Fathers Incorporated’s Moynihan Institute partners with RedefinED Atlanta to write a series of educational briefs addressing best practices in fatherhood engagement
ATLANTA (August 9, 2021)— Fathers Incorporated (FI) has partnered with RedefinED Atlanta to write a series of educational briefs addressing fatherhood engagement for low-income African American students and their families. These briefs speak directly to fatherhood engagement best practices for educators in K-12 institutions. The first of the three briefs highlight the importance of addressing fathers’ educational attainment, employment opportunities and former incarceration with advice to positively impact youth educational outcomes. It also highlights the importance of viewing fatherhood engagement work through the lens of social justice.
Fathers Incorporated’s Moynihan Institute Fellows are overseeing this project. The Moynihan Institute for Research and Policy provides descriptive and explanatory research and policy positions on issues that impact Black families from the perspective of fathers. These briefs are designed for academicians and practitioners to focus continued attention on attaining social justice for fathers who will, in turn, have the tools necessary to help their children do well in school.
Over the past year, the world has experienced an unveiling. The global pandemic exposed systems of racial inequity in health care, the economy, schools, and technology, among other things. Protests, propelled by George Floyd’s murder in 2020 exposed glaring cracks in the criminal justice system and highlighted systemic racism and a reckoning in America. Although these issues are not new, they lay bare the challenges Black families face every day and have faced since the inception of this country. The consequences of these issues are far-reaching and impact generations, and the Moynihan Institute was launched as the solution to these challenges.
“It’s time to set a ‘new’ starting point for examining, understanding, servicing, and promoting Black fatherhood. We believe it begins with ‘reimagining’ – looking at the evolution of Black dads,” shares Kenneth Braswell, CEO of Fathers Incorporated. He continues, “And we have an esteemed advisory board that will ensure this work moves forward for the next researchers and policymakers.”
There are real historical impacts that have affected Black dads, their current reality and charting a new blueprint for how the modern Black dad of today must be viewed, engaged, inspired, strengthened and advanced.” Explains Dr. Matisa Wilbon; Associate Research Scientist for Fathers Incorporated and founding fellow of the Moynihan Institute.
FI is a leader in the fatherhood field and is known for its national and local outreach focused on improving father engagement in the lives of children. FI believes that the presence or absence of fathers shapes the way children view the world and interact with people and that fathers are an essential element in successful families and thriving, stable, healthy communities.
“We know that student academic outcomes are influenced by the quality of a school,” said Adah Pittman-DeLancey, Vice President of Impact and External Relations at RedefinED Atlanta. “Beyond that certainty, it’s also important that we encourage and invest in other factors that are shown to positively impact children’s educational outcomes, such as fatherhood engagement and their active participation in children’s learning and school community.”
To access the full report, please visit http://www.fathersincorporated.com or https://www.fathersincorporated.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/educational-brief-1.1.pdf
Also see video preview by Dr. Matisa Wilbon at
