The Role of Parents’ School Climate Perceptions on Attainment Expectations for Black Middle Schoolers

Parents’ beliefs about their children’s schools are important influences on their parenting and on their children’s outcomes. Because of Black parents’ concerns that their children may encounter racial discrimination in their schools, they may be particularly wary of that environment. We examined whether parents’ school climate perceptions regarding how parents and children are treated in school were related to parents’ own attainment expectations in a sample of Black parents. Five hundred and eighty-six Black parents took part in the study (92% female). Results indicated that parents’ school climate perceptions regarding how parents are treated in schools were associated with parents’ attainment expectations (β = 0.080, p < 0.05). However, parents’ school climate perceptions regarding how their children are treated in school were not associated with parents’ attainment expectations. Our findings highlight the importance of parents’ school climate perceptions on parents’ attainment expectations. These results also provide insights into the ways in which Black parents’ beliefs about the school environment impact their beliefs about their children. The implications of the current findings are discussed in terms of parents’ beliefs and the role of school experiences. Recommendations for future research are discussed.