Black in the 'Burbs: Parents, Community, and Schooling in a Predominantly Black Suburb

• In Event: 81.032 - MTCC Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: 81.032-3 - Interrogating Suburban Schools: Race, Class, and Opportunity in the Suburbs

Abstract

Objectives
Understanding the school and community experiences of Black parents in suburbia is timely and important, especially now that more African Americans live in the suburbs than in the largest U.S. metropolitan regions (Frey, 2015). Opportunity gaps exist in predominantly white suburban districts, and both working- and middle-class Black students and families confront racial microaggressions and exclusion (Allen, 2013; Lewis-McCoy, 2014). While education research has begun to explore the experiences of Black families in well-resourced, predominantly White school districts, we know little about why and how Black parents pursue the “suburban dream” in predominantly Black suburban districts. This paper examines the educational engagement and experiences of a socioeconomically mixed sample of black mothers and fathers in a predominantly black suburb. The research asks: (1) What led parents/caregivers to reside in the suburb and send their children to its schools? (2) What are parents’ experiences with the local schools, and how do race, social class, and gender shape their individual and collective engagement?

Theoretical Framework & Methods
The research is informed by ecological studies that embed family-school relationships within broader social contexts, treating parent engagement as a dynamic process (Calabrese Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, & George, 2004). I explore the intersections of parents’ actions to influence their children’s education, parents’ relationships with others, and the particular contexts in which they operate. In order to interrogate the intersections of race, class, and gender, I also draw from intersectionality theory (Collins 1999).

The research findings are based upon a subset of data from a larger comparative case study of black parent experiences and engagement in suburban school districts and communities. For this paper I draw from: 1) semi-structured interviews with 29 Black parents of children in grades K–8 in a predominantly black, middle-class suburb of a large Midwestern city; 2) field notes from district-wide parent meetings and workshops; and 3) an analysis of school district and community documents related to demographic changes, academics, and family engagement.

Conclusions & Significance
Preliminary analysis indicates that parents were attracted to the suburb based upon its affordability and what they perceived as better schooling options and safer neighborhoods relative to the city of Chicago. Most parents were satisfied overall with the education their child was receiving, and very few voiced concerns about racism or microagressions in schools. Yet many middle-class parents expressed their frustrations with the loss of retail in the suburb, high property taxes, and the structural disinvestment in their community that coincided with the growth of Black residents. Parents engaged in their children’s education in an effort to preserve their child’s class status and/or promote their social mobility, as well as to ensure that high-quality schooling remained an amenity of the suburb. The research adds to the parent involvement literature by illuminating the heterogeneity of Black families and how class, gender, and specific racial contexts shape their educational engagement strategies.

Author

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