69ý

Families & the Community

New Campaign Tries to Convince Parents That Their Kids Have Fallen Behind

By Caitlynn Peetz — April 05, 2023 3 min read
Photo of parent and child working on homework.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

In a push to get parents to enroll their children in summer school this year, a group of national education organizations is taking to the streets of six major cities to dispel widespread misconceptions that their children are doing OK in school.

The advertising campaign will target the six cities—Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York City, Sacramento County in California, and Washington, D.C.—with displays of side-by-side data showing the percentage of students proficient in math or English in that city and the percentage of parents who think their child is at or above grade level in that subject.

In Boston, for example, 23 percent of eighth-grade students were proficient in math in 2022, according to state standardized tests. Yet, 92 percent of parents there think their child is at or above grade level in the subject.

The new campaign will juxtapose those data in advertisements on billboards, transit shelters, and other digital screens throughout the cities, and call on parents to enroll their children in local summer school, considered a key tool in combatting pandemic-era learning loss.

After school closures and other COVID-related disruptions swept across the country, students—regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status—suffered historic blows to their academic achievement, as evidenced by the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also called The Nation’s Report Card.

There were declines in key subject areas like math and literacy across the board, prompting an urgent call to action for districts to catch students up. The strategies they’ve turned to have usually include tutoring, and have sometimes involved adding time to the school day or days to the school year. Essentially, the more time in the classroom, the better (as long as that time is used well), researchers say.

So, it’s no surprise that districts have funneled millions of dollars into building out more robust summer school programs in recent years.

But a disconnect between parents’ perceptions and the reality of their kids’ academic performance has stunted some schools’ efforts to enroll students in those programs, according to recent research.

A recent survey by Learning Heroes—a nonprofit focused on ensuring parents have accurate information about students’ progress—found that 92 percent of parents believe their children are at grade level and doing fine in the classroom despite evidence that a majority of students are struggling.

So, it’s critical that parents understand the gravity of the situation, and that it’s likely one their family needs to play a role in addressing, the campaign’s organizers say.

And some recent research suggests that if everyone’s on the same page, parents are ready to help. One survey commissioned by Learning Heroes last month that working together is a vital part of overcoming the pandemic’s impact on students’ academics.

“While this is an all-hands-on-deck moment in public education, most parents are not aware they need to be in the boat,” Learning Heroes Co-Founder Cindi Williams said in a statement. “Parents are problem solvers, but we can’t expect them to solve a problem they don’t know exists.”

In a working paper released in January, researchers at the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research found that districts struggled last year to implement academic recovery programs at their intended scale and intensity. Districts faced difficulties in getting and keeping students engaged, staffing, scheduling, and getting buy-in from parents and community groups. As a result, they didn’t reach as many students as they needed to, and didn’t provide as many hours of additional tutoring or other interventions as they intended.

The working paper suggested that districts be clear when communicating with parents about how students are doing, whether they are on track for recovery, and what opportunities are available if they aren’t catching up fast enough.

That clarity could bolster buy-in both from students and the community organizations that could assist with staffing or other logistical challenges, the researchers concluded.

The new advertising campaign announced Wednesday, called #GoBeyondGrades, will roll out in English and Spanish, and is expected to reach more than 150 million people, according to the groups sponsoring the effort, which, in addition to Learning Heroes, include the National Summer Learning Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Clear Channel Outdoor, and Univision.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Families & the Community From Our Research Center What Educators Have to Say About Parents Texting and Calling Their Kids During School
Teachers, principals, and district leaders are increasingly frustrated by parents who do not respect student cellphone restrictions.
1 min read
Photograph of a hand holding a cellphone showing text messages from "mom" with "Did you remember to take your lunch today?" and "Don't forget you have music lessons after school." The background is a blurred open book.
Kathy Everett for Education Week
Families & the Community Opinion The 3 Secrets to Better Parent-Teacher Communication
Teachers and parents rarely receive guidance on how to effectively communicate. Here’s what two experienced educators recommend.
Adam Berger & Don Berger
4 min read
Line drawing of town landscape including a school, a child, and a parent.
Fumiko Inoue/iStock
Families & the Community School Attendance Suffers as Parent Attitudes Shift
Parents are more relaxed about attendance than before the pandemic, district leaders said.
4 min read
One person walking down stairs in motion effect photography inside building.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Families & the Community Parents Call Chronic Absenteeism a Problem, But Most Can't Define It
A new poll sheds light on parents' views on chronic absenteeism and acceptable reasons to miss school.
3 min read
Empty desks within a classroom
iStock/Getty Images Plus