“They Give Me Life Lessons”: Black Youths’ Understandings of Familial Educational Engagement

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

Abstract

While a growing body of literature focuses the practices and value associated with the myriad different ways of educational engagement practices by Black and other Families of Color, most of the literature comes from the perspective of teachers, administrators, or parents and other caregivers. The perspectives of youth are typically overlooked, and there remains limited understanding of the ways that youth view, experience, and interpret their caregivers’ engagement with their education. In this paper, we focus on the ways Black middle school youth experience and understand their own parents’ engagement in and commitment to their education. The overarching question that animates this research is, How do Black youth experience and understand their parents’ engagement in their education?

Authors

• Lori Delale-O'Connor, University of Pittsburgh

• James P. Huguley, University of Pittsburgh

• Ming Te-Wang, University of Pittsburgh