Brookings Institution report finds parents “woefully unaware” of how engaging their students’ learning experiences are

Students collaborating on a group project in class. (Shutterstock image)

A new report from the Brookings Institution says that parents “consistently overestimate the quality of learning experiences that students report having in school” as K-12 schools struggle to maintain student engagement. 

According to the study, which surveyed about 65,000 students in grades 3-12 and 2,000 parents of students in those grade levels, only 26 percent of tenth-graders said they love school, while 65 percent of parents think their children do. The report also noted that only 44 percent of tenth-graders said they learn a lot in school, while 72 percent of parents of those students think they do. In addition, just 29 percent of tenth-graders said they get to learn things they are interested in, while 71 percent of parents agreed.

Overall, Bookings researchers found that 39 percent of students feel that they belong at their school, while nearly 70 percent of their parents said they think their children feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. Brookings analysts said such results show that many parents “are woefully unaware of how engaging their students’ learning experiences are at school.”

“This is not the fault of parents, who track their children’s engagement in their learning at school based on the indicators schools typically provide, including attendance, grades, and biannual parent-teacher discussions,” the report said. “Parents are in the dark because schools rarely have in-depth discussions with families about the quality of students’ learning experiences which directly shapes their engagement in school.”

The report noted that one of the biggest challenges for schools across the country is the “persistently high levels of student chronic absenteeism,” which has remained a problem for Tennessee school districts since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Having skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest data shows it remains almost double pre-pandemic levels, with approximately one in four students missing more than ten percent of school days each year. Frustratingly, for everyone involved, including school leaders, teachers, families and students themselves, schools have only seen marginal decreases in the years since the pandemic,” the report said. 

Noting such issues, the report recommended that state and local education leaders should regularly track students’ learning experiences to better understand the full picture of their engagement. It said this would include systematically getting students’ perspectives alongside administrative data and teacher feedback. From there, the report said, schools should “reflect on the data and use it to help improve students’ experiences and engagement.” “As the country grapples with persistently high levels of chronic absenteeism, namely students missing 10 percent of school for whatever reason, more attention to the full picture of student engagement can help,” the report said. 

The report also recommended that state, district, and school leaders work alongside family facing organizations to help parents understand the importance of student engagement and what they can do to support it. 

“Once parents better understand their children’s mode of engagement, they will be better equipped to support them,” the report said, adding that this could include working collaboratively with schools to “help remove barriers to engagement and provide more supportive and interesting learning environments.” 

In addition, the report recommended that educators should find new ways to maximize students’ opportunity to explore their interests through extracurricular activities and enrichment programs. The report also recommended supporting teachers’ ability to “give students more agency in their classrooms,” among other strategies for boosting engagement. 

“Schools can actively help all students, regardless of their academic performance, connect with a club or activity they are interested in. To expand the options available if there are limited clubs in the school, schools can partner with community members from the parks department to local churches to help students find activities of interest,” the report said.