Insights on Parent Mindsets in the 2022-2023 School Year

Parent Mindsets in the 2022-2023 School Year Findings from a Survey of Public School K-12 Parents May 2023

Methodology National Online Parent Survey: Nationwide sample of 1,426 parents and guardians with children in public school, grades K-12, including 651 elementary school parents 338 middle school parents 437 high school parents 408 Black parents 401 Hispanic parents representing a mix of acculturation levels Fielded April 12th 26th, 2023 Offered in both English and Spanish Data were weighted to be representative of public school parents in the U.S. This survey represents the sixth wave of a tracking study and the third wave of the 2023 survey program. Wave 1 was conducted July 23 August 8, 2021, Wave 2 was conducted November 9 24, 2021, Wave 3 was conducted April 24th May 9th, 2022, Wave 4 was conducted November 29-December 15, 2022, and Wave 5 was conducted March 1st-20th, 2023. Statistical significance indicators: Throughout this report, green/red indicates statistically higher/lower differences between audiences. Up/down arrows ( / ) indicate that Wave 6 2023 data is statistically higher/lower than Wave 5 data. NOTE: Year 1 of this project was supported by the CDC Foundation by way of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as part of a financial assistance award totaling $447,531 with more than 99% funded by CDC/HHS and $2,400, less than 1%, funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government. Year 2 of this project was supported by the CDC Foundation by way of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as part of a financial assistance award totaling $477,893 with more than 99% funded by CDC/HHS and $1,800, less than 1%, funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government. 2

Top Takeaways The final wave of this tracking program continues the trend of parents indicating comfort with their children in school. Over half (55%) are very comfortable having their children in school. In addition, for the first time in this research, approximately half (49%) believe the pandemic is almost over (23%) or over (26%). 1 School violence and bullying lead parental concerns. Over six-in-ten (61%) worry a lot or somewhat about school violence, and this worry experienced the largest increase over the course of this research effort (COVID-related concerns saw the most significant declines.). When asked about summer concerns, parents add too much screen or phone time to their top-tier concerns. 2 The data remind us that parents want to be a part of school efforts to support their child s emotional and mental health.Most strongly support schools providing services to buoy students emotional and mental health, and they believe it is healthy for students to have the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings with other trusted adults who are not their parents. That said, parents unequivocally want to know if the school is providing their child with emotional and mental health support. 3 A majority of parents indicate they are very interested in summer programs/activities designed to keep their children physically active, interacting with other children, and/or supporting their learning. That said, there is a significant gap between parent interest and their knowledge of whether such programs or resources (e.g., school counselor, school psychologist) are available/accessible through their child s school this summer. 4 Parents overwhelmingly want schools to provide safe learning environments where all students have a voice and use historically accurate educational materials. And, while most believe it is important that students learn how to identify misinformation in the research they conduct (E.g., for school projects), few parents indicate schools currently teach these skills. 5 3

Pandemic Recovery/Resilience

Pandemic Outlook Continues to Improve Pandemic Outlook Wave 1 (Aug. '21) Wave 2 (Nov. '21) Wave 3 (May. '22) Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Current (Apr. '23) 49% 42% 35% 26% 23% 23% 19% 9% 9% 4% 4% The worst of the pandemic is still to come The pandemic is almost over The pandemic is over The pandemic has been overblown/ COVID-19 has never been a serious issue We re past the worst of it, but we still have a long way to go 20% 10% 4% 10% 51% Black 4% 40% 27% 20% 5% Hispanic 30% 29% 3% 22% 12% White 5

Comfort with Children in School Remains Strong However, comfort among Black parents returned to the level reported in December 2022. Comfort with Children in School Wave 1 (Aug. '21) Wave 2 (Nov. '21) Wave 3 (May. '22) Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Current (Apr. '23) 55% 54% 84% feel comfortable with having their child at school in-person 31% 29% 70% Black 8% 8% 81% Hispanic 5% 5% 2% 2% 88% White Very Somewhat comfortable Neutral/Not Sure Somewhat uncomfortable Very comfortable uncomfortable 6

