Academic Achievement among African American Children in Single-Parent Families

Jitong Yao; Tianning Zhang

doi:10.71222/393wpx74

Authors

Jitong Yao University of California, Berkeley, California, USA Author
Tianning Zhang Global Youth for Change Organization, Sacramento, California, USA Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71222/393wpx74

Keywords:

single-parent families, African American children, academic achievement, family structure, educational disparities, parental involvement

Abstract

African American children are disproportionately placed into single-parent households, a situation commonly considered conducive to lower academic achievement due to socioeconomic disadvantage and aggravated by a lack of parental resources. Instances, however, of children who attain academic success in this very social segment are not uncommon; this shows the existence of protective factors that mitigate the disadvantage. This study examines the academic achievement of African American children in single-parent families and the impact of parental involvement, socioeconomic status, and emotional support on their educational outcomes. A cross-sectional mixed-method approach was used with a sample of 150 African American students, ages 8-16 years, attending public schools in urban areas. Quantitative data, including standardized test performance and GPA, were analyzed in conjunction with parental surveys. Data collected through in-depth interviews of 20 single parents regarding educational practices and home environments subsequently served to supplement findings. The data showed that a high amount of parent involvement, mainly in overseeing homework or various literacy activities conducted at home, was correlated with stronger academic outcomes, whereas mom's education and household income were also strong predictors. Still, qualitative data pointed out that emotional support and cultural emphasis on education, to some degree, offset economic disadvantages. Here is a framework that emphasizes that while structural impediments are in place, nurturing education-centered parenting is critical in shaping academic outcomes. Educational policy and school practice must be geared toward embracing and utilizing the cultural capital of African American single-parent families instead of being on the opposite end as a deficit-based perspective.

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