Reimagining Education: Learning From BIPOC Mothers' Experiences and Engagement During the Pandemic

• In Event: The Promise and Limitations of Parent Pandemic Innovation for K–12 Policy and Practice

Abstract

This paper examines the myriad ways BIPOC mothers sought to support their children’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic exacerbated racial and economic inequities faced by BIPOC families (Moen, Pedke, & Flood, 2020; Pirtle, 2020), and working mothers experienced high levels of stress when juggling employment, health, remote schooling, and caregiving (Calarco et al., 2020). Little is known about the ways BIPOC mothers supported their children’s education and well-being within these broader contexts and the implications of their efforts in regards to racial justice. Based upon interviews with BIPOC mothers in a midwestern city challenged with vast racial disparities in education, health, and employment, this paper highlights mothers’ educational experiences and engagement during the pandemic and the implications for racial justice in education.

The research takes an ecological approach that treats parent engagement as a dynamic process influenced by relationships, resources, and broader social contexts (Calabrese Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, & George, 2004). Our analysis attends to how intersecting oppressions (Collins, 1999) shape mothers’ experiences and engagement and how the intertwining systems of racism, capitalism and patriarchy shape education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). Our project is also guided by an understanding that BIPOC families often support children’s education in ways that go unrecognized or are devalued by schools (Baquedano-López et al, 2013) and that a more culturally relevant “reset” in education necessitates parents’ engagement (Ladson-Billings, 2020).

The data is based upon a larger qualitative study of educational supports for BIPOC families provided during the 2020-2021 school year that includes semi-structured interviews with parents/caregivers as well as interviews with community-based educators or service providers. This paper draws on interviews with BIPOC mothers whose children are enrolled in the local school district. Interviews focused on mothers’ experiences and engagement during the pandemic and any supports they provided or received from individuals, groups, schools, and community-based organizations in the city.

Preliminary data analysis suggests the pandemic created new stressors for mothers as well as unique opportunities to engage in their children’s education in ways not afforded during in-person, school-based learning. Mothers described the loss or limits of caregiving supports and the stress of remote learning and juggling multiple roles throughout the day. Yet many mothers also shared how remote learning provided new opportunities to engage with their children in “hands-on” and culturally relevant ways. While all mothers supported their children’s education, low-income and working-class mothers relied primarily on remote schooling and resources offered by teachers and/or community-based organizations. More economically advantaged parents were able to create multiple learning opportunities that made up for the shortcomings they perceived in the schools before and/or during the pandemic, often in ways that provided a more racially just education for their children and others in their networks. The findings highlight the promise and possibilities of out-of-school learning opportunities created by and for BIPOC families, while also suggesting private efforts alone are not a panacea for racial justice.

Authors

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

• Erica Owyang Turner, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Amy Hilgendorf, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families