Promoting Father Engagement in Schools: A Community-Based Initiative

• In Event: Representing Black Student and Family Voices in Family, School, Community Partnerships

Abstract

This community-based participatory project explored levels of father-friendliness across local organizations and schools in a small urban community. Survey results indicated that K-12 schools reported the lowest levels of father-friendliness in the community as compared to other sectors. In response to these findings, a local fatherhood coalition created a professional development video for local schools, which incorporated the interviews of five racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse fathers. This qualitative paper explores the interview data of those fathers, in combination with survey feedback from K-12 educators (N=24) to determine ways that schools can better understand and support father engagement in their districts. In addition to findings, this paper offers guidance for engaging in community-based research and bringing about change for fathers.

Author

• Kyle Elizabeth Miller, Illinois State University