Educating the Whole Family: Expanding Education Through a Multi-Generational Learning Environment in Socioeconomic Disadvantaged Communities

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Hannah E. AdamsFollow

Location

Plimsoll

Strand #1

Family & Community

Relevance

Adams will provide practical application for teachers to increase parent and family engagement with student achievement and school participation specifically in lower-income communities. Presentation will provide helpful take-away tools to engage all family members and develop a community of support for children’s educational success.

Brief Program Description

Educators learn to implement a higher level of learning within lower-economic African American communities by creating a multi-generation educational team to support student’s progress through school. Educators use practical application to define learning and support roles within the family including defining school responsibility and expectations, defining an educational support system for the student, as well as aligning community mentors both within the family and within the community to provide the educational guidance necessary for youth to reach educational success.

Summary

Educators learn to implement a higher level of learning within socioeconomic disadvantaged communities by creating a multi-generation educational team to support student’s progress through school. Educators learn to use practical application to define learning and support roles within the family including defining school responsibility and expectations, defining an educational support system for the student, as well as aligning community mentors both within the family and within the community to provide the educational guidance necessary for youth to reach educational success. The presentation will include case study review completed with family living in economic disadvantaged Atlanta Pittsburg Community. Adams will present practical application to define educational roles and practical options to increase literacy and educational levels within multi-generational family system. Adams shows how defining family roles and expectations within the multi-generational African American family can lead to increased responsibility and accountability and overall increased level of education. Approximately one-fifth of young people who begin 9th grade do not complete high school on time, if ever. In many large urban areas, on-time graduation rates average 50% or less, with African American, Native American, and Hispanic youth showing the lowest rates (Balfanz, Bridgeland, Bruce, Fox, 2013). Contributing factors leading to high school drop-out include health concerns and need for care for family members, increased life stressors and lack of positive educational support and encouragement for students (America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University, 2014). Students are navigating multiple life stressors, which decrease investment in educational outcomes. Adams research developed through case study completed with family living in Atlanta Pittsburg Community near downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Adams provided therapeutic and support services for children in multi-generational family and assisting with educational goal obtainment for multiple family members. Adams co-developed tools to assist the family with developing educational roles and practical options to increase literacy and educational growth within multi-generational family system.

Evidence

Presentation research support by Adams’ direct family service experience and case study completed with Atlanta Pittsburg community family. Supporting evidence related to graduation risk factors and high school graduation statistics are supported through multiple supporting studies including “Building a GradNation: Progress and challenge in ending the high school dropout epidemic” as well as “Don’t Call Them Dropouts: Understanding the Experiences of Young People who Leave High School Before Graduation”. Balfanz, R., Bridgeland, J. M., Bruce, M., Fox, J.H. (2013). Building a GradNation: Progress and challenge in ending the high school dropout epidemic. Washington, DC: America’s Promise Alliance. America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University (2014). Don’t Call Them Dropouts: Understanding the Experiences of Young People who Leave High School before Graduation. Medford, MA: America’s Promise Alliance.

Biographical Sketch

Hannah Adams, LMSW CAC1, therapist providing counseling and support services for metro Atlanta children and their families. Adams obtained Masters of Social Work degree with Community Partnership focus from Georgia State University, 2013. Professional experience developed through a decade of broad application of therapeutic and supporting services including homelessness prevention, domestic violence shelter management, addiction recovery, and children and family therapeutic and support services. Therapeutic practices based on individual and family system theory with strength-based for goal obtainment for the whole family. Adams is author of Case Study: Developing Boundaries in Socioeconomic Disadvantaged African American families.

Keyword Descriptors

education, family roles, community, support, risk-factors, boundaries

Presentation Year

2015

Start Date

3-4-2015 9:45 AM

End Date

3-4-2015 11:00 AM

Recommended Citation

Adams, Hannah E., "Educating the Whole Family: Expanding Education Through a Multi-Generational Learning Environment in Socioeconomic Disadvantaged Communities" (2015). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 157.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2015/2015/157