Poll: Over half of Mass. K-12 parents say their child needs to catch up academically
With a wave of federal funding expected, parents have specific requests to make up lost ground.
A year of COVID disruptions has left its mark on school children across Massachusetts, and parents are concerned. A new poll from The MassINC Polling Group finds 55% of K-12 parents in Massachusetts say their child needs to catch up academically. As schools face this monumental challenge, historic levels of federal funds are expected from COVID relief packages passed through Congress.
Parents who say their children need to catch up see the need for personalized instruction. The most popular interventions are in-person instruction, frequent updates to parents, small group instruction, and smaller class sizes. Black, Latino, and Asian parents, many of whom have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, are more likely than white parents to emphasize additional learning opportunities, including summer school, activities to do at home, and offering online instruction as an option.
With new funding available, summer school appears likely to be a major part of the recovery effort, and 25% of parents say they plan to send their child, if given the option. Parents who see their child as furthest behind are most likely to send them to summer school, as are parents of children who are English language learners and those with IEPs. Black, Latino, and Asian parents are more likely than white parents to say they will send their child to summer school.
That’s according to a new poll of 1,619 K-12 parents in Massachusetts released today by The MassINC Polling Group. The poll, the fourth wave in a year-long series, was conducted April 23 - May 14 and sponsored by The Barr Foundation and developed with input from The Education Trust. The poll comes as widespread vaccinations have enabled many more schools to reopen for full in-person instruction.
When it comes to spending the federal funds, parents support a broad range of proposals with tutoring and extra academic support topping the list. Looking at both strategies to catch up and at funding priorities, Black and Latino parents express stronger support across a broader range of proposals. Among Asian parents, helping students plan for college and helping with college financial aid applications receive the strongest support.
“This is a trend we’ve seen across other polls during COVID,” said Steve Koczela, President of The MassINC Polling Group. “Those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic are looking for a more robust response.”
Income is also closely related to parent support for different spending priorities. Lower-income parents are more supportive of a range of priorities than are those with higher incomes. Lower-income parents, for example, prioritize expanding early education and providing additional resources for families like groceries and school supplies. Focus groups earlier in the year found similar dynamics, with families very interested in continuing some of the extra supports schools have provided this year.
The poll also highlighted equitable learning environments as a key challenge of returning to in-person schooling. Despite some declines in school discipline actions this year, Black and Asian parents are still more likely to say their child was involved in a disciplinary action. Only 48% of Black parents say that their child has never been treated unfairly because of their race -- compared to about 80% of white parents. Parents of all races express support for modifying the curriculum to better reflect the experiences and accomplishments of people of color, with Black and Latino parents most likely to emphasize this.
Other key figures from the poll include the following:
Nearly 70% of parents prefer that their child learns fully in-person next year, while 19% prefer a hybrid option and 9% prefer remote. Black parents express the most hesitancy about returning to in-person instruction – only 54% prefer full in-person, while 29% prefer hybrid and 12% prefer a remote option.
Now, 29% of parents believe their child is behind grade-level. This number has been fairly steady this school year, but is much higher than the 13% of parents who thought their child was below grade level pre-pandemic.
Overall, 60% of parents say that email has been the most effective way for them to receive information from schools, while only 10-12% of parents say the same of phone calls, online platforms, and text messages. Older parents of all races and white parents tend to prefer email even more while preferences of younger parents and parents of color are more spread out across email, phone, text and online platforms.
Several groups who are part of the Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership – a collective effort of social justice, civil rights and education organizations working to advance education equity in the Commonwealth – offered thoughts on the poll results:
“These results make clear just how many parents are worried about their child’s learning after this year. Schools will need to work closely with families to make sure the right supports are in place to help students get the instruction that they need and deserve.”
– Vernee Wilkinson, Director of Family Advisory Board, SchoolFacts Boston.“The poll results highlight the need for a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools. All kids deserve a rigorous learning environment where they feel welcome, supported and affirmed – and that’s not happening for too many students of color right now.”
– Robert Hendricks, Founder & Executive Director, He Is Me Institute“These results shine a light on the urgency to improve opportunity and equity that many families felt before this year, and feel even more strongly now. With additional federal resources, we can create learning environments where all students thrive – and family input must be at the core of that work.”
– Tiffany Ruffino, Regional Director, Parent Villages“This poll shows how much opportunity lies ahead as we shift from pandemic response to recovery. Education leaders must partner with families, students, educators to seize this moment and figure out how to put unprecedented federal investments in education to work for students.”
– Natasha Ushomirsky, State Director for Massachusetts, The Education Trust.
About the poll: These results are based on a survey of 1,619 parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. Live telephone interviews and online interviewing were conducted in English and Spanish April 23 – May 14, 2021. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian American respondents were obtained to bring the total interview count up to at least 250 for each group. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, region, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The poll was sponsored by The Barr Foundation.
About The MassINC Polling Group: The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public's voice with cutting edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base.