Black Parents and Public Education: Designing an Anti-racist Accountability Framework

Dr. Henry Louis Gates stated, “In America there is institutionalized racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in the room—and we have to become sensitive to it.” This dissertation of practice explores how Black parents who have children enrolled in public schools, both traditional and charter, in the District of Columbia seek to access a quality public education. In the school year 2019-20, Black students represented 65% of the 94,412 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, and White students represented 12%. Yet the graduation rate for that same school year was 70.3% for Black high school students and 91.5% for Whites high school students. So, understanding Black parents' experiences with public schools is critical to understanding what type of accountability framework needs to be in place to disrupt and dismantle the systemic racism that affects the education of Black children. The dissertation of practice is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Participatory Action Research. Black parents from each of Washington, D.C’s eight Wards were surveyed and interviewed about their experiences as they constitute the most underserved constituency in the D.C. public education ecosystem. Using individual interviews, a survey, research memos and dialogical engagement, the dissertation of practice investigates Black parents’ efforts and experiences to obtain a quality public education for their children. The findings of this dissertation of practice recommends the institution by the D.C. State Board of Education of an anti-racist accountability framework that is focused on how public policies can be evaluated for their effectiveness in identifying racism at the formation and implementation stages to ensure parents of color are supported in their efforts to both access and receive a quality public education for their children.