Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Mothers’ Desires for and Engagement in their Children's Education (Poster 2)

• In Event: Friday Poster Session 4:55
  In Invited Poster Session: 2024 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

Numerous studies point to linkages between parents' and caregivers' aspirations and a student's academic performance, highlighting the importance of understanding these aspirations. Research also points to the influential role that parental engagement can play in children’s education. Yet there is a lack of knowledge about the desires that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) parents have for their children's education beyond a narrow focus on schooling and
academic achievement. Similarly, research on parent involvement is often school-centric,
focusing on the ways in which parents can take action within school settings and follow the ways
in which teachers want involvement. Using a broad lens to understand parents' aspirations and
engagement is essential, as it may reveal more culturally relevant aspirations and forms of
engagement that exist outside of formal school walls. This study examines BIPOC mothers'
desires for their children's education, learning, or development during their PreK-12 education
and how they engage in and support their education based on these desires. The data for this
project is a subset of a more extensive qualitative study of educational support for BIPOC
mothers during the 2020-2021 school year. This paper explicitly analyzes semi-structured
interviews with 15 mothers of children enrolled in a midwestern school district marked by racial
opportunity gaps. The research findings show that BIPOC mothers maintained strong desires for
their children to have good formal education opportunities as well as desires for their children to learn beyond the school's curriculum in ways that develop their children holistically. In addition, the findings show that BIPOC mothers engaged in a variety of ways that were family and
community-driven, rather than school-centric. These findings illuminate the importance of
understanding broad parental desires and forms of engagement, and can inform family-school
relationships and policies.

Author

• Liliana Chavez, University of Wisconsin - Madison