Black Fatherhood: A Critical Component for Urban African American Student Success

Author

Cameron Steel, Texas Southern University

Date of Award

Spring 5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Amber Adams

Abstract

A multitude of studies express that father involvement has an impact on student achievement and learning outcomes for urban African American students (Palm & Fagan, 2008). Although biological fathers are extremely vital to our community, a biological connection between a parental figure and their student is not essential to these correlational outcomes. The absence of fathers in the urban African American community has had a negative impact on students' self-esteem, academic efficacy, and general livelihood. Realistically, it is not a viable solution to place fathers in homes or force them to stay and remain active participants in their child's K-12 matriculation. However, those that encompass the 2% of Black male educators in this country, including myself and other males within our community, must accept the responsibility of becoming a father to the sons and daughters we serve within the four walls of America's public schools and/or encounter on the streets of this country. Based on my own observations and the findings of other scholars in the field of urban education, I argue that Black fatherhood is a critical component for the academic achievement of urban African American students. This narrative analysis contributes significantly to the understanding of the essential elements and importance of Black men's or fathers' involvement and being held responsible for raising, caring for, and educating our students.

This paper is a narrative research analysis, and the purpose for the research is to (1) propose essential elements of Black fatherhood; (2) understand the effect of Black fatherhood as a driving force for urban African American student achievement and educational outcomes; and (3) provide a tentative solution to an ongoing dilemma within the Black community: absent Black fathers and urban African American children who sorely need Black fatherhood figures through the implementation of the essential elements in our nation’s urban public schools. The theoretical underpinning for this narrative research analysis was social ecological theory. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) theory provided a useful framework for investigating interactions between students and their social­ ecological surroundings. The findings of the narrative analysis have implications for the development of four essential elements of Black fatherhood: defining discipline, expecting excellence, guiding gracefully, and sacrificing silently. The analysis concluded that the elements of Black fatherhood, established through this analysis, if instilled in urban African American students, should result in a shift in seriousness for learning and a boost in overall self-esteem. As I continue my education, I plan to expand on this work by creating a program to replace the status quo in urban educational institutions, apply these ideas on a broader scale, and then evaluate the results in te1ms of their impact on students' learning outcomes.

Recommended Citation

Steel, Cameron, "Black Fatherhood: A Critical Component for Urban African American Student Success" (2023). Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal. 40.
https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/frj/40