Survey Documents Disconnect Between Parents & Schools

The disconnect between parents and teachers in Wisconsin is less than in neighboring states, but there is still work to do, according to a survey released Tuesday (November 16, 2004).

The “Your Child” study of 1,700 parents in six Great Lakes states found that a large number of parents do not make the time to get involved in their child’s education.

The study found parents who do not interact with their child’s teacher are more likely to feel like outsiders in their school, less likely to understand what teachers expect of them or their child, and less likely to attend parent-teacher conferences.

Wisconsin parents were more likely to participate in their child’s education than parents in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota, according to the survey. Eighty-four percent of Wisconsin parents said they have done something to help teachers get to know their children, and 83% said they have done something to get to know their child’s teacher.

Wisconsin had the highest percentage of parents who said they attend parent-teacher conferences at 83%. Seventy-nine percent of them said the conferences were productive.

Parents in all the states gave high grades to teachers for providing adequate and timely communication on a child’s progress.

However, 16% of Wisconsin parents admit they do not help teachers get to know their child. Twenty-three percent feel like outsiders at their child’s school.

“Every teacher and education support professional knows that parental involvement is key to a child’s success in school,” WEAC President Stan Johnson said. “The relatively high level of parental involvement in Wisconsin is probably a major reason Wisconsin has such great schools. This survey highlights the importance of reaching out to parents and making them part of their child’s education - and for parents to communicate with their children’s schools.”

The complete survey (800KB PDF) is available in printer-friendly format.

Posted November 16, 2004