He got his reputation attacked when it was shown that there was a belief that the school should take care of everything (Parents didn't encourage/supervise, students didn't care, etc).
That said, I don't think it's entirely wrong to think that if you send your child to school for 6-8 hours a day, they should actually come home having learned something.
I didn't have helicopter parents, my parents just watched for grades. No PTA meetings, no reviewing my hw, no private tutors... I grew up and went to schools in the hood, but still got great grades, took a dozen AP/advanced courses, was in IB, got into an ivy league college, etc. etc.
So there was definitely something going on at school with regard to student expectations, curriculum, and teacher quality (I had amazing teachers).
"there was a belief that the school should take care of everything (Parents didn't encourage/supervise, students didn't care, etc)."
I thought that was clear...
That is, white researchers who live, work, and play among their white peers are drawing conclusions about a community they (socially) know nothing about. These researchers often have few/no black friends. Have never been to a predominantly black party. Never sat down in a black hair salon or barbershop and listened to the talk of the day.
How we expect accurate analysis that can lead to meaningful solutions is beyond me.
ETA: Persistent poverty in the black community is the result of many things. Misplaced and legitimate distrust of white people, misguided government programs, low expectations, too high expectations, racist laws, stereotypes about black intelligence, black people's internalization of those stereotypes...
Anyone expecting a conclusive study that comes down on one side or the other, or that narrows the problem/solution to any one issue is living a pipe dream.