Date of Award

8-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Education and Human Services

Department/Program

Teacher Education and Teacher Development

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Susan Baglieri

Committee Member

Katrina Bulkley

Committee Member

Jeremy Price

Abstract

Black parents have reported feeling alienated from their children’s schooling experiences, citing weak school communications, challenges with trust, and teachers’ misperceived values of parents (Brandon, Higgins, Pierce, Tandy, & Sileo, 2010). Drawing from the tenets of critical race theory of education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and culturally responsive teaching (Ladson-Billings, 1994; Villegas & Lucas, 2002), the purpose of this study was to better understand the qualities within schools that parents experience as welcoming their participation and influencing their motivation to maintain involvement. By privileging the voices of nine Black parents using one-time, semi-structured interviews, this study began to define what culturally responsive school practices mean for Black parents. Parents reported three overarching ways schools affirm them and engage their cultural ways of being: 1) schools that have diverse leaders and teachers; 2) schools that integrate Black culture in their curricula and school culture; and, 3) schools that value parent voices in decision making. Recommendations are offered for school leaders and teachers for sustainable and culturally-responsive strategies for Black parent engagement.

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