Toward a Collaborative Approach to Parent Involvement in Early Education: A Study of Teenage Mothers in an African-American Community

Abstract

This study addresses the challenge of creating a collaborative approach to parent involvement. As part of a family literacy program, participants in the study were 19 African-American adolescent parents from low-income backgrounds whose children attended an early intervention program. Parents' beliefs about learning and literacy were sought through a series of peer group discussions. The data revealed a continuum of perspectives ranging from behavioral to constructivist beliefs, suggesting important intragroup variability within this particular sociocultural group. The discussions also revealed shared goals that may be used to forge collaborative relationships between parents and professionals in the interest of improving African-American children's early education. Illustrations from a family literacy program are used to show how parent beliefs may be incorporated into programmatic changes, building constructive relationships that work toward supporting children's success in schools.

Head Start Teachers' Perspectives on Early Literacy

“…We assumed that teachers would have had few opportunities to talk broadly among themselves in a focused exchange about classroom practices of growing importance in education policies, and that discussion with a group of peers would help individuals clarify perspectives that they may not have previously articulated in public. In addition, the focus group method is well suited to research pertaining to the lives of women of lower socio-economic status and of color (Madriz, 2000;Neuman, Hagedorn, Celano, & Daly, 1995), a segment of our targeted teacher sample. The study involved two samples of teachers, with data from the second sample used to verify the perspectives identified through analysis of teacher responses in the first sample.…”

The preschool home literacy environment provided by teenage mothers

“…It appears that adolescent mothers may differ not only in their views towards learning and literacy (Neuman et al, 1995), but in their ability and disposition to provide a stimulating HLE. The teenage mothers in the present study scored lower on the measures of print exposure and the measure of general cognitive performance, as well as attaining lower levels of overall education.…”

“…Instead interventions may need to focus on training mothers in how to use literacy with their children and on why it is important to do so. Although many teen mothers recognize the importance of early exposure to literacy and acquisition of literacy skills, they may feel less capable of providing these opportunities to their children or underestimate the child's developmental ability to benefit from early exposure to literacy (Neuman et al, 1995;Burgess, 2004). Literacy can be used to improve a variety of early literacy related skills (Senchal et al, 1996(Senchal et al, , 1998.…”

Articles

“…All schools have a responsibility to challenge anti-intellectual attitudes and promote the ability to think critically. One social reality seldom acknowledged in reform but demonstrated in research is that working class and poor families often do not favor the constructivist learning that is encouraged by educational professionals and decision making parents (Heath 1983; Carnoy and Levin 1985;Neuman, et al 1995). The notion that parents must be partners in their children's education makes school people responsible for entering into dialogue with parents about appropriate curricula and instruction, democratizing decision making.…”