Expanding their Opportunities to Engage: A Case of the African American Parent Council

Abstract

Parent involvement is frequently identified as a variable in student success. A gap in the literature regarding how African American parents create opportunities to engage with their children's education exist. One district's outreach to parents, and parents' responses to the outreach served as a case study for exploring how African American families can expand their involvement in their children's education and how schools can encourage, and support that engagement. The results of the case study may provide school districts with ideas and data that facilitate the development of more meaningful, constructive, and comprehensive parental involvement programs. Findings suggest that networks, data, decision-making and coordination of services are critical to effective African American family engagement.