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Lift Every Voice and Lead: African American Leaders' Perceptions of K-12 Education Reform

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Lift Every Voice and Lead: African American Leaders' Perceptions of K-12 Education Reform
Language: English
Authors: Anderson, Meredith B. L., Harper, Caroline, Bridges, Brian K., UNCF, Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI)
Source: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF. 2017.
Availability: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF 1805 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Tel: 202-810-0246; Fax: 202-234-0225; e-mail: fdpri@uncf.org; Web site: http://uncf.org/fdpri
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2017
Sponsoring Agency: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: African American Leadership, Administrator Attitudes, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Change, Advocacy, Equal Education, Public Schools, African American Students, Educational Opportunities, Barriers, Educational Quality, Parent Participation, Leadership Responsibility, Educational Improvement, Educational Strategies
Abstract: UNCF conducted this study to shed light on African American grasstops' perspectives toward education reform and how they work to develop community-centered strategies to address disparities in schools. One narrative about the lack of engagement by local grasstops in education reform is that they do not care or are not informed about the topic. Such perceptions of apathy may not bode well for collaboration with communities or schools and could thwart progress for reform efforts. As such, UNCF wanted to investigate this phenomenon in greater detail. This study explored three areas of interest, which are followed by their guiding research questions: (1) Problems affecting people within the community: What are the serious issues affecting people in your city and community? What should be the highest priority in improving your community? (2) Perspectives on education: How are public schools doing in preparing African American students to attend and graduate from college? What are the top priorities for improving the educational landscape for African American students? and (3) Barriers to student success: How well are African American leaders doing in responding to the educational crisis facing African American students? What most affects the quality of education in your community? The key results suggest that there is, in fact, fertile ground for collaboration between parents and grasstops as the leaders expressed a strong sense of optimism in their ability to advance educational progress for students. Findings range from perceptions of the state of education for black youth to evaluations of grasstops' role in improving educational opportunities. The results reveal that African American grasstops are informed about various issues in education and would like to be further engaged in education reform work. "Lift Every Voice and Lead" is the second report in a three-part series on African American perceptions of K-12 education. [For the first report in this series, "Done to Us, Not with Us: African American Parent Perceptions of K-12 Education," see ED573649.]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2018
Accession Number: ED588631
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:UNCF conducted this study to shed light on African American grasstops' perspectives toward education reform and how they work to develop community-centered strategies to address disparities in schools. One narrative about the lack of engagement by local grasstops in education reform is that they do not care or are not informed about the topic. Such perceptions of apathy may not bode well for collaboration with communities or schools and could thwart progress for reform efforts. As such, UNCF wanted to investigate this phenomenon in greater detail. This study explored three areas of interest, which are followed by their guiding research questions: (1) Problems affecting people within the community: What are the serious issues affecting people in your city and community? What should be the highest priority in improving your community? (2) Perspectives on education: How are public schools doing in preparing African American students to attend and graduate from college? What are the top priorities for improving the educational landscape for African American students? and (3) Barriers to student success: How well are African American leaders doing in responding to the educational crisis facing African American students? What most affects the quality of education in your community? The key results suggest that there is, in fact, fertile ground for collaboration between parents and grasstops as the leaders expressed a strong sense of optimism in their ability to advance educational progress for students. Findings range from perceptions of the state of education for black youth to evaluations of grasstops' role in improving educational opportunities. The results reveal that African American grasstops are informed about various issues in education and would like to be further engaged in education reform work. "Lift Every Voice and Lead" is the second report in a three-part series on African American perceptions of K-12 education. [For the first report in this series, "Done to Us, Not with Us: African American Parent Perceptions of K-12 Education," see ED573649.]