Walk It Like You Talk It, Equitable Collaborations: Evaluating Race and Class-Conscious Parent Engagement

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Educator-Parent Engagement: Exploring Educational Outcomes (Table 11)

Abstract

The Parent Mentor program borne of a collaboration between a Black-led community organization, University Professors, and the school district's leadership determined to walk the talk in support of racial equity in schools highlights the potential for systemic change when the needs of racialized families, community goals, and district leadership work together to prioritize inclusivity and equity. This study demonstrates that the integration of Parent Mentors into school systems positively impacts student outcomes, teacher quality, family engagement, and school improvement. The Parent mentors exist in spaces like their children where they experience racialized exclusion and are often treated as problems (Cooper,2009), yet they foster a positive school climate, supporting individualized student needs and building strong family-school ties.

Authors

• Denise G. Yull, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Tonia Thompson, Binghamton City School District

• Marguerite A. Wilson, Binghamton University - SUNY