2018 “State of Parent Engagement” survey

Parents Receive Failing Grade on Engagement in ClassTag Survey of Teachers

The State of Parent Engagement 2018 survey found 35% of parents failed to interact with teachers last school year

Newark, NJ (July 30, 2018)–A recent survey of 1,000 U.S. teachers found that although they’re working hard to engage parents, the state of parent-teacher engagement still has a great deal of room for improvement. The survey, conducted by ClassTag, found that 65% of teachers reported adequate parent engagement, but a shocking 35% of parents had no interaction with their classrooms last school year.  

That’s disturbing considering experts say parent engagement is the most important predictor of student success. The ClassTag State of Parent Engagement 2018 survey confirmed that fact. In the survey, which was conducted between June 23 and July 22, 2018, teachers cited parent-teacher engagement, alongside home life and classroom climate, as the critical factors in student success, far ahead of even student aptitude.

“The more engaged a parent is, the more engaged the student is,” wrote one teacher. “If a parent values education and positive behavior, the child will do better.” Tellingly, another teacher added, “Usually, it’s the parents of poor performing students that I can’t reach.”

Some Goods News for Parent-Teacher Engagement

But all is not bad news. According to the survey, teachers are embracing a range of technology to help them better communicate and engage with parents. An overwhelming number of teachers reported that they prefer to use email (29.77%), apps (26.42%), and still, the phone (23.48%) to reach parents. Even then, teachers still struggle to effectively engage absent parents, those most likely to have at-risk children who need their parents’ classroom involvement.  

To reach these parents, teachers turn to a wide array of commendable, highly-creative tactics, the survey found. Some teachers, for instance, take the Mountain to Mohammed. One teacher holds open conference nights at an apartment complex where many of their students’ families live. Other teachers meet with parents at their places of work. Still others enlist the help of siblings and grandparents to open channels of communication.

And just how far will teachers go to assure interaction with parents? Well, one teacher reported that her dedication prompted her to walk her school’s carpool lane wearing a sandwich board bearing classroom announcements.

“I hosted family nights inviting parents to come in and get free resources to help their children, but nobody ever came,” a teacher recounted. “Then, I sent home information with a card saying we missed them at family night, and letting them know if they had questions about the resources to call or come in. Nobody did.”

One Mother’s Challenge Results in a Solution

It’s just that concern for classroom interaction that led Vlada Lotkina to act. A Wharton MBA who worked for an international consulting company, Lotkina had worried that she was missing out on updates and news from her daughter’s preschool class. She founded ClassTag as a free and an easy service for teachers to communicate with parents on any number of channels and devices. It even automatically translates into more than 50 languages.

To help further spur parent-teacher engagement, ClassTag recently announced it was making more than $3 million in free supplies and exclusive discounts available to classrooms that earn ClassTag coins as a reward for parent engagement behaviors such as volunteering, attending conferences or simply reading teachers’ messages. The coins can then be redeemed for anything from learning tools and cleaning products to educational software and the latest technologies. There are also books and magazines and supplies for class trips and parties, as well as essentials such as pens, pencils, and paper.  

“Every parent wants their child to do well in school,” says Lotkina. “But often, we simply don’t realize how critical our involvement is to our child’s success. The ClassTag State of Parent Engagement 2018 survey shows teachers are making the effort, and often going to extraordinary lengths to engage as many parents as possible. ClassTag wants to make their aspiration a reality by providing easy-to-use tools to spur engagement and assure every child has the best possible chance of classroom success.”

While teachers from private, boarding, charter, and Title 1 schools were represented in the ClassTag State of Parent Engagement 2018 survey, over half of the respondents were public school teachers.

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About ClassTag

The free ClassTag service transforms the way teachers connect with parents, allowing them to save time and focus on classroom education and activities rather than preparing and distributing parent notes and communications. With ClassTag, teachers can reach parents in over 50 languages through any channel including online, via email or text message, and even paper printouts. The cloud-based ClassTag app ensures and rewards classroom engagement by allowing classrooms to earn ClassTag Coins, a digital currency redeemable on the ClassTag Marketplace, full of classroom supplies and learning products. To make your classroom more engaged and earn valuable ClassTag Coins, sign up here: https://www.classtag.com/