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Black Mothers' Perceptions of the Role of Race in Children's Education
Author(s) -
Williams Amber D.,
Banerjee Meeta,
LozadaSmith Fantasy,
Lambouths Danny,
Rowley Stephanie J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/jomf.12410
Subject(s) - race (biology) , psychology , perception , developmental psychology , black male , racial differences , social psychology , ethnic group , gender studies , sociology , neuroscience , anthropology
Many Black parents consider racial climate and academic quality when thinking and making decisions about their children's schooling experiences. However, few studies have directly asked Black parents about the role they believe race will play in their children's schooling, if any. The authors interviewed 76 Black mothers ( M age = 34; SD age = 6.67) of children entering first grade ( M age = 6.13; SD age = 0.36), asking what role they believed race would play in their children's schooling. The authors found that mothers considered the racial composition of the school and the perspectives and behaviors of teachers and the administration to be important factors when assessing the role of race in their children's education. Mothers were also particularly concerned about the discrimination their sons may face because of their position as Black boys. Given these contextual factors, mothers considered themselves to be protective agents through their involvement in their children's academic lives.