90% of Parents Think Their Kids Are on Track in Math & Reading. The Real Number? Just 1 in 3, Survey Shows
Learning Heroes, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., has encountered a number of misconceptions while attempting to help parents understand the complex education system at their children’s schools. These misconceptions highlight a significant communication gap between schools and parents.
According to Bibb Hubbard, the founder and president of Learning Heroes, the education community continues to use language that parents are not familiar with. This disconnect in communication leads to parents having a different perception of their children’s academic performance compared to reality. In Learning Heroes’ second national survey, it was found that 90% of parents believe their children are performing at or above grade level in math and reading. However, data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that only 33% of U.S. eighth-graders are proficient in math and reading.
The survey also revealed that parents have high expectations for their children’s education, with 74% expecting them to obtain a college degree and 60% confident that they will be well prepared for college coursework. However, this may also be a misconception, as data from Complete College America shows that 50% of students entering two-year colleges and 20% of students entering four-year colleges need to take remedial classes.
Micky Bondo, a Maine parent who formed the group Portland Empowered to support immigrant parents, emphasized that language barriers are a significant obstacle. Bondo stated that there is a diverse population with different languages and educational backgrounds, and many parents cannot speak English. Report cards also do not provide enough information for parents to understand what they should be doing to support their children’s education.
The survey found that minority groups, including Spanish-speaking households, place a greater emphasis on the importance of obtaining a college degree. The survey also revealed that parents rely more on report cards (86%) than on state test scores (55%) to gauge their child’s academic performance. Two-thirds of parents believe that report cards give a more accurate picture of achievement than standardized tests. However, Elizabeth Rorick, the deputy executive director of communications and government affairs at the National PTA, emphasized the importance of parents considering overall performance, including state test results.
Parents also have concerns about their children’s well-being, including their happiness, emotional health, college affordability, peer pressure, online safety, and physical safety.
The survey conducted by Learning Heroes included over 1,400 K-8 public school parents between March and April 2017. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for all parents.
Learning Heroes, in collaboration with the National PTA and Scholastic, has developed a comprehensive checklist for families to effectively communicate and engage with schools during the back-to-school season. This valuable resource offers guidance on how to analyze state testing data, prepare for parent-teacher conferences, and foster academic skills at home.
Rorick, a key spokesperson from Learning Heroes, emphasized the crucial role played by the partnership between parents and teachers, highlighting the importance of teamwork in supporting student success.
Furthermore, Learning Heroes and receive funding from esteemed organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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