COVID Concerns Remain in the Bottom Tier Concern about violence at school solidly lands at the top of the list and again garnered a statistically-significant increase since the previous wave. Worries Somewhat Worry a lot 47% Worried About Both 61% 57% 52% 47% 44% 44% 40% 40% 38% 37% 36% 36% 25% 32% 30% 23% 22% 22% 21% 21% 18% 17% 16% 10% My child experiencing violence at school My child being bullied at school My child struggling socially, emotionally or mentally My child learning inaccurate or misleading information in their school curriculum My child being behind academically for their grade level My child experiencing racism at school My child being behind academically because of the pandemic My child contracting COVID-19 at school and getting sick My child contracting COVID-19 at school and infecting a family member COVID Concerns My child having to follow health safety measures (e.g., wearing a mask, social distancing) Books or materials being removed from my child s school because of objections about content My child being taught curriculum, topics, or viewpoints I don t agree with Black Parents 57% Hispanic Parents 62% Across all concerns, Hispanic parents are significantly more worried than Black and White parents. 7

While COVID Concerns Have Fallen, Violence and Bullying Have Risen Significantly Academic concerns have also declined since August 2021. Select Parent Worries Over Time 65% Violence at school 60% Being bullied 55% 50% 45% Being behind academically 40% My child getting COVID 35% 30% 25% Having to follow COVID safety measures 20% Wave 1 (Aug. '21) Wave 2 (Nov. '21) Wave 3 (May. '22) Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Year 2 Wave 3 (Apr. '23) 8

Parents of Color Show Similar Patterns, but with Some Increase in Concerns about Racism, Too. Among Parents of Color, concerns about violence increased significantly, while concerns about racism have not. Hispanic Parents Black Parents 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% Wave 1 (Aug. '21) Wave 2 (Nov. '21) Wave 3 (May. '22) Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Year 2 Wave 3 (Apr. '23) Wave 1 (Aug. '21) Wave 2 (Nov. '21) Wave 3 (May. '22) Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Year 2 Wave 3 (Apr. '23) Violence at school Racism at school Being bullied 9

Accessing Mental Health Supports through Schools

Parents Maintain Overwhelming Support for Mental Health Resources and Services in Schools Do you support or oppose the idea of schools providing resources and services to support your child s emotional and mental health? 90% Support Year 2 Wave 1 (Dec. '22) 72% 68% 65% Year 2 Wave 2 (Mar. '23) Current (Apr. '23) 23% 22% 20% 9% 7% 6% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% Strongly support Somewhat support Neutral Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Support is consistent across all demographic groups. 11 NOTE: Question split-sampled in Year 2 Wave 1

The Vast Majority of Parents Would Allow Their Child to Provide Data in Anonymous Mental Health Evaluations Survey Language: Some schools ask students to fill out anonymous surveys about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences to measure students emotional and mental health needs in the school overall. This data can help schools identify areas where they need to offer more support, programs, or resources for students and their families and planned to share the anonymous data with the school district or state to ask for additional funding to support students emotional and mental health, would you allow them to take the survey? would you allow them to take the survey? 90% 87% 7% 6% 6% 5% Yes, I would allow them to take the survey No, I would not allow them to take the survey Not sure Yes, I would allow them to take the survey No, I would not allow them to take the survey Not sure Note: Compliance is lowest among those with household incomes under $25k but still high overall (79% and 82%, respectively). Compliance is consistent across all other demographic groups. 12

In General, Parents are Much More Comfortable Being Informed, Especially If Mental Health Support is Provided Parents of high school students are less likely to want to know everything their child discloses. Agree/Disagree w/ Statements Elem. Middle High Black Hispanic White Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree I want my child s school to notify me if they are providing my child with mental health support. 72% 95% 95% 95% 94% 94% 95% 95% I want my child to know that they can go to adults at school if they have a problem or worry that they don t feel comfortable sharing with 59% 86% 87% 83% 82% 86% 89% 87% me. In some situations, it s good for students to be able to share their thoughts and feelings with a safe adult who is not their parent like a teacher or another member of the school staff. 55% 88% 88% 87% 90% 85% 87% 89% My child s school should have to obtain my consent before providing my child with mental 50% 79% 79% 82% 75% 79% 83% 77% health support. Parents should be told everything their child discloses to adults at school. 41% 71% 67% 58% 74% 68% 82% 80% 13 = Split-sampled items

