The construct of educational accountability formally originated in 2001 as a means to improve education standards by holding teachers accountable for student academic progress; however, the definition of educational accountability for parents continues to be illusive. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educational accountability among single, African American mothers of high school-aged children. The research question asked about how the beliefs of educational accountability among single African American mothers related to any involvement in their children's education. Azjen's theory of planned behavior, which outlines the relation of intention to action, was the framework used to analyze the attitudes and perceived behavior control of the participants regarding parental involvement. Data collected from one-on-one interviews with 5 single African American mothers were transcribed and analyzed using manual open coding and thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that the mothers' intentions to be more involved in their children's education played a significant role in the outcome of their children's academic success, whether or not they were actively present in the school. Parental involvement may be explained by the overall socialization of children toward these intentions. It is recommended that educational institutions explore alternate options of parental involvement tailored to meet the needs of parents to be involved. This study contributes to social change by informing educators and African American families to collaborate to instill positive involvement in children's' educational planning.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, and the differences between parents who participated in Head Start parent involvement activities and parents who did not participate, as to their behaviors and attitudes concerning education, their children, their communities, and their children's academic achievement. This study analyzed existing data collected for a national parent involvement study. The sample consisted of 2,051 parent-child pairs (1,443 Head Start and 606 non-Head Start). Findings indicated a significant relationship between numerous family characteristics and parent involvement in Head Start, with variables related to a higher level of education of the mother or primary caregiver being the most dominant. Significant differences were found between the parents who participated in Head Start activities and parents who did not participate. The involved parents felt more strongly about teachers needing knowledge of their children's families, parents having knowledge worthy of sharing with their children's teachers, and parents wanting advice or input from their children's teachers. They reported a higher frequency of behaviors such as talking, reading, and playing with their children, trying to teach their children basic concepts, and having materials available for their children's use. Involved parents rated their level of participation, acceptance, and influence in their communities to be greater than did the uninvolved parents. Also, they had higher expectations concerning their children's education. The involved parents and the non-Head Start parents had heard of the resources available in their communities more than the uninvolved Head Start parents had; however, both groups of Head Start parents had used the resources more than the non-Head Start parents had. The children of the involved parents and the non-Head Start parents scored significantly higher on the Preschool Inventory than did the children of the uninvolved Head Start parents.

Il est connu que de nombreux enfants vivent la séparation conjugale de leurs parents. Suite à cette séparation, les enfants vivent majoritairement avec leur mère (parent gardien), tout en maintenant des liens avec leur père (parent non gardien). Bien que les principes de droit suggèrent que l’enfant ait le droit de préserver des liens avec chacun de ses parents à la suite de la séparation conjugale, ces liens ne sont plus assurés sur une base quotidienne et peuvent être affectés. Vivant la séparation de ses parents, l’enfant peut être exposé aux conflits parentaux puisque la séparation peut augmenter leur intensité. L’objectif de ce mémoire est de mieux comprendre la perception des parents non gardiens de leur lien avec leur enfant dans un contexte où les conflits parentaux perdurent à la suite de la séparation conjugale. Un sous-objectif est de documenter les facteurs qui influencent les liens entre les parents non gardiens et leur enfant à la suite de la séparation conjugal. Pour ce faire, des entrevues individuelles semi-directives ont été effectuées auprès de huit parents non gardiens. Une analyse de contenu thématique concernant leur perspective sur l’objet de recherche a été effectuée. Selon la perspective des parents non gardiens, les résultats montrent que la qualité de la relation entre eux et leur enfant se maintient positivement. Le facteur le plus prédominant est les conflits parentaux post-séparation. Il en ressort qu’ils alimentent d’autres facteurs, tels que les modalités de garde d’enfant et droits d’accès, la fréquence de contacts entre les parents non gardiens et leur enfant, les comportements des enfants à l’égard de leur parent non gardien, l’engagement parental des parents non gardiens ainsi que la relation parentale post-séparation. / It is known that many children are living with parents who are conjugally separated. With this in mind, following the separation the children mostly live with their mother (resident parent), while maintaining contact with their father (non-resident parent). Although the principles of law suggest that the child has the right to maintain ties with both parents after marital separation, these visits are not always done on a daily basis and the qyality of their relationship can be affected. Living the separation of his parents, the child may be exposed to parental conflict because the separation can increase their intensity. The objective of this thesis is to better understand the perception of the non-resident parents and their relationship with their child in a context where parental conflict persists after marital separation. A fundamental objective is to document the factors that influence the relationship between non-resident parents and their children after the marital separation. In order to achieve these objectives, eight non-resident parents were interviewed using individual, semi-directive interview techniques. An analysis of the thematic content pertaining to their perspective on this research subject was then conducted. From the perspective of the non-resident parents, the results have shown that the quality of the relationship between them and their child remains positive. The most dominant factor is post-separation parental conflict. It appears they feed on other factors such as, child care arrangements and access rights. Also, the frequency of visits between the non-resident parents and their child, the child's attitude towards their non-resident parent, the parental involvement of non-resident parents and the parental relationship post-separation, all have an impact.