There Goes the PTA: Building Parent Identity, Relationships, and Power in Gentrifying Schools

Abstract

In cities across the country, school communities must contend with new challenges introduced by gentrification and the arrival of middle class and white families. This collaborative research study looks at schools where parent organizers are attempting to intervene in processes of gentrification that may further marginalize lower-income families of color. Based on interviews with diverse parents at three gentrifying schools, the study applies existing organizing models to urban schools undergoing racial, class, and linguistic transformations. The findings indicate that parents and organizers can develop an inclusive and equitable school community by rooting their shared identity in school/neighborhood history, emphasizing relationship building, and ensuring that parent leadership structures and practices remain responsive to lower-income families. Implications and limitations of the model also are discussed.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to Chy McGhee and De'Ricka Crooks for their work and insights at the outset of this study. Your contributions have greatly enriched the research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Esa Syeed

Esa Syeed is an assistant professor in Sociology at California State University-Long Beach.