A majority of participants responded positively to the video, preferring neither parent nor student perspective over the other, but valuing both and referring to both as they answered survey questions. Participants overall reported a) an increased desire to implement more hands-on learning in the classroom and b) to become more involved in their community. Another noteworthy observation regards the “dispelling myths about the Black community” question — interestingly, some participants expressed confusion regarding this question, answering with language that inferred that: a) they did not have or consider these prejudices or b) believed that race did not matter in the subject at hand, indicating defensiveness at the notion. Despite this, many participants acknowledged that these myths and biases exist, and followed this acknowledgement with a desire to help Black families thrive by striving to better serve their community.

In the context of teacher education, engaging pre-service teachers (PST) in conversations about community and external perspectives (i.e., parent/student) can help them better understand the importance of engaging with their community, as well as more thoroughly and critically examine and welcome community input in the classroom. This is critical to those just entering the profession.

IFor in-service teachers (IST), regularly getting the chance to be exposed to community perspectives, especially from parents, can allow them to consistently evaluate their practices as a teacher and ensure their students are getting the best possible learning experience.