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Abstract
The current study examined how interpersonal and structural stressors influence the academic involvement of African American parents with early elementary school aged children. This study also investigated whether school characteristics buffered the relation between higher levels of stress and lower levels of parental involvement. Both traditional and nontraditional forms of parental involvement practices were assessed in a sample of 186 African American parents with early elementary school aged children. The relation between parental stressors, school factors, and academic involvement were examined using a latent variable framework. Findings indicated several direct effects of school characteristics on the different forms of parental involvement. The present study highlights the importance of acknowledging the structural and interpersonal stressors African Americans experience and how they employ various forms of school involvement practices to enhance their child’s learning. Implications for future research on African American school involvement practices are discussed.