PARENT SURVEY REPORT
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close and rapidly shift to remote learning in the spring of 2020. As a result, parents across the nation found themselves taking on additional responsibilities to support their children’s education at home. At LEANLAB we got to work, surveying more than 500 parents and caregivers across the Kansas City metro so we could better understand their successes, challenges, and how we could help.
Thanks to the Urban League of Greater Kansas City for help with survey design.
““Trying to balance work and manage the kids’ classes is a huge challenge. If we only had to do one or the other, we could manage. but both is exhausting, and doing both well is just not possible.””
GOAL
…to better understand parent and caregiver experiences with remote learning. Further, to identify any racial and/or socioeconomic disparities that may have emerged with remote learning. By identifying successes and challenges, LEANLAB hopes to better inform school districts on how to support parents and students with remote learning.
SUMMARY
LEANLAB found that parents were generally satisfied with virtual instruction. Parents found success when there was good communication from the school and they were able to set a schedule with their children. However, parents struggled to balance work and supporting their child’s education.
Overall, there were very few differences among parents in terms of race, economic class, and county. It appears that parents’ education level was the strongest factor in differentiating parent experience.
FINDINGS
Overall, parents were generally satisfied with remote instruction, rating it 3.7 out of 5.
On average parents rated their preparedness to support their child’s learning 6.2 out of 10
51% parents felt a greater connection to their child’s education during remote learning
top three concerns for parents
My child’s educational
progress
Physical health of myself
or my family
Maintaining a sense
of normalcy
RECOMMENDATIONS
Co-create personalized instructional goals for students
Foster communication between educators and caregivers
Set a learning schedule that allows for flexibility
Coach parents on edtech tools
Collaborate with parents and give them agency
Download the full report for complete recommendations.
““It was a challenge getting my child to stay focused on the work because he either wanted to watch tv or be on his phone during the time he needed to be working on assignments.””
