SOWK 510: Theoretical Framework on Chronic Absenteeism and Street Activities Among African American Youth in Baltimore
SOWK 510: Theoretical Framework on Chronic Absenteeism and Street Activities Among African American Youth in Baltimore
The theoretical framework for this study on chronic absenteeism and street activities among African American youth in Baltimore is anchored in two fundamental theories. This paper is based on two theories: the Social Disorganization Theory and the Ecological Systems Theory. These theories serve as the theoretical framework that will enable the analysis of multiple and interrelated socio-economic and environmental factors that underpin the issue under analysis.
Social Disorganization Theory
Social Disorganization theory was pioneered by sociologists at the Chicago school, who argued that social structures in society give way to crime and juvenile delinquency. This theory can be applied to the occurrences in Baltimore since the culture is characterized by high levels of poverty and high levels of economic disparity, which, compounded by unemployment, has undermined social entities such as families, schools, and social outfits. The theory also effectively captures why youths in the Baltimore area of African American descent are so deeply involved in street activities and why they are usually the ones who suffer from truancy.
According to Hilton et al. (2020), social disorganization occurs when the community cannot assist its inhabitants in realizing collective values and has weak structures to enforce compliance. Their absence causes young people to be on the streets in Baltimore, where they are forced to fend for themselves financially. The collapse of families has significantly failed to support children’s regular attendance in school, leading to many cases of truancy.
This has been supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2023), which says children brought up in such environments are likely to be behind in school, excluded from mainstream society, and destined for a life of crime. Based on the report from the Foundation, the child poverty rate in the U.S. has increased by more than double in the past couple of years, with African American children hard hit. This economic hardship leads to the inability of families to meet children’s education needs, hence high incidences of truancy and indulgence in street vice The Annie E. Casey Foundation, (2023).
Ecological Systems Theory
Urie Bronfenbrenner formulated the Ecological Systems Theory to describe how different layers of the environment affect people’s behavior. This theory is highly relevant to the situation of African American youth in Baltimore because it takes into account the multiple layers of the environment that play a role in daily truancy and participation in street activities.
According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, human development is determined by a number of environmental systems, which may be classified into the following: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. For Baltimore, the microsystem comprises family and school neighborhoods significantly affected by poverty and disorganization. For example, in poverty-stricken families, children have fewer education opportunities and are often enrolled in poorly funded schools with few social services (Hofstaedter, 2023).
Bronfenbrenner’s model defines a Mesosystem as the relations people have with other microsystems within the environment. Changes in the social environment affecting Baltimore youth complicate the situation due to the unrelated work of family, schools, and other community structures. For instance, the schools in Baltimore have not been effective in establishing positive relations with families over time because of structural problems such as poverty and lack of resources. This lack of coordination exposes most children to increasing truancy and engagement in street activities, Hofstaedter (2023).
The exosystem comprises external contextual influences that may impact the individual more remotely, encompassing the local economy and neighborhood surroundings. In Baltimore, factors such as the high level of unemployment and generally limited economic opportunities in the predominantly black areas of the city promote social disorganization that makes street activities possible. These economic situations contribute to the chances of youth not attending school and becoming engaged in low-level economic activities to meet their basic needs (Maryland State Department of Education, 2023).
Finally, the macrosystem is the larger context, culture, and structure within which a person exists. The social differences in America, especially the Black and White division, as well as economic status, are essential aspects when understanding the lives of young African Americans in Baltimore. These broader structural issues explain why these youth cannot succeed academically and remain impoverished (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2023).
Integration of Theories
Moving by social disorganization and ecological systems theories will enable me to reveal the interconnections of truancy and street involvement among African American youths in Baltimore. Social Disorganization theory concentrates on the quality of police performance and their inability or poor organization in those societies; therefore, crime prevalence and low attendance (Hilton et al., 2020). On the other hand, ecological systems theory is broader and emphasizes how the different environmental contexts may influence people’s behavior.
On this note, this research could provide more light on the general causes of black youths’ truancy and street participation. The theories also form the basis for defining the intervention measures to solve these problems because the individual and structural factors are involved. For instance, interventions could affect the improvement of family involvement, the financial assistance for schools, the school, family, and community organization support system (Hilton, Wang, Cunha, & Goodman, 2020). It also improves the ability to work on viable strategies whose nature and execution make truancy unwanted and educational attendance appealing to the targeted youths in Baltimore. Consequently, this research study will play a vital role in enhancing the social policies and enactments of community organizations, thus addressing the dysfunction of these organizations and the different contextual factors that may influence youths’ behaviors in society.
Conclusion
The social disorganization theory and the ecological systems theory can be used to justify poverty, truancy, and street engagement among African American youths in Baltimore. Therefore, the significance of this research for future research is connected with the analysis of the initial and subsequent cause-and-effect relationships between social disorganization at the individual and community levels and the development of certain factors in the ecological systems to prevent truancy and its potential influence on students’ performance indicators.
References
Hilton, T. P., Fawson, P. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2020). Applied Social Research: A Tool for the Human Services (10th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Hofstaedter, E. (2023, August 29). Baltimore City schools are tackling chronic absenteeism; one West Baltimore School leads the fight. WYPR. https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2023-08-29/baltimore-city-schools-are-tackling-chronic-absenteeism-one-west-baltimore-school-leads-the-fight
Maryland State Department of Education. (2023). Truancy and Absenteeism in Baltimore City Schools. https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/05/13/chronic-absenteeism-school-attendance/
The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2023, October 27). Child poverty in America more than doubled in 2022. https://www.aecf.org/blog/new-child-poverty-data-illustrates-the-powerful-impact-of-americas-safety-net-programs?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwurS3BhCGARIsADdUH53Z_JYeLjMssHtbRvHEd7KLVVeystMdPlZM149TUtQRf4nQCzRH09UaAuomEALw_wcB
SOWK 510: Theoretical Framework on Chronic Absenteeism and Street Activities Among African American Youth in Baltimore
