Experience tells me that very few parents know how their kids perform academically in school. If you would ask a mom or dad, no matter their economic status, how their child performed in math or English class, I suspect most would offer some sort of general statement like “I think they are doing ok.” This is a problem, and another reason why mom’s and dad’s need training regarding the right questions to ask of their school, and maybe another reason why we need a new learning system since most schools aren’t prepared to answer parent questions even though they’re good ones.
This week, The 74 published an article on how a St. Louis-based education foundation is taking it upon itself to educate parents about how their kids are really doing in school. The article begins,
“Ceira Ross-Porter didn’t realize her son couldn’t read until he began second grade this fall.”
“While her son, Roy, would ace spelling tests at the Leadership School in St. Louis, Missouri, his mom said, he would cry while doing homework because he couldn’t read any of the questions.”
“Ross-Porter’s realization solidified when she received a letter in the mail from his public charter school – part of the new statewide literacy awareness campaign – informing her that Roy had a reading deficiency.”
“’He made it through kindergarten and first grade and nobody said he was behind or he needed tutoring or extra help,’ Ross-Porter said. ‘I don’t know where the disconnect is.’”
“Ross-Porter is like many parents around the St. Louis area who are now receiving the same letters in the mail, explaining that their child scored below grade level in reading.”
“The letters are coming as a surprise for some who are unaware of how their child is really doing in school, said Rachel Powers, a partner with The Opportunity Trust, a St. Louis education foundation.”
“’Parents really just don’t know. Everyone thinks, ‘My kid is good. My kid is fine’,’ Powers said. ‘Or maybe they’re like, ‘Something seems off, but I don’t really know what to do about it. The report card seems OK, but they are struggling with their homework.’”
“The Opportunity Trust and Learning Heroes, a national parent advocacy organization, announced on October 24 the launch of Go Beyond Grades STL. It’s an awareness campaign for Missouri families in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County, they said, to improve the gap between the perception and reality of their child’s progress in the classroom.”
“Go Beyond Grades STL is partnering with St. Louis nonprofits to connect with parents in order to help them understand their child’s achievement scores and teach them how to communicate with schools, along with offering them other resources. It’s also working with schools to improve relationships between teachers and families.”
“The campaign is part of a national Go Beyond Grades movement organized earlier this year by Learning Heroes, in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., Houston, Boston, and Sacramento.”
“Learning Heroes representative David Park said the organization created the national Go Beyond Grades campaign because of the increasing number of parents who are unaware of how their child is doing at school.”
“’There’s a significant amount of parents who believe their child is fine – and it’s not their fault,’ Park said. ‘Eighty percent of students nationally come home with a B or above on their report card.’”
“In the St. Louis area, that number is nearly 90%, according to an August survey commissioned by Learning Heroes and conducted by Edge Research, a Virginia-based research firm. The survey found that 96% of St. Louis parents believe their child was at grade level in reading and 94% thought their child was at grade level in math.”
“Most students aren’t even close, Powers said.”
…
“In 2022, 42% of students in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County were at grade level for reading, while 36% were at grade level for math, according to The Opportunity Trust.”
“In just the City of St. Louis, the numbers drop to 23% for reading and 17% for math.”
“’Parent-teacher conferences are 15 minutes (long),’ Park said. ‘What we’re pushing more than anything is ongoing communication with the child’s teacher – setting up a learning plan and touching base regularly – that’s what teachers say is the most important.’”
“Ross-Porter said that would be essential for her. The second-grade mom said she can’t understand Roy’s achievement scores and what they mean for her son’s progress. She said she doesn’t even know what the school letter about Roy’s reading scores really means.”
…
“Ross-Porter said her involvement in Go Beyond Grades STL prepared her for October parent-teacher conferences. She and Powers worked together to decipher Roy’s test scores so she could arrive armed with a long list of questions to ask Roy’s teacher.”
“’The questions that she gave me were able to get me better answers, just because of the way the questions are worded,’ Ross-Porter said.”
“Powers said she hopes Go Beyond Grades STL can one day go beyond the boundaries of the St. Louis area and help parents across Missouri. For now, billboards are going up around the city and county to alert families to the importance of being involved in their child’s education.”
…
Good luck.
Even if Go Beyond Grades goes beyond St. Louis and the other cities mentioned above, there are millions of families who sit in this same boat of not knowing what is happening, or not happening, when it comes to their children’s learning.
And, as much as school district say they are committed to improved communication with parents, the sad fact is that most districts are pitifully prepared to execute on a day-to-day feedback process for their young learners and their families – especially secondary schools.
If families what this type of learning feedback, they would be wise to begin searching for a learning cohort, a learning coach, and learning plans focused on day-to-day evaluation of a young learner’s reading and problem-solving abilities.
That search needs to happen outside of the traditional school system because they don’t know how to effectively provide learning feedback for the betterment of families and young learners across the nation.
Til tomorrow. SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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