Abstract
African American women and girls have shown notable academic and career gains, yet research on their success factors is limited. This workshop affirms historical and contemporary factors—like aptitude, home, mentors, quality instruction, and time use—that sustain their achievement. The workshop will highlight evidence-based solutions, providing participants with a practical toolkit to foster their academic talent and well-being. This workshop is for superintendents, administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders supporting Black girls and women.
Session Proposal
Keywords: Academic talent development, mixed methods, African American female faculty
While African American women have demonstrated significant increases in the attainment of doctoral degrees—particularly in education and law (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2016)—comprehensive research examining their longitudinal, life-span academic talent development remains limited (McNeely, Cobham, & Patton, 2015). This workshop session investigates how the intersection of school, home, and extracurricular time affects the academic trajectories of tenured and tenure-track African American women at U.S. research universities.
The theoretical framework for this inquiry is the Productive Giftedness Model (PGM), which offers a robust lens for analyzing talent development from pre-K through career stages (Paik, 2013, 2015). The PGM is a 10-factor model organized into three primary categories: Individual Aptitude (ability, motivation, development), Instructional Factors (quality and quantity of instruction, school climate), and Environmental Factors (home, mentors, peers, and extracurricular time). A central tenet of the PGM is that these factors are largely alterable and can be intentionally adjusted to optimize academic outcomes. Furthermore, the model incorporates critical contextual variables—including race, age, and historical background—to illuminate how specific circumstances influence the development of academic excellence (Paik, 2013, 2015; Paik et al., 2019).
This research employs a mixed-methods approach to examine the multifaceted influences of family, school, and use of extracurricular time on life-span talent development. This methodology facilitates an in-depth understanding of participants' lived experiences while using quantitative measures to efficiently collect foundational data (Creswell, 2017). The qualitative components are particularly essential for capturing the voices of populations traditionally underrepresented in educational research (Creswell, 2016). Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was secured from Claremont Graduate University prior to the commencement of data collection (Marshall Harper, 2023).
Preliminary findings indicate that school, home, and extracurricular time usage serve as pivotal sites for academic talent development (Clayton, 2017; Fredricks & Eccles, 2006; Lavy & Schlosser, 2007). Participants specifically identified rigorous learning environments, knowledgeable and invested caregivers, and the structured utilization of extracurricular time as the primary drivers of their academic success (Clayton, 2017; Fredricks & Eccles, 2006).
The implications of this research suggest a critical need for educators to reevaluate advanced curricula and enrichment programs to ensure equitable access and long-term sustainability for African American female students. Furthermore, ongoing professional development must address educator dispositions and implicit biases regarding the intellectual capacity of African American females. Within the domestic sphere, the findings suggest that home structures should ideally mirror and reinforce the academic rigor of school environments. Finally, integrating academic, artistic, and athletic clubs into formal student schedules—alongside cultivating community partnerships with local businesses and universities—is recommended to expand educational opportunities into real-world contexts (Marshall Harper, 2023).
The potential impact of this workshop session lies in its ability to inform equitable recruitment and retention policies by identifying the specific environmental supports that accelerate the academic trajectories of African American women. By challenging existing biases and promoting a comprehensive community-based support network, this research seeks to bridge the gap between educational institutions and the broader social economy, fostering an inclusive landscape for academic talent development.
