Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Betty Boult
Committee Member
Patrick Chambers
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
achievement gaps, African American students, Black parents, Black students, decision making, East High School, education advocacy, failing grades, Freshman D and F Report, guest facilitators, grade point averages, parent empowerment, parent involvement, parent leadership, parent participation, parent-school relationships, participative decision making, school improvement, school leadership, seminars, student achievement, training, White students, workshops
Abstract
Verified achievement gaps between Black and White students exist at East High School. Data from East High School’s (2001a) Freshman D and F Report showed that 57.4% of Black freshman compared to 13% of White freshman received failing grades 1st semester of the 2001-2002 school year. In the 2001-2002 report (East High School, 2001b), Investigating the Achievement of African American Students at East High School, 53.7% of White students had grade point averages in the range of 3.5-5.2, whereas 9% of Black students were in the range of 3.5-5.2. Furthermore, 9.9% of White students had grade point averages in the range of 1.9-0.0 compared to 41.2% of Black students in the same range.
This applied dissertation was an intervention designed to enlist parents as partners in their children’s education. The intervention took place at East High School. The development of the intervention model took into consideration perceived and unperceived needs of Black parents. Current resources, new resources, workshops, seminars, and training were used to develop parents new to school leadership. Guest facilitators assisted to educate and equip parents with the tools needed to advocate for their children.
The outcomes confirmed that the intervention increased the involvement of Black parents with their children’s education. Black parent participation in school leadership was established. With the parent involvement component in tact, East High School now operates with the influence of Black parents on decision making related to school improvement. With more of the necessary components in place, the depth of parent leadership is expected to be reflected in student achievement.