Impacts of COVID on home insecure Black mothers: Education challenges and strategies to move forward

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Research in Precarious Times

Abstract

This qualitative longitudinal panel study examines how Black home insecure mothers navigated their children’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through interviews conducted for six months, and analyzed through an intersectionality framework (Crenshaw, 1991) participants shared experiences shaped by intersecting challenges: adapting to remote schooling, managing caregiving expectations, and limited social support. Despite these barriers, mothers identified critical supports, including school-based resources, external aid, and financial stability. Findings reveal that many of these challenges predated the pandemic and continue to persist. Centering the voices of Black mothers, this study underscores the importance of equitable school-family partnerships to improve educational access, strengthen social capital, and support long-term family well-being well beyond a pandemic and politics.

Authors

• Margarita Daza Murcia, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Tehia Starker Glass, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Kendra Jason, University of North Carolina - Charlotte