Parents Overestimate School Success as Children Feel Increasingly Disengaged

A new Brookings report reveals a growing disconnect between parents' optimistic views on education and students' decreasing engagement and enjoyment as they age.

A compelling new report from the Brookings Institution reveals a noticeable gap in perceptions of education between parents and their children.

While fewer than half of high school students feel confident about learning significantly each day, over 70% of parents believe their kids are thriving academically.

Parental Perception vs. Student Reality

Unveiled this Monday by Brookings’ Center for Universal Education, the study shows that parents tend to perceive their children’s enjoyment of school more positively than the students themselves do.

As children progress beyond elementary school, this discrepancy widens, signaling a decline in positive educational experiences.

Rebecca Winthrop, the report’s lead author and a senior fellow at Brookings, highlighted this concerning trend, emphasizing a dual challenge: students are not sufficiently engaged, and parents lack clear insights into their children’s school experiences.

Winthrop suggests that many parents struggle to comprehend that K–12 education might not align with their set expectations.

Insights from Student Voice Survey

To develop this report, researchers tapped into data from Transcend Education, a nonprofit that conducts the Student Voice Survey, which collects feedback from public, charter, and private school students across the U.S. The survey gathered insights from more than 66,000 students in grades 3 through 12 between 2021 and 2024, focusing on self-direction, community involvement, and the relevance of academic material.

Additionally, nearly 1,900 parents of school-age children were surveyed in 2023 and 2024, producing fresh insights that had previously remained unpublished.

These findings will feature prominently in the forthcoming book, *The Disengaged Teen*, set for release by Brookings later this week.

The report paints a troubling picture of academic and social disconnection among teenagers.

While many students claim to enjoy school and feel a degree of autonomy, only about one-third of middle and high schoolers consider their education pertinent to their lives beyond the classroom.

Furthermore, fewer students feel that their peers show perseverance when facing difficult subjects or that they are heard in their school settings.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Engagement

Older students report growing disconnects with their educational environments.

Less than half feel a sense of community, nor do they believe that adults respect their opinions.

Alarmingly, only 36% of students in grades 6-12 feel they can voice their thoughts during the school day.

This trend of decreasing positive attitudes toward school becomes starkly apparent as students progress through the grades.

For instance, a striking 86% of third graders report learning a great deal, while only 44% of 12th graders share that sentiment.

The love for school plummets from 74% among third graders to just 29% by senior year.

As students advance to high school, the gap between parental perceptions and student realities widens.

While nearly 70% of parents believe their children enjoy school, only 30% of students report feeling the same way.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this disconnect, leaving many parents feeling out of touch with their children’s educational journeys.

Surprises often arise when standardized test scores reveal significant knowledge gaps.

Additionally, an increase in chronic absenteeism during the pandemic has widened the rift between families and schools, limiting opportunities for meaningful interaction.

Hedy Chang, the executive director of Attendance Works, pointed out the crucial link between attendance and student engagement.

Chronic absenteeism disrupts not only individual learning but also affects the classroom environment as a whole, hindering teachers’ effectiveness and student collaboration.

Nat Malkus, the deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, proposed that schools and districts enhance their communication with parents concerning student engagement.

However, he expressed doubt regarding the practicality of implementing additional data collection to bridge this perception gap.

Winthrop contended that, aside from the informational void and pandemic-related interruptions, older students need increased autonomy and a variety of educational options.

She advocated for school models that prioritize student choice and real-world connections, which could reignite their passion for learning and cultivate a sense of self-determination.

Such an approach presents a crucial challenge for the current educational system, as it strives to redesign learning environments to better engage students.

Source: The74million