Learning Heroes’ sixth annual national survey dives deeply into the beliefs and perceptions of parents, teachers, and principals. Some of its findings: Parents want to be as involved or even more involved in their children’s education. Safety should be a top priority in school, followed by academic progress, mental health, and emotional well-being. And what keeps parents up at night? Politicians making decisions about what their kids learn in the classroom.
Following are key findings:
- Parents say they will be as or more involved in their children’s education (93%), even after an unprecedented year of engagement in their children’s education. Parents prioritize getting a better understanding of what is expected of their child (86% very/somewhat likely) and seeking a better understanding of where their child is academically (85% very/somewhat likely). Similarly, eighty-six percent of teachers and 84% of principals say they will spend the same or more effort on family engagement this year.
- Parents and educators agree what’s most important for schools: Safety of students and staff, academic progress, mental health, and emotional well-being are the top priorities for parents and educators this year. For school communications, parents prioritize direct and truthful information about performance (87% top priority/very important) and having a clear picture of their child’s achievement (85% top priority/very important). Teachers agree, saying that the most important priorities for communications are making sure parents have a clear picture of their child’s academics (88% top priority/very important) and building trust (86% top priority/very important).
- Gap continues between parent and teacher perceptions of achievement: More than nine in ten parents (92%) believe their child is at least on grade level, with most (84%) saying that their child gets B’s or better. Meanwhile 44% of teachers say most of their students are ready for grade level work.
- Politicians being involved in curriculum has risen to the top of parent concerns. When it comes to what keeps parents up at night, this year’s top worry (68%) is, “politicians making decisions about what their children learn in the classroom”, ranking slightly higher than their children’s happiness and emotional well-being (65%) and, given their belief that their child is on grade level, being on track academically (53%).
For more, see: https://bealearninghero.org/research/
