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Motivations, Sacrifices, and Challenges: Black Parents’ Decisions to Home School

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Abstract

This study examines home schooling among Black parents by providing insight to Black families’ beliefs, concerns, and desires for their children’s education. To date, the literature remains void of empirical work related to home education among African American families. However, the present study directly addresses this void. Findings demonstrated that parents’ motivations to home school included issues related to race and home-school interaction. In addition, Black parents reported that religious beliefs influenced their decisions to home school. But, unlike their Caucasian counterparts, Black home educators described a more liberatory form of religion.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for a Spencer Foundation Small Research Grant that supported the project presented in this article. The statements made with the article however, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Spencer Foundation.

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Correspondence to Cheryl Fields-Smith.

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Fields-Smith, C., Williams, M. Motivations, Sacrifices, and Challenges: Black Parents’ Decisions to Home School. Urban Rev 41, 369–389 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-008-0114-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-008-0114-x

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