Between a rock and a hard place: Using critical race theory and critical consciousness to understand black parents' decision-making for their children's educational futures

The Black community has a long legacy of education as a liberatory path to freedom and opportunity. However, due to the pervasiveness of racism in American society, Black parents are tasked with navigating and engaging with school systems that are often harmful to and do not serve their children in racially equitable ways. As a result, Black parents are left with having to weigh numerous options for their child that are often not ideal. Using critical race theory and critical consciousness as guiding theoretical frameworks, this chapter explores various decisions Black parents make for their children and the considerations they must leverage. This chapter concludes with a discussion of multiple points of intervention that aim to reduce the burden of extra labor on Black parents. Potential pathways and practices for future teachers, current teachers, administrators, and policymakers to view Black parents from a place of strength rather than deficit to reduce the racial harm and prevalent stereotypical views of how Black parents engage with their children’s schools are also discussed.