Last month鈥檚 release of data from the assessment known as 鈥渢he nation鈥檚 report card鈥� was striking. Students across the country, regardless of where they live or their background, suffered staggering blows to their learning during the pandemic, losing ground that experts fear will take years to recover.
The results bolster dozens of other estimates of depressed achievement thanks to the pandemic and have spurred urgent calls to action. and 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and pressed the community to ensure students aren鈥檛 鈥渢he ones who sacrifice most now or in the long run.鈥�
But despite the months and months of warnings, American parents still tend to think the problem lurks outside of their home鈥攁ffecting other children but not their own.
Despite the widespread evidence that the majority of students are struggling, most parents鈥�92 percent according to 鈥� believe their children are at grade level and doing just fine in the classroom. That disconnect could affect school districts鈥� ability to help students regain academic ground post-pandemic, even as they have millions of dollars to spend on learning recovery.
鈥淚f parents don鈥檛 have the right, or the accurate, information, they can become a barrier instead of a partner,鈥� said Bibb Hubbard, the founder and president of Learning Heroes, a nonprofit focused on ensuring parents have accurate information about students鈥� progress. 鈥淚f parents have this false sense of, 鈥楳y kid鈥檚 doing fine,鈥� they are going to send them to basketball camp rather than summer tutoring. That will affect how well that money is being utilized and reaching the students it needs to reach.鈥�
What鈥檚 causing the perception gap about how kids are doing?
The disconnect is likely due, at least in part, to report cards and other school-level academic measures given to parents that often paint a more positive picture, Hubbard said.
Usually, if a student is sent home with a report card that shows a 鈥淏鈥� in reading, for example, parents will interpret that as their child is reading on grade level and doing OK, Hubbard said. But that鈥檚 not necessarily true鈥攊t means they鈥檙e meeting classroom expectations, which might or might not include their reading level.
Absent other student-specific data, like standardized test scores, or explicit communication from teachers about their child鈥檚 performance, parents often believe that their student is doing fine academically. Then, if they鈥檙e told their child should participate in tutoring or after school programs, they鈥檒l likely question why or opt out.
To be sure, the issue of grade inflation has long been debated in the K-12 space, but it鈥檚 likely that thanks to the pandemic, what鈥檚 on those report cards could be even more misleading than before the pandemic.
During school closures in 2020 and 2021, some districts relaxed their grading policies to accommodate the unique problems students were facing鈥攍earning from home, widespread illness, death, trauma, and financial problems.
Some advocates, like, a conservative education think tank, have criticized the move, arguing that 鈥渓owering expectations鈥� set students up for failure.
In a recent report, Fordham researchers say that higher expectations and tougher grading correlate with better performance. Easing grading policies in the midst of so much change and difficulty left students with less reason to engage and perform well, they said.
The changes in grading policies could also help mask the severity of students鈥� needs, they suggest.
Be generous with your data
For educators, it鈥檚 critical, Hubbard said, to be clear with parents about what classroom grading means (and doesn鈥檛). Teachers and administrators should consistently explain the benchmarks they use for grading, and share as much student- and district-level data from other assessments as possible, Hubbard said.
That can be difficult after more than two years of pandemic-related difficulties, which have sometimes created tension between community members and school staff. Teachers may be afraid parents will blame or judge them for their children鈥檚 struggles.
Over time, though, parents generally respond more positively to honesty and transparency than attempting to downplay the severity of a situation, Hubbard said.
It can help, she added, to prioritize consistent family engagement from the beginning of the year between parents and teachers, so when difficult conversations need to happen, it doesn鈥檛 feel 鈥減unitive.鈥�
鈥淲hat districts often default to is the first time a parent hears from a teacher it鈥檚 because there鈥檚 a behavior problem, or something bad has happened, so immediately, it鈥檚 in the negative frame,鈥� Hubbard said. 鈥淪o then the parent feels defensive and then the teacher feels defensive and it becomes this very negative exchange.鈥�
An innovative way to break through 鈥榯eacher speak鈥� and connect with parents
Some districts that have noticed the disconnect between parents鈥� perception of their children鈥檚 performance and reality have found success in tried-and-true approaches.
In Columbus, an approach to engagement that predates the pandemic by nearly a decade has set the groundwork for connecting with families. For years, the city鈥檚 school system has operated a 鈥渇amily ambassador program,鈥� in which community members鈥攍ike parents, grandparents, and retirees鈥攕erve as liaisons between families and the district.
People who apply and are chosen to serve as ambassadors are paid a stipend for their work, which includes coaching parents on how to effectively interact with the their child鈥檚 school, advise them on how to address issues, connect with community-based services, and maintain open communication about school happenings.
Ambassadors receive training about district systems and best practices in engaging with families. They are often bilingual, and can help break down the 鈥渢eacher speak鈥� that can sometimes cloud the messages districts are trying to relay.
鈥淭he way we talk in schools, there鈥檚 a lot of acronyms or jargon, and the great thing about the ambassadors is it鈥檚 a parent talking to a parent in a way that makes more sense,鈥� said Tonya Milligan, the district鈥檚 executive director of teaching and learning. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a comfort level that is going to exist that our parents are going to ask questions that they may not ask to a teacher because they feel intimidated or uncomfortable, but they鈥檒l ask to another parent.鈥�
Empowering students can help bridge the gap
New engagement strategies can help districts relay important messages, too.
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring advises districts to continue hosting the virtual meetings and information sessions they adopted during the pandemic, so more families can participate without the hassle of traveling to a specific location or giving up time at work or at home.
Those meetings should be held consistently, and would ideally be provided in multiple languages, or with translation services available, she added.
鈥淭here is no perfect silver bullet around communication, there is simply the mandate that we are consistent with it,鈥� Herring said. 鈥淭here are pockets of your community where one form of communication may work better and not so much in the other, and as much as we鈥檙e still working to explore that, we are committed to doing that.鈥�
People also look to superintendents as leaders, and hearing the information directly from them in a clear and direct way could help get important messages across, she said. Herring hosts 鈥渃luster chats,鈥� where she visits different neighborhoods to talk face-to-face with community members about district happenings and students鈥� needs.
But the most effective tool to getting parents and schools on the same page about their children鈥檚 academic progress may just be the children themselves.
鈥淚f we can communicate to that child what they need and why, and make them feel like they鈥檙e supported and want to engage, they are also powerful in communicating that with their families and parents,鈥� Herring said. 鈥淧erhaps they鈥檙e the most impactful triggers to get parents into the school building.鈥�
