A Love Letter From Black Parents to Our Children's Teachers

• In Event: 28.089 - MTCC Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 28.089-9 - The Work of Black Parents in Black Children's Learning and Development

Abstract

This paper centers the often-neglected voices of Black parents by soliciting their insights about productive parent-teacher collaboration to support improved student outcomes. Rooted in critical race theory as applied in education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), this research privileges Black parents’ perspectives and lived experiences based on ways that they have collaborated with their children’s teachers over the years. By illuminating Black parents’ rarely-sought insights, these findings contribute to an important nationwide conversation pertaining to effectively educating Black youth. Data for this study were derived from individual interviews, informal conversations, home visits, and focus group discussions with parents that I collaborated with in serving the students enrolled in my 6th grade class during a three-year period.

Author

• BernNadette Thokozile Best-Green, University of California - Davis