“She tells me all the right things”: African American Boys’ Views of Family as Support for School

“She tells me all the right things”:African American Boys’ Views of Family as Support for School Jeffrey L. Lewis Amy E. Hilgendorf University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Questions • What kinds of school-related support do African American boys in elementary and middle school receive? • From whom do they receive school-related support? • What do they view as supportive? DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Method Data • Interviews with 28 African American boys in grades 4-6, mostly from low-income and working class families • “Who helps you be a good student? What do they do?” • Support in four situations: homework (instrumental), unhappy day (emotional), award (hypothetical), and trouble (hypothetical) DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Method Analysis • Egocentric social support maps • Open coding content analysis • Thematic cluster analysis DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Kinds of school-related support Instrumental support for academic achievement Help with homework Enrichment or extra practice of skills Model and practice school-like situations “…[my mom] seen I had [my homework] late and I was trying to work on it and I had some things wrong and she, she corrected it, like told me it was wrong and told me to fix it….I think it helped me cause I know she can help me and correct me because she knows what‘s going on.” “[My dad], he gives me extra homework to do and gives me math problems and when I do enough he let’s me outside and play with my friends and ride my bike.” Findings DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Kinds of school-related support Informational and moral support Insure the child’s accountability Communication with schools, other adults Advice and strategies for self-regulation “[My dad] had told my mom to be at the school… to come to school in the morning and sit in the office, and come and see me…. She give me a ‘test,’ that say, ‘How do you think I know how you did in school today?’” “Little John he tell me how he, if he gets mad ,he goes to the bathroom and then he calms down….Me and Little John we made tent and it kept falling down and I was getting mad and he said, ‘Calm down go in the bathroom throw some water on your face,’ and I said ‘Okay,’ and I throw some water on my face and I calmed down.” Findings DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Findings Kinds of school-related support (cont’d) • Support for school-oriented dispositions • Talk about expectations, give encouragement, share life lessons and advice • Rewards and punishments • Provide opportunities to develop personal qualities “[My stepmom] tells me what happened at her job… and what she did do wrong and she admitted that she did it…. It told me to tell the truth and not blame it on other people.” “[My mom] teach me not to be lazy… I have to clean, wash dishes, take out the garbage… then I can go outside.” “When I had got suspended, [my granny] had put me on punishment so I could think about what I did and (this) taught me how to be a good student and be respectful.” DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Findings Kinds of school-related support (cont’d) • Support for the care of basic needs • Insure care of everyday needs • Provide emotional care and security “It helps me a lot by knowing that [my mom]’s really going to be there. Like when I get in trouble or something, or I need help with something. Then that makes me a lot happier so then I can concentrate up in school.” “I think [teacher at the Boys and Girls Club] like my, my third dad, ‘cause I like him very much. But sometimes, when he just running around he just lick his finger and put it in your ear, and he got a funny laugh. It be funny.” DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Who provides school-related support Parents (co-residential and not) Grandparents Siblings Extended family: aunts, uncles, cousins Fictive kin Friends Adults from youth programs School staff Other adults Findings DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Findings Geography of Support • Where boys receive school-related support • Household • Other local households • Distant households • Local institutions DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Findings Geography of Support (N=20) • Where boys receive school-related support DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Findings Geography of Support • Where boys receive somewhat balanced school-related support DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Discussion • Role of extended family • 23/28 boys reported support from extended family members • They resided in multiple households, both local and distant • They provided instrumental, emotional, and potential support “[My grandpa] tells me a lot of good information…. About…do good up there, I’m gonna have to go up there with him and go to school there if I get kicked out of school down here. And he said you ain’t gonna like the school down there.” “’Cause when I was mad at my little brother,…my baby cousin came and tickled me and made me laugh. Then she gave me a hug and kiss and she made me happy.” DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Discussion • Role of adult males • 25/28 boys reported support from adult males • Some resided with the boys, others in local or distant households • They provided instrumental, emotional, and potential support • Adult males were often identified as actual and potential sources of support when boys had an unhappy day or when they might be in trouble “[My dad] picked me up from school and it was just me and him riding home together, he said, ‘Okay, why do you look so sad?’ And then I told him and … he tell me don’t talk to them, just listen to the teacher and ignore them, and that was good advice.” “If I can’t talk to my mom, I talk to my dad, if I can’t talk to my dad, I talk to my Uncle Zeke, if I can’t talk to my Uncle Zeke, I talk to my Uncle Will, if I can’t talk to my Uncle Will, I talk to my cousin.” DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Summary • African American boys from low-income and working class families view and experience their families as supportive. • Their families provide a wide range of support for school, some of which is not usually thought of as school-related support. • Although primary households remain significant sources of support, most African American boys receive support across an extensive family network, both local and distant. • African American men provide instrumental, informational, and emotional support throughout the boys’ networks. DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

Implications • We must • Learn from African American boys who supports them and what they find supportive by asking them, listening carefully, and showing a real interest in the boys’ lives. • Develop a broader concept of support for school that goes beyond what we typically call “parent involvement,” and expand our knowledge of who provides support and what they do that the boys find supportive. • Reframe our view of African American students and families to see them as resource-rich and strategic in the use of their resources. • Identify the African American men who provide support to the boys, and find ways to “support the support” and connect it with schools and other youth-serving organizations. DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

At the end of all of this… • Will we continue to view and treat African American children and their families from a paternalistic, deficit perspective (culture of poverty or social service) and thus, as objects of our interventions, advocacy, programming, etc.? • Or will we enter into new kinds of relationships with American children and their families in which they are subjects, full partners and agents, in the necessary project of transforming our schools, neighborhoods, and communities into welcoming community places for African American families and for “other people’s children” and their families? DPI Summer Institute: Addressing Disproportionality

“She tells me all the right things”: African American Boys’ Views of Family as Support for School