View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Texas A&M University HEARING THE VOICES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL LOBBYISTS AND THEIR ROLE IN LOBBYING FOR EDUCATION A Dissertation by AARON JERMAINE GRIFFEN Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee: Norvella Carter Committee Members: Lynn Burlbaw Patricia Larke Gwendolyn Webb-Hasan Head of Department: Lynn Burlbaw December 2015 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Copyright 2015 Aaron Jermaine Griffen ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to hear the voices, life experiences and lobbying practices of four African American educational lobbyists and their role in lobbying for education. There is a void where the voices of African American educational lobbyists are limited. They are almost non-existent due to past practices in the nation’s history that ensured African Americans would have no representation at the decision making table. As a result, we have not heard the voices of African American educational lobbyists in the 21st century, nor do we know how they feel about their ability or inability to influence and impact educational decisions. This study provides a snapshot of how African American educational lobbyists describe their personal characteristics; how African American educational lobbyists exercise and interpret their acts of lobbying; and how these African American educational lobbyists describe their influence or impact on education. Findings from the study reveal that African American educational lobbyists believe that they can influence and impact educational policy despite unique challenges they face. New findings from the voices of the African American educational lobbyists reveal that they benefit from a reaper, are immersed in a dual credibility standard and utilize reverse interest convergence as they Navigate the System. In order to be effective, have the ability to impact and influence and focus on African American achievement, there are avoidance factors in lobbying that should be employed in order to establish a New Lobby. ii DEDICATION Without God in my life, this study would not have been possible. I have been blessed with the ability to put thoughts into words and to think dimensionally. I am grateful for his favor on my life and those who have made this study possible. This study is dedicated to the late Vance Heard and First St. Jimmy Davis, ESSAYONS! “First”, Jimmy, you were one of my driving motivators to begin a Doctoral program. Our conversations and debates still ring in my ears; your memories stay with me. I wish you were here to see how your friendship continues to be appreciated. Coach Heard, you were a great teacher and role model to so many. I still follow your teachings every day. To my wife, Karen Griffen, and my boys, Solomon and Langston. I thank you for your sacrifices, your patience, and your support and for standing with me as we journeyed through this study. The three of you motivate me to do and be my very best. I love you all and thank you. To my mother, Carolyn Halsey. You have always been my inspiration. My work ethic and grit come from watching you raise three men on your own. You did a fantastic job. I turned out pretty well. Thank you. To my nephews and nieces, including those I do not know. To my brothers and sisters (Harriole, Wanda, Kim, Thomas, and Edmond). May this work, someday, find you. Our family is not the sum of our circumstances. Nor does our present situation define our family. Aspire to be great at whatever you do even when it makes others uncomfortable. With this work, your uncle and brother, A.J., has aspired to accomplish that task. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There is just simply no way I could have completed this journey without a lot of support. There are those who believed in me before I believed in myself and then there are those who were not surprised that I was capable. To Dr. Norvella Carter, my committee chair, advisor, and biggest supporter. I thank you for challenging me to do what has not been done and to leave my comfort zone. You had a vision for me and would not relent until I understood that I was capable of much more. I thank you for your guidance and your unrelenting support throughout the program. I am the scholar I am because you pushed me to challenge status quo and to seek out solutions versus simply pointing out problems. To Dr. Lynn Burlbaw, you have enhanced my research capability and expanded my methodologies. I thank you also for pushing my research interests and challenging me not to accept convention. To Dr. Patricia Larke, I thank you for helping me hone in on what my study was actually about and for recommending I expand my literature base. I fully believe that your recommendations have resulted in a study that will cross multiple boundaries. To Dr. Gwen Webb-Hassan, you helped me discover the impact I will have as a principal by developing my inner CRIL of whom I did not know existed. The CRIL is beginning to effect change on my campus. To Dr. Kamala Williams, you have been like a big sister for me and our cohort. Thank you for the timely phone calls and for allowing me to still be a part of the courses you teach. I greatly appreciate you always checking in. iv To Dr. Chance W. Lewis, I thank you for your guidance and mentoring at the start of this journey and throughout. At the start of our program, you pushed me in my writing and in how I interpreted policy. I thank you for sharing key insights. You once shared, “Sometimes you have to create your opportunities”. This insight has served me well. Thank you. To Dr. Rebecca Brown, you supported me as my principal from the beginning. I thank you for the advisement and for being flexible with my schedule when I had to travel to College Station during the work week. You made it less stressful working and going to school. I thank you for creating a platform at Grantham Academy for me to utilize the new skills I was developing. To Ms. Teresa Lance, I thank you for your support in finishing this study. For an entire year, you have asked where I was in the process. This last month you set a challenge for the both of us and provided the time for me to “buckle down”. I thank you. To George Flores, you have been a great friend and confidant. I thank you for challenging me to do my absolute best and for being a listening ear when I would come up with various research ideas. Thanks for being a colleague and a brother. To Dr. Aneil Smothers, thank you for your support and guidance in the absolute final stage. I thank you for taking the time to help me with a last step I just simply could not figure out. You are an exemplary example of an Urban Education Doctor from Texas A&M University. v To the 2010 cohort, we are almost finished. I thank you for the laughter, the candor, the disagreements and most importantly the journey. Together, we have accomplished a lot in 5 years. But, our journey is nowhere near complete. I thank you for staying the course with me. To the Sierra High School and Grantham Academy faculty and staff and parents and students, you are an amazing group with whom I am allowed to work. I thank you for accepting me into your community and for recognizing the passion I have for learning and educating. I thank you for your support in me finishing this study. To the Black educators of Solomon M. Coles Elementary and Special Emphasis School: Dr. Sid Garner, Mrs. Wanda Perry, Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Gladys Smith, Mrs. Jackie Marcie and Mrs. Lois Jefferson, 1980 to 1986. Words cannot express what your early influence has had on me as an educator, father, husband and mentor. I feel that having Black educators early in my life made all the difference in who I am still becoming. I remember the day I realized that I was emulating each of you in my approach to education and leadership. I thank you for never losing faith in us at Coles when others did. You made a difference. I am a product of your dedication, and I therefore intend to pay it forward. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION.................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER IINTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 5 Critical Race Theory (CRT) ............................................................. 6 Personal Story .......................................................................................... 15 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................... 18 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................ 19 Significance of the Study ......................................................................... 19 Research Questions .................................................................................. 20 Definition of Terms .................................................................................