In Search of Opportunity: The Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender in Suburban Black Parents' Family–School Relationships

• In Event: 72.026 - Decentering Parental Involvement: Critical Examinations of Race, Class, Gender, and Immigration in U.S. Home–School Relationships

Abstract

Over the last decade many blacks have left cities in search of better employment, housing, and educational opportunities for themselves and their families. Although a growing body of literature examines the experiences of black suburban students (Diamond, 2006; Frankenberg & Orfield, 2012), there is little knowledge of how black mothers and fathers understand and work to address educational disparities in these settings. Instead, the research on black parents’ educational engagement is largely focused on low-income mothers in urban areas. Additionally, few studies have examined the intersection of social class and gender in suburban black parents’ experiences with the local schools. This study examines the family-school relationships of black parents in a demographically-shifting (but predominantly white) suburb. Specifically, the research investigates: How do black mothers and fathers understand and experience family-school relations and community life within the suburban context? How do parents engage in their children’s education, and in what ways do social class and gender (of both parents and children) shape parents’ experiences and actions?
The research is informed by ecological studies of parent engagement that treat parental engagement as a dynamic process that includes the activities that parents engage in, as well as their relationships with others, the resources at their disposal, and the histories associated with particular contexts (Calabrese Barton et al., 2004). The paper draws from interviews with a socioeconomically mixed sample of 56 black parents (14 male, 42 female) of children in grades K–7, as well as participant observation in district-wide African American Parent Organization (AAPO) and school board meetings. The research also includes analysis of relevant district and AAPO documents, census, and demographic data.
Preliminary analysis indicates that most parents valued the resources and opportunities they felt the suburban district and community context provided for their children, particularly when compared to more urban areas. Yet parents’ goals for their children’s education were not fully realized, as families faced low teacher expectations, negative assumptions about black family life and childrearing, and few black teachers in district schools. Parents—across social class—were concerned with school disciplinary practices and low teacher expectations for their boys in particular, whereas parents’ concerns about their girls’ education focused on issues of self-esteem and peer relationships. Almost all parents shared their experiences with racial microagressions in school and community spaces, yet these microaggressions (and parents’ responses to them) were classed and gendered. Although parents’ social class shaped their individual engagement strategies and experiences in the suburb, the district-wide AAPO was an arena through which parents worked collectively across class to advocate for black children in the district.
The research identifies the opportunities and barriers black parents face in their efforts to support their children’s education in a predominantly white school and district context. The research also interrogates monolithic conceptions of black parents by exploring the heterogeneity of their life contexts and experiences, especially based on social class and gender.

Author

• Linn E. Posey-Maddox, University of Wisconsin - Madison