Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0008-6651-5580
Defense Date
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Education
First Advisor
Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch
Abstract
This three-paper dissertation investigates how the cultural wealth of Black American families functions as a foundation for educational, developmental, and economic outcomes, especially for Black males, across childhood, adolescence, and the transition into adulthood. Grounded in frameworks of the Revised Cultural Wealth Model, African American Male Theory, and the Racial Stratification Model, the research repositions Black families as producers of capital rather than subjects of deficit. In Paper Paper 1, I synthesized scholarship on family structure, educational attainment, and economic standing, framing racial "achievement gaps” as long-standing education debts owed to Black males. In Paper 2, I used longitudinal data to test reciprocal links between parental expectations and children’s reading and math performance from Kindergarten through Grade 5, revealing mutual influence and early foundations of later disparities. In Paper 3, I redefine fatherhood as developmental capital, highlighting how biological and social fathers foster transitional youth (ages 14-24) achievement through responsibility, engagement, and accessibility. Collectively, through these studies, I argue that Black Americans are worthy of sustained investment as vital sources of cultural wealth.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
10-24-2025