As Schools Reopen, Parents Everywhere Say Things Need to Change

You’ll see headline after headline out there telling school districts how they should go about their reopening plans. Many are prudent and thought out by experts, but they’re missing some really important things: parent engagement, input, and approval. 

The Walton Family Foundation asked parents around the country what their priorities are for reopening schools this fall. Frustration is high pretty much across the board, with worse dissatisfaction among already underserved communities. Seventy-four percent of Black families and 73% of Latino families say their school districts need to make either “bold” or “some” changes this fall.

WFF has more:

The poll revealed that three-fourths of parents were frustrated with the way their child’s school dealt with the pandemic. A majority of parents want schools to rethink how they educate students and develop new ways to teach children amid the ongoing COVID crisis.

But by listening to these parents and others like them, districts can do better by the families who actually send their children to their schools. 

What Do Parents Actually Want Out of Reopening?

The poll goes into plenty of detail about what families want, but one big takeaway is clear: Families want change. 

Fifty-seven percent said districts should focus on rethinking how we educate students. 

Only 39% of those surveyed said districts should focus on getting back to the way things were before the pandemic. Fifty-seven percent said districts should focus on rethinking how we educate students. 

What does your school district need to do to improve things for your kids and their classmates?