The STAR Project

The purpose of the STAR project is to describe African-American fathers' and father figures' perceptions of their roles in the school readiness and academic socialization of their preschool-aged children using in-depth qualitative interviewing.

Background

The voices of African-American fathers are conspicuously absent from the school readiness and early childhood development discourses. Lack of attention to African-American fathers’ perspectives and behaviors is likely due, in part, to estimates that up to 66% of African-American children live with unmarried mothers. While parents individually influence academic readiness, the parenting quality and the extent of its impact can be influenced by personal history and how well parents work together.

Participants

These fathers are residential or non residential African American fathers and father-figures who have school-aged children. A total of 30 fathers will be interviewed at the completion of this project.

Funding

This project is funded through a small grant from the Spencer Foundation