Low-Income Black Parents Supporting Their Children’s Success through Mentoring Circles - Results of a Parent Engagement Project

Oct 15, 2026

Article presents findings from a parent engagement initiative titled “Mentoring Circles,” designed to support low-income Black parents with children enrolled in the Toronto District School Board. Two focus groups (seven to eight parents each) were conducted during summer 2018 and informed by community wealth, funds of knowledge, Black feminist theory, and critical race theory. Parent narratives function as counter-stories to stereotypes and highlight strong investment in children’s education, peer mentoring networks, and advocacy. Results indicate mentoring circles as a viable model for engaging Black parents in academic support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Parent engagement project: “Mentoring Circles”

Context: poverty, systemic racism, and school participation

Challenges for low-income Black families in education

Low-Income Black Parents Supporting Their Children’s Success through Mentoring Circles Alana Butler Queen’s University Abstract This article presents the results of a parent engagement project called “Mentoring Circles.”The project focused on the needs of low-income Black parents who have children enrolled in the Toronto District School Board. Two focus groups, with seven to eight Black parents in each group, were conducted during the summer of 2018. The study drew on theories of community wealth and funds of knowledge (González et al., 2005; Yosso, 2005), Black feminist theory (Collins, 2000; Crenshaw, 1991), and critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012). The Black parent narratives served as counter-stories to stereotypes about Black parent disengagement in low-income communities. The low-income Black parents in the study were very engaged in their children’s education and were invested in their academic success. The Black parents strategized to support their children’s education by forming supportive peer mentoring networks and advocating for their children though Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 44:1 (2021)©2021 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) relationship-building. The findings suggest that mentoring circles could serve as a model for engaging Black parents in the support of their children’s academic success. Keywords: Black Canadian children and youth, anti-Black racism, Black parents and students, low socio-economic status, race and ethnicity, social class Résumé Les parents noirs à faible revenu soutiennent la réussite de leurs enfants grâce à des cercles de mentorat. Cet article présente les résultats d’un projet d’engagement des parents appelé« Cercles de mentorat ». Le projet s’est concentré sur les besoins des parents noirs à faiblerevenu ayant des enfants inscrits au Toronto District School Board. Deux groupes de discussion avec 7 à 8 parents noirs ont été organisés au cours de l’été 2018. L’étude s’est inspirée des théories de la richesse communautaire et des fonds de connaissances (González et al., 2005 ; Yosso, 2005), de la théorie féministe noire (Collins, 2000 ; Crenshaw, 1991) et de la théorie critique des races (Delgado et Stefancic, 2012) . Les récits des parents noirsont servi de contre-histoires aux stéréotypes sur le désengagement des parents noirs dans les communautés à faible revenu. Les parents noirs à faible revenu participant à l’étude étaient très engagés dans l’éducation de leurs enfants et investis dans leur réussite scolaire. Les parents noirs ont élaboré une stratégie pour soutenir l’éducation de leurs enfants en formant des réseaux de soutien par les pairs et en défendant leurs enfants grâce à l’établissement de relations. Les résultats permettent de croire que les cercles de mentorat pourraient servir de modèle pour inciter les parents noirs à soutenir la réussite scolaire de leurs enfants. Mots-clés : enfants et jeunes afro-canadiens, le racisme anti-noir, parents et étudiants noirs, statut socio-économique bas, race et ethnicité, classe sociale Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 44:1 (2021) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction The article presents the findings of a parent engagement project called “Mentoring Circles.” Funded by a small provincial grant, the purpose of the project was to engage low-income Black parents with their local school communities and to support one another. Through mentoring circles, participants were encouraged to share their strategies for navigating the complex school system and to share their experiences of anti-Black racism. Among racialized groups, Black families are more likely to experience financial insecurity, in large part due to institutional and systemic racism. Although the 2016 census indicated that Ontario’s overall poverty rate was 14%, for racialized pe

FAQs

What is the “Mentoring Circles” project about?

“Mentoring Circles” is a parent engagement initiative intended to connect low-income Black parents with their local school communities and support one another through structured mentoring circles.

How was the study conducted?

Two focus groups were held in summer 2018, with seven to eight Black parents in each group, exploring strategies for navigating the school system and experiences of anti-Black racism.

What did the findings suggest about engaging Black parents?

The findings indicate that mentoring circles can serve as a model for engaging Black parents in supporting their children’s academic success, through peer mentoring networks and advocacy for relationship-building.

Oct 15, 2026

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