This article was originally published in CT Mirror.
Fewer than half of Connecticut parents are satisfied with their child’s school, mental health support system and college preparation, according to recently released survey results from ConnCAN, a Hartford-based education organization.
The survey, conducted this summer with participation from more than 400 parents from across the state, focused on five pillars, including: school quality and opportunities; extracurricular activities; information and involvement; college and career readiness; and tutoring, summer and mental health.
The survey, created in partnership with 50CAN and Edge Research, was part of a nationwide effort and Connecticut’s results closely matched responses from more than 20,000 parents in all 50 states.
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On average, less than half of Connecticut respondents (43%) reported being satisfied with their child’s school, and even fewer said they were satisfied with how schools support mental health needs (37 %). Most Connecticut parents, about 66%, also expressed concerns about their confidence in their child’s preparation for the workforce or higher education.
“Parents tell us they are uncertain about the future of their own children,” said Steven Hernández, executive director of ConnCAN. “It’s not unique to Connecticut, but I think we really haven’t been able to move the needle when it comes to the opportunity gaps in the state, and we see that in our education outcomes.”
In August, the Department of Education released its annual assessment data showing that Connecticut students’ math and science scores improved last year and the number of students labeled chronically absent continued to decline from a pandemic high.
Scores still remained below pre-pandemic levels and results showed smaller gains for students with the most need, including those who are classified with disabilities, qualify for free or reduced lunch or are multilingual learners.
According to ConnCAN’s research, dissatisfaction among some parents may be related to a lack of involvement in the school system.
Just over 1 in 4 Connecticut respondents said they had attended a parent organization meeting and fewer than 20% said they were familiar with how budget decisions were made at their child’s school, the survey found.
“Parents – and, specifically or more importantly for the Connecticut context, parents of color – really trust the institutions that teach their children. … With that trust comes the responsibility of schools to meet families where they are,” Hernández said. “When I see withdrawn families, I don’t see it as a family problem. I see it as an involvement problem in precisely those institutions that should involve parents more consciously and say: ‘This way we can work together on the educational outcomes of your children. Here’s what you can do at home. Here’s how we can work together this summer.’ If parents felt like their school wanted them to be part of their children’s educational success, parents would be more involved.”
Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and a former superintendent in Bridgeport and Hamden, said she has noticed that districts have started investing more heavily in communication methods, but that there is “a lot more work to do in our schools to to reach families, especially low-income families.”
Parents want to be involved, Rabinowitz said, adding that the work can start with making long and complicated documents, such as a school budget, more digestible.
“Budgets are your road map for what you believe are priorities at your school,” Rabinowitz said. “I remember being in Bridgeport and saying, ‘There’s one thing I want to make sure of: the parents may not have to have the 500-page document that has every line item, but they really need to understand that budget on a macro level . ‘ I remember traveling to different parts of the city with a PowerPoint.”
Districts facing staffing and resource challenges can better engage families by starting these conversations in early childhood, Hernández said.
“Start early with families. Build a culture of parental involvement that is actually modeled by the school itself and that parents will follow,” Hernández said. “Parents will pursue a career in education because parents primarily want their children to be more successful than they are.”
Despite a low percentage of children in tutoring programs (19%), both statewide and nationally, other after-school programs are working to engage students, with a higher percentage of Connecticut students attending an after-school program (30%), summer program (51%) . %) or participate in organized sports (65%) or arts programs (54%) compared to the national average.
Nationwide, about 26% of respondents said their child was enrolled in an after-school program, 41% in a summer program, 58% in sports and 51% in the arts.
Expanding these extracurricular opportunities is also an opportunity to continue developing stronger mental health supports in schools, Rabinowitz said.
“I believe that any activity – after school, summer school – where kids interact with each other – sports – where they have that interaction, that team, feeling like they’re not isolated or alone, is incredibly important,” she said.
