Parent poll reveals 'Nashville's hidden literacy crisis'

The education and parent advocacy organization Nashville PROPEL has released a white paper detailing what local parents think about “Nashville’s hidden literacy crisis,” as well as how that crisis affects students of color.

According to a news release emailed to Tennessee Firefly, less than 30 percent of students in the Metro Nashville Public Schools district are reading on grade level despite nearly 80 percent of parents believing their children are at or above grade level, a finding consistent with national trends. The announcement noted that through PROPEL’s work and research over the past five years, parent leaders have learned the importance of being “in the know” in order to advocate for improving education policies to build student literacy.

Among the recent report’s other key findings, parents said the frequency of updates that they receive on their child’s reading progress varies significantly. It said that roughly 18 percent of district parents report never receiving updates on their child’s reading progress compared to just 5 percent of public charter school parents. The report added that report cards are often “misleading,” with a substantial majority of parents (82 percent) reporting that their child’s report card consists of “Bs or better.” Black parents of high school students are also more likely to report that their children get lower grades compared to their counterparts in schools.

In addition, the study found that many parents believe a school’s focus on teaching reading is a “major factor in choosing a school,” particularly for parents of color and public charter school parents. The report’s announcement noted that these recent findings show that literacy policy in K-12 schools and being informed about students’ progress in reading are among parents’ top education priorities.

“For the first time that I’m aware of, parents like me were polled about their feelings, interests, and dreams. Though we hear from parents every day, we now have an independent, scientific poll to provide receipts for the expectations of Black and Brown parents and parents in marginalized communities,” Sonya Thomas, Nashville PROPEL’s executive director, said in a statement.