Supporting Black Pupils and Parents: Understanding and Improving Home-school Relations

by Cork; Lorna

• ISBN13: 9780415340564
• ISBN10: 041534056X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781134297535
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-08-10
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Exclusion rates of black children in the UK and around the world continue to rise, highlighting that something is very wrong with the way their teaching and learning is supported in today's schools. Teachers often blame parents, parents blame teachers, and an unhappy downward spiral ensues. Drawing on her extensive teaching experience, Lorna Cork explores the day-to-day needs and expectations of black parents and their children in education. She focuses on contemporary situations and uses real-life case studies to emphasize the human consequences of the true issues behind the statistics. This topical text offers a detailed look at five key organizations that exist to support black parents. It examines their home-school interventions and discusses the central issues arising out of their efforts. The fascinating evidence offers fresh perspectives on home-school interventions, providing much needed advice and guidance to all those seeking to improve co-operation between black families, schools andcommunities, who all share the goal of supporting the learning and attainment of the black child. Above all constructive in tone, examples of good practice and strategies that have been tried and tested are all provided here, as well as suggestions for further reading and additional sources of support. Any education professional; teacher, student teacher or staff at an LEA, in addition to anyone with a serious interest in race issues, is sure to find this essential reading.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Doreen Lawrence	vii
Acknowledgements	ix
1 Introductory insights	1	(5)
2 A parent is a parent is a parent?	6	(12)
3 Linkaid: 'You're here for the school': an LEA home-school liaison role	18	(29)
4 Actionaid: 'We need to know': a community-based Black parents' group	47	(14)
5 Mediaid: 'Let us talk': a home-school mediation organisation	61	(21)
6 Advocaid: 'We're here for the child': a Black parents' advocacy organisation	82	(28)
7 Culturaid: 'Raising cultural awareness': a school-based Black history and culture parents' group	110	(17)
8 Some conclusions and theoretical insights	127	(19)
9 Steps toward solutions: implications for schools' practice and policy	146	(17)
Bibliography	163	(8)
Index	171