At a virtual press conference on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, the Pittsburgh College Access Alliance (PCAA) and researchers with the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work and Center on Race and Social Problems spoke about their new report, which discusses findings regarding Black families’ educational involvement experiences in Greater Pittsburgh before and during the pandemic.
The interview study was conducted to better understand strengths, barriers, and equitable supports for Black families’ educational involvements and student success. The study considers public and private schools experiences, and how PCAA and other programs provide critical supports to overcome educational barriers.
Participants included 50 Black parents, caregivers, students, and alumni from PCAA programs, and an administrator from each member organization. The research was commissioned by the PCAA leadership team, including Esther Stief, Executive Director, Crossroads Foundation; Dr. Marcia Sturdivant, President/CEO, NEED; Darryl Wiley, CEO, FAME; Dr. Anthony Williams, Headmaster, The Neighborhood Academy. The study was conducted by a research team from the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems and School of Social Work, led by Dr. James Huguley.
Key findings from the study included:
- Black families often found themselves making difficult educational choices between familiar but structurally oppressive urban public schools and more rigorous but interpersonally discriminatory private school options.
- During the pandemic, intense financial hardships, childcare limitations, and essential worker obligations shifted families’ educational priorities toward meeting basic needs (food, utilities, and basic technology).
- Before the pandemic, PCAA and other out-of-school-time programs often filled social and academic gaps left by formal educational experiences.
- During the pandemic, PCAA and other like-minded programs shifted focus accordingly to basic need provisions, going even as far as to deliver meals to struggling families’ homes.
- Despite financial obstacles at home and social and structural obstacles in schools, Black families found ways to thrive in spite of the systemic issues they faced.
These and other findings are an important complement to recent race research in Pittsburgh, Dr. Huguley notes. “In recent times we have had a lot of important and sobering reports documenting the vast racial disparities in our region across fields. This report complements that body of work with voices of Black Pittsburgh on not only their direct experiences with those obstacles, but also what strategies they’ve used and what supports have been essential to their thriving in spite of oppressive forces.
PCAA leadership explained the significance of these findings for the practical work in educational and family programming. “Our hope is that through this report, PCAA can lay the groundwork for a larger conversation about supporting parental engagement in Black children’s education within the framework of our regional educational inequities and the pandemic’s aftermath,” said Esther Stief of the Crossroads Foundation.
“In the midst of the global pandemic that has been so impactful to Black families, we knew that we needed to do more for families in Pittsburgh. The stories in this report capture how we and other programs can dig deep to extend our reach toward greater impact in the Pittsburgh region and beyond,” added Dr. Anthony Williams of the Neighborhood Academy.
Stanley Thompson, senior program director for Education at The Heinz Endowments, which funded the study, echoed those sentiments.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise that often multigenerational supports and collaborative educational and social networks are crucial factors in the success of students after high school,” Dr. Thompson said. “PCAA’s resources and commitment to African American students and their families position the students to make the most of their academic and anticipated career journeys. Likewise, PCAA’s encouragement of intentional parent/caregiver engagement is a lesson that other educational entities should embrace if they hope to prepare students for life’s opportunities and challenges.”