Student achievement has plummeted since COVID-19. Parents must be part of fixing that.

Data released this week by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) demonstrated the devastating effect of the pandemic on the recent academic gains made by Chicago students.

In math, 41% of fourth graders were “below basic” — which NAEP defines as students not demonstrating the prerequisite fundamental skills they would need to be proficient in a subject — with roughly another 20% recognized as “proficient.” Also in math, 51% of eighth graders were considered below basic, with 16% achieving proficiency.

In reading, roughly 22% of fourth graders were proficient, with 51% scoring below basic. And 21% of eighth-graders were proficient in reading, with 39% below basic. Moreover, Black, Latino and lower-income students posted lower scores than white, wealthier students, and the gap has widened.

The declines return student achievement levels in Chicago Public Schools to what they were roughly a decade ago, reversing years of sustained progress.

Most of CPS’ efforts to get students back on track have focused on intensive tutoring, expanding after-school programs, and enlisting instructional coaches. But if the district is serious about addressing learning loss — and we believe they are — they are overlooking an essential element: parent engagement.

Studies of successful schools show that a high rate of parent engagement is a major factor in their success. It can help close gaps in achievement between groups of students.

The University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research found that schools were four times more likely to improve in reading, and 10 times more likely to improve in mathematics, when parent engagement was strong. Conversely, when parental engagement was consistently weak, not a single school was able to improve student performance in mathematics.

Meaningful parent engagement requires making sure parents have a real chance to provide input on the issues and opportunities they see in their students and schools.

With the pandemic providing parents an unprecedented view into their child’s education, their eagerness to partner has never been higher. In a May 2022 survey, nearly four out of five parents indicated that the pandemic caused them to become more interested in how their child was being educated and to get more involved in their child’s education. Lower-income parents and parents of color were more likely to agree with those statements.

New models, technology, training

How can CPS reimagine parent engagement? In three critical ways: invite parents to co-design a new model for engagement; maximize the use of technology to expand parent-school relationships; and invest in training for school staff so they can support parent engagement.

First, we recommend schools shift from focusing on family involvement to embracing family engagement. Family involvement is often defined as schools “leading with their mouths” —telling families when and how to connect and participate in schooling. But family engagement means schools “leading with their ears” — listening to hear families’ concerns and how they would like to engage. Strategies such as conversations and home visits are essential for open communication, trust, and true partnership — which are, in turn, essential to both student and school improvement.

Second, technology should be used as a tool to foster greater parent engagement. Chicago Connected now serves over 60,000 CPS households with internet connectivity, and the district must leverage that connectivity to ensure that information and resources are at parents’ fingertips. Promising approaches include real-time text messaging to communicate students’ progress; virtual forums; and group meetings. The district cannot rely on the old way of bringing families to schools; it needs to use technology to bring schools to families.

Finally, the district should invest in training to help shift the mindsets of school staff about families and ensure that they engage with parents as partners. In the United States, less than half of all states require school leaders to learn about effective family and community engagement strategies, and less than a third of states require such learning to become a teacher.

To shift mindsets, the district should allocate time during the work day for educators to engage with parents, and give educators the flexibility to interact with parents in ways that upend traditional power dynamics. And educators should not be solely responsible for this; all school staff should have the resources to improve their engagement with families.

The research is clear: when families and schools engage as partners, students win. Let’s hope CPS puts family engagement at the center of its effort to address learning loss – and makes it their goal to partner with parents in co-creating the school system our students deserve.

Hal Woods is chief of policy and Natalie C. Neris, Ed.D. is chief of community engagement for the nonprofit Kids First Chicago.

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