From Practice-to-Research-to-Practice: Leveraging Reciprocal Partnerships to Advance Racial Justice in Education Across Contexts and Ecological Levels
James P. Huguley, Cecily D. Davis, Esther M. Stief, Rachelle H. Haynik, Monica A. Henderson, Bianca R. De Bellis, Sommer C. Blair, Anthony P. Williams, Marcia M. Sturdivant, Darryl T. Wiley, and Melvin C. Cherry
In their new study ‘From Practice-to-Research-to-Practice: Leveraging Reciprocal Partnerships to Advance Racial Justice in Education Across Contexts and Ecological Levels’, James P. Huguley, Cecily D. Davis, Esther M. Stief, Rachelle H. Haynik, Monica A. Henderson, Bianca R. DeBellis, Sommer O. Blair, Anthony P. Williams, Marcia M. Sturdivant, Darryl T. Wiley, and Melvin C. Cherry explore racialized barriers to Black student success in the Greater Pittsburgh area in both public and private school contexts. The researchers focus on barriers such as: limited rigor; teacher quality; racism from adults; racism from peers; and economic and social isolation. They then highlight how parent involvement and community partnerships such as the Pittsburgh College Access Alliance (PCAA) can ameliorate those barriers, and how findings from this study are fueling the next phase of the PCAA work.
Key Insights:
- Successful parent involvement strategies included: resilience building; empowering socialization methods, reform-oriented advocacy in school spaces, and leveraging community programs and partnerships.
- Reciprocal community partnerships such as the PCAA hold the potential to alleviate some racialized barriers for Black students.
- Findings from this study are being leveraged to 1) elevate the voices of Black families’ educational experiences; 2) highlight additional educational communities where Black families are having positive and balanced experiences; and 3) disseminate resources that help Black families access these spaces.