Lessons from the Pandemic: Listen to Black and Brown Parents by Eupha Jeanne Daramola

A narrative surrounding the pandemic and K-12 education is how uniquely disruptive and traumatic COVID-19 has been for students and families. Of course, many families have experienced the adverse effects of the pandemic. However, such a perspective ignores that schools are often difficult spaces for racially minoritizedstudents and families to navigate and thrive within. For instance, Black and Latinx students attend schools with less funding than their White peers (Ostrander, 2015). Black students, and in some cases, Latinx students, are more likely to be punitively disciplined (Welsh & Little, 2018). Furthermore, research documents that White teachers treat racially minoritized students differently than their White peers, influencing student outcomes (Chin et al., 2020; Tenenbaum &  Ruck, 2007).

Given these data points, it is perhaps unsurprising that in a recent survey, 28% of Black parents and 27% of Latinx parents were unsure or unwilling if they wanted to send their children back to school in-person in the fall of 2021 (Schwartz et al., 2021). Conversely, 10% of White families and 16% of Asians were unsure or unwilling to resume in-person learning in the fall (Schwartz et al., 2021). Although health and safety drove many parents’ desire to remain at home, school quality was a significant factor in why parents were reluctant to return. In this survey, the top reason parents reported an unwillingness to return was that their children felt safer at home than in school. Twenty-two percent of unsure or unwilling parents said that their children liked remote learning better than school. How should schools and districts address that a large portion of Black and Latinx parents are hesitant to return to in-person learning? Education leaders should start listening and learning from Black and Brown parents.

Black & Brown Parents Building Quality During a Pandemic

Over the 2020-2021 school year, I have studied two racially minoritized’ parent advocacy organizations that have created innovative educational solutions for their communities during the pandemic^[1]. The first group, The Oakland REACH, created a virtual school to supplement Black and Latinx students’ virtual learning. The second group, Black Mother’s Forum, created two micro-schools for Black students in the Phoenix, AZ area. Both programs are run and staffed by Black and Brown parents, largely mothers.

A common theme from study participants from both cases was that before the pandemic the education options provided to their children were suboptimal. However, when COVID hit and their children were at home, parents had the opportunity to build their own solutions. For example, the Oakland REACH created a virtual hub where literacy was taught in a culturally responsive manner. Indeed, the program saw 60% of enrolled students increase two reading levels in five weeks. In addition, the Black Mother’s Forum formed a school where students did not receive punitive discipline but culturally responsive restorative discipline practices. Such discipline policies stood in stark contrast to the student’s experiences at their previous schools.

Another theme across the cases was that parents of enrolled students were satisfied with the programming. Indeed, multiple parents articulated that the educational experiences their children received from The Oakland REACH and Black Mother’s Forum were of higher quality than what they experienced before COVID-19. In the pandemic, these predominantly Black and brown women built answers to problems their community faced long before the pandemic. The leaders from The Oakland REACH and Black Mother’s Forum created these programs utilizing their abundant knowledge of their communities and their deep conviction that all students deserve a high-quality education. Moving forward school leaders should draw on Black and Latinx parents’ unique knowledge and wisdom.

How Should School Systems Respond to Black and Latinx Parent Innovation?

Schools often ignore the advocacy and input of Black and Latinx parents. All too often, the standards for parent involvement are centered around White middle-class norms, such as involvement in fundraising (Posey-Maddox & Haley-Lock, 2016). Rarely are Black and Brown parents seen as partners in education decision-making (Ishimaru, 2019). However, my study of both groups indicates that Black and Latinx parents produce game-changing educational innovations when presented with an opportunity. Therefore, it is incumbent on school leaders to listen and collaborate with these parents.

Data from the case of the Oakland REACH suggests that parent engagement dynamics can shift. The Oakland REACH partnered with the Oakland Unified School District to bring its literacy model to more students. Such an arrangement takes a power shift. It takes district and school leaders seeing Black and Brown parents as equals and experts. In addition, it might also mean adjusting funding structures or staffing of schools and programs. However, post-pandemic education leaders will be in need of solutions for enormous challenges (Dorn et al. 2020). Perhaps one of the most radical solutions could be this: centering Black and Latinx parents as the experts on their children and the future of their children’s education.

^[1] The study of The Oakland REACH was a single case study of the organization. The study of the Black Mother’s Forum was part of a multiple cross-case study of pandemic learning pods and hubs led by the Center for Reimagining Public Education at the University of Washington, Bothel.

References

Chin, M. J., Quinn, D. M., Dhaliwal, T. K., & Lovison, V. S. (2020). Bias in the Air: A Nationwide Exploration of Teachers’ Implicit Racial Attitudes, Aggregate Bias, and Student Outcomes. Educational Researcher, 49(8), 566–578. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20937240

Dorn, E., Hancock, B. M., Sarakatsannis, J., & Viruleg, E. (2020). COVID-19 and student learning in the United States: The hurt could last a lifetime. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-student-learning-in-theunited-states-the-hurt-could-last-a-lifetime

Ostrander, R. R. (2015). School funding: Inequality in district funding and the disparate impact on urban and migrant school children. BYU Educ. & LJ, 271.

Ishimaru, A. M. (2019). Just schools: Building equitable collaborations with families and communities. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Posey-Maddox, L., & Haley-Lock, A. (2020). One Size Does Not Fit All: Understanding Parent Engagement in the Contexts of Work, Family, and Public Schooling. Urban Education, 55(5), 671–698. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916660348

Schwartz, H.L, Diliberti, M.K.,  Grant, D. (2021). Will Students Come Back? School Hesitancy Among Parents and Their Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, RR-A1393-1, 2021. As of June 09, 2021: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1393-1.html

Tenenbaum, H. R., Ruck, M. D. (2007). Are teachers’ expectations different for racial minority than for European American students? A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 253–273.

Welsh, R. O., & Little, S. (2018). The school discipline dilemma: A comprehensive review of disparities and alternative approaches. Review of Educational Research, 88(5), 752-794.