During application season my senior year of high school, I knew the only colleges I was interested in applying to were Historic Black Colleges and Universities. That was my ultimate goal.
At the time, sending transcripts to colleges required a parent’s signature if the student was under 18. My senior year, my mother told my counselor not to send my transcript to any HBCUs.
I had no idea where this stance came from and there was nothing that I could say to change her mind. I decided not to apply to college at all, even though I was salutatorian of my class and one of the top 3% of Detroit Public School graduates in my graduating year.
I learned in my mid-20s, after graduating from college, that my mother’s decision was based on “hearing” from people she trusted and had access to that HBCUs were party schools and not accredited. Despite all my hard work, my mother tanked my postsecondary aspirations – not due to ill-intent but out of care that was fueled by misinformation and fear. She’s since realized she was wrong and apologized for ��not knowing any better.”
Given the immense challenges and racial disparities, as well as lack of support, career preparation and network development that I faced in my postsecondary pursuits, my journey could have looked completely different had my mother learned alongside me about postsecondary education and opportunities, specifically the history and role of HBCUs for Black students.
There’s a tug of war between when and how information is disseminated in schools. Parents and the community should have the opportunity to learn and develop plans with students to understand where their aspirations derive from and what’s needed to be successful. There should not be a competition between what the parent feels is best versus what the student has been encouraged to pursue, in which both can be riddled in misinformation especially if the student is first generation.
The widely used proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” is believed to have originated from the Nigerian Igbo proverb ‘Oran a azu nwa.’ While popularized in the West in the 1990s, it is still a phrase that is widely used when considering the influences and opportunities for contribution to the shaping of minds, mannerisms and opportunities of youth.
Often missed in efforts to embody this proverb within education is the intentional and strategic inclusion of key stakeholders outside of schools: Parents, family and community partners like churches, community centers and other organizations. As a first-generation bachelor’s degree holder from Detroit and an education policy professional focused on the state of Michigan, I have the unique ability to understand how some of the same challenges I faced years ago are still impacting youth today. I believe many of those challenges could be remedied with a multigenerational and community inclusion approach to college and career exposure, access and readiness.
The opportunities made available to students today are too few and far between across the education system, especially in cities like Detroit. I was fortunate to attend a magnet middle school for 7th and 8th grade in Detroit Public Schools. My school had advanced literacy efforts, requiring every student to read a given number of books per card marking at grade level or higher with testing for a grade on report cards. There was exposure to advanced math and science careers and skills built into the curriculum, such as robotics and academic games. Also included in our Language Arts (ELA) curriculum was college and career research, learning about paying for college with scholarships, letter drafting for admission, scholarships and employment, and identifying and developing skills needed for desired degrees and careers. By the time I graduated from middle school, I had a research-backed college list, I knew what it took to earn a “full ride” scholarship, and the education levels and skills needed to become an attorney, which at the time was one of my goals.
Parent and family engagement primarily exists in our spaces for celebratory occasions, standard school updates, athletics, and behavioral and academic interventions, but not for learning and baseline exposure on preparation and readiness for life alongside the student. It is often assumed that families will know how to navigate processes and systems to best support their children along their educational path, an assumption that is not true for many parents or guardians who have not gone through the process themselves.
As published in a previous column, my mother dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. My older sister was the only person in our family that I knew who had earned a traditional high school diploma before me. I followed second, nine years later. I waged battles of identity and support, just as many first-generation, low-income and/or minority students experience. Those battles include “at-home” barriers, influence and aspiration deterrence, which makes an uphill battle even tougher.
Provided is a list of a range of multigenerational and community-centered approaches for building trust, facilitating partnership, and increasing educational and career exposure, readiness, and access in low-income, minority communities through schools and/or as funding opportunities.
Given the increase of charter schools and open enrollment in Metro Detroit, the “community” discussed includes enrolled student parents and family and/or trusted advocates, the geographical location of your school or organizational site (including residents, neighboring/feeder schools, CBOs, and businesses), and/or the top feeder zip codes where enrolled students reside.
