Survey: Parents Accept Accountability for Kids’ Education

In a recent survey by iVillage, 73% of respondents reported believing that parents should be held accountable for their child's academic achievement. But how and to what extent should parents be involved? And what is the potential impact of parent advocacy when it comes to changing school programs, systemic failures and even policy?

Across the country, parents are leading the charge, on issues ranging from “trigger” laws that overhaul failing schools, to scaling back on high-stakes testing.

“We hear directly from the many parents in the iVillage community on how important the topic of education is for them and their families. What the iVillage survey provides is a clear and concise look at the concerns that they are voicing on our message boards every day,” said Jodi Kahn, President of iVillage.

The iVillage survey also found:

• While 98% of iVillage parents consider themselves involved in their children’s education, more than half (57%) do not agree that parents should be graded on their child’s academic achievement.
• When it comes to communicating with their child’s teacher, parents overwhelmingly prefer email (74%), as opposed to phone calls (42%) and even face-to-face meetings (65%).
• More than one in four parents (26%) disagree that working moms and dads should be given paid leave to attend parent/teacher conferences.

Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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