parents were assigned to the experimental group and 13 parents were assigned to the no treatment control group. Six hypotheses were analyzed. Different analyses were conducted based on the hypotheses. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were conducted to determine if the CPRT treatment and the no treatment control group performed differently across time according to pretest and posttest results of the Child Behavior Checklist - Parent Version (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Additionally, partial η2 was calculated to determine practical significance. Five hypotheses were retained at the .025 level of significance. Findings indicated that parents who participated in the CPRT training reported a statistically significant decrease in parent-child relationship stress. Specifically, parents assigned to the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in Child Domain (p < .001), Parent Domain (p < .001), and Total Stress (p < .001) of the PSI when compared to parents assigned to the no treatment control group. Similarly, results indicated that parents assigned to the experimental group reported statistically significant improvements in Total Problems (p < .01) and Externalizing Problems (p = .001) of the CBCL, when compared to parents assigned to the no treatment control group. No statistical significant results were found on Internalizing Problems.

Parental engagement with schools is often considered one of the major contributing factors to a child’s success in school. There is not, however, a definition of parental engagement that takes into account the social, historical, and cultural factors that shape a parent’s view of their own engagement. This qualitative case study examines how African American parents in a high poverty, urban, charter middle school, come to understand practices and beliefs at their child’s school, while building relationships with other parents and school staff. Through the lenses of critical race theory and cultural-historical activity theory, the researcher analyzes how the convergence of race, power, history, and culture frame perspectives of policy makers, those who work in schools, and parents. Through the voices of African American parents, in a socioeconomically disadvantaged school community, they define their own engagement.

No description available.

Abstract Domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States is a human rights issue and social problem affecting over 300,000 children ages 12-17, 43% of whom are African American girls. This survey was an exploration of domestic minor sex trafficking knowledge among African American parents and their protective strategies to prevent victimization. Ecological systems theory provided a conceptual framework to examine the environmental factors shaping parental knowledge. The sample consisted of 2 Southern California African American churches (n = 38, n = 32) that served different socioeconomic groups. The African American Sex Trafficking Knowledge survey was researcher designed and pretested by 7 police colleagues. The qualitative data analysis provided sample demographic specifics and associated themes on their knowledge and strategy. Both had basic information about minor sex trafficking, but were unaware of its presence in their communities or the availability of local resources, if needed. Parents believed their children became insulated from victimization because they engaged in protective measures. The social change implications included building and coordinating resources in African American communities with the goal of reducing the high victimization rate of African American children. African American churches as family resource centers could facilitate meaningful parent-child dialogues about sex trafficking. This partnership could initiate innovative preventive programs with community organizations. The outcome could be a model for creating effective culturally-sensitive prevention programs for not only African American families, but also other vulnerable groups.

This study explored parent perspectives about their participation in a federal TRIO pre-college program. Specifically, parents were asked to identify the program elements that encouraged and supported their participation in the college-going process of their child in a TRIO pre-college program. Forty parents of low-income, first generation TRIO students were purposefully selected for this study because they had participated in the parent component and because their child had enrolled in college within a year of high school graduation. Q methodology was used for this study because it is designed to address the subjective first person viewpoint. In this Q study, the forty parents were asked to sort 33 value statements according to what was most like their perspective and least like their perspective, with regard to the program elements that encouraged and supported their participation. The 33 statements were derived from the current research on parental involvement and a parent survey to produce the Q-sort. Parents were also asked to explain why they sorted the statements holding the highest and lowest positions, as they did. Subsequently, the parents identified five particular program elements that encouraged and supported their involvement in the college-going process. These factors were named: (a) A sense of community ”village”, (b) A sense of shared accountability and increased parental self-efficacy (c) A sense of the parent and student increasing social capital, (d) A sense of program relevance and (e) A sense of having highly committed program staff. The research findings have implications for program development, program practices, and staff training. Recommendations for future research have been included.

No description available.