Trust-Building
- Provide multiple approaches to inclusion to elevate the voices of students, parents, and family input (e.g. Surveys and interviews at enrollment/orientation, in-person/virtual town halls, raffles for input and participation, etc.)
- Obtain school-wide buy-in (including external partner(s)). A culture is created and affirmed when most or all are on the same page, with each entity equitably contributing to development.
- Set the bar of expectations and hold the bar but always do so with respect and active listening providing reasonable paths for improvement.
- Create a robust calendar of events for parents, family, and community that include education and learning opportunities that extend beyond uplifting what “you” need for student progress. (e.g. sessions from tax and credit experts, local basic needs experts for public benefits, etc., adult education reentry programs). Being vested in the overall well-being of the household creates improved engagement and support.
- Provide efficient, consistent, and well-executed program efforts. If efforts are perceived as having limited care and investment and/or unorganized, people will take heed and engage accordingly.
Community and Partnership Development
- Improve after-school and community-based partnerships. There has long been an appetite for school partnerships. It’s a great way to maximize resources and improve capacity.
- Create a neighboring community volunteer network. In many of the communities around Detroit are locals who are seniors, retired, disabled and/or out of work who would love to be able to support close to home. They will also contribute to expanding messaging and getting the word out about opportunities available and help support parent insight.
- Create realistic efforts and partnerships. Many times, efforts pitched do not take into consideration the barriers and deficits that may be present and puts most of the work on schools that have limited capacity. Work together to find the middle ground that works for both sides.
- Partner and build deeper connections with local elected officials, state departments, and basic needs providers. Many times, local and state advocacy and policy is being done without the direct insight of those whose day to day is most impacted resulting in policy and resources going unused due to lack of awareness and/or not improving outcomes as intended.
- Prioritize collaborative fundraising. Building relationships with local nonprofits and funders to enhance school and community-based partnerships will help improve access to resources to provide better opportunities for students.
Education Pipeline to Viable Careers Education
- Develop college exposure, preparation, and access opportunities that include the whole family. E.g. CBOs in partnership with schools could provide college visits throughout the summer open to the family.
- Break down the fundamentals. The same information you feel is pertinent to teach a student is also pertinent to a parent about postsecondary opportunities, especially a first gen student. Don’t assume they know.
- Improve exposure and education on credentials to careers and what they mean in this ever-changing economy along with resources and opportunities to put them in reach (e.g. state programs). Families don’t know what they don’t know and usually have tunnel vision to their own experiences. Create the space and dialogue to discuss what this all means and the benefits to long-term viability and/or bring in experts who can.
Student/Parent Partnerships
- Create a process that each student must have a parent-approved adult advocate if parents’ availability or engagement will be low as they are not always positioned to be deeply engaged. This is an adult in the family/community that can be present and aware of what’s happening with the student that can advocate for the student at home. Don’t leave students to do this alone and be sure to include them in the process.
- Ensure you understand the demographics of your parents/guardians and plan opportunities accordingly. Too often parent event resources are exhausted with limited engagement because there is limited assessment of what could improve the engagement beforehand.
- Improve enrollment processes to include space for building relationships, trust, and understanding the needs of the family beyond academia for extended support. Have materials available, connect families to local resources but also keep record in the student’s file to create a culture of care across all that work with that student.
- Improve parent-student partnerships: The journey for the child’s future is a partnership between the student, parent, and other sources of support. Part of shaping that future is sharing the development and learning together so that the student feels supported and heard but with guidance, reasoning and critical thinking.
Onjila Odeneal is a native Detroiter who leads state policy efforts on higher education access, affordability, and success in Michigan for the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). Odeneal formerly worked as the deputy director and acting executive director for the Detroit College Access Network. She has 8 years of experience as a financial aid administrator and assistant director in both public and private institutions in Michigan and out of state. Odeneal is a product of the Detroit Public School system for K-12 and Michigan higher education systems, holding bachelor’s degrees in business administration and political science from University of Detroit Mercy and a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Wayne State University. Onjila contributed to this article in her personal capacity. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of her employer.