In Theory, Most HS and MS Parents Support Student Privacy, but Not on Specific Topics Can School Staff Keep Convos with Students Private (If the Student Prefers) Disclosures That Can Be Kept Private That the student has romantic feelings about a classmate 56% The student s thoughts or feelings about their sexual orientation No, they should not be allowed keep the content of these conversations private from their parents 36% 22% The student s thoughts or feelings about their gender identity The student is having problems with a friend or classmate The student has lost interest in activities they previously enjoyed The student feels overwhelmed or more stressed than usual 32% 31% Yes, they should be allowed to keep some things private but not in all situations 45% 29% 25% Parents of boys are more comfortable always allowing privacy than parents of girls. (36% vs. 26%). Yes, they should always be allowed to keep the content of these conversations private The student says they ve been feeling sad or unmotivated for a That the student is being bullied online That the student is being bullied at school 21% Parents of boys are more comfortable allowing privacy on almost every topic. 31% 11% HS and MS Parents 9% Overall support for at least some privacy is consistent across demographic groups. 14

Summer Plans and Needs

Parents Show Strong Interest in a Range of Summer Programming Provided by Schools Interest in Summer Programs Elem. Middle High Black Hispanic White Very interested Somewhat interested Sports programs or activities aimed at keeping kids physically active over the summer 94% 65% 96% 97% 91% 95% 96% 93% Social activities or clubs for students to interact with other kids with similar interests 95% 61% 95% 97% 92% 96% 96% 94% Summer learning programs to help your child as they keep learning over the summer 88% 51% 89% 93% 81% 95% 94% 83% Emotional or mental health support services offered at school or in the community 85% 46% 84% 85% 86% 91% 88% 82% 16

Violence, Screen Time Concerns, and Bullying Top Parent Summer Worries Summer Worries Somewhat Worry a lot 57% 53% 50% 50% 47% 47% 45% 44% 43% 34% 33% 29% 27% 30% 30% 28% 28% 28% 21% 21% 21% 19% 18% 17% 15% 14% My child spending too much time on a computer, television, or tablet My child experiencing violence My child spending too much time on their phone My child struggling socially, emotionally, or mentally My child being bullied My child spending too much time inside the house My child losing a lot of what they learned this past school year My child experiencing racism My child not getting enough exercise My child contracting COVID-19 and getting sick My child not getting together with friends in person Finding an affordable option for childcare My child not having enough to eat without school meal programs Screen-time concerns highest among MS Parents 33% among ES Parents and Parents of children under 12 Across all concerns, Hispanic parents are significantly more worried than Black and White parents. 17 Ranked by % worry a lot

Interest in Summer Resources is Greater than Their (Perceived) Availability and Greater than in 2022 Interest in and Availability of Summer Resources Somewhat Very Interested 26% indicate none of these resources/programs will be available from their child s school over the summer Available 90% 81% 72% 66% 65% 60% 54% 39% 32% 46% 30% 29% 25% 33% 28% 16% 14% 13% Group summer programs for children such as summer camps, field trips, sports teams School counselor Private mental health providers (not through the school) School psychologist School social worker Online resources or websites that offer guidance or recommendations for supporting your child s social and emotional well- being White parents are less interested than parents of color in all options. 18

Reviewing Next Years Curriculum

A Majority of Parents Will Read the Syllabus and Skim the Text, but Few Will Go Further Likelihood to Do Each Next School Year Definitely will Very likely to Elem. Middle High Black Hispanic White Review the syllabus provided by your child s teachers 37% 66% 65% 70% 63% 76% 72% 62% 19% Say they will take most (4+) of the tested actions Read or skim through your child s textbooks to see what content they include 29% 56% 60% 54% 51% 68% 71% 49% Ask your child s teacher(s) about specific topics that might or might not be included in the curriculum 24% 45% 46% 45% 45% 58% 58% 39% Review the teachers daily lesson plans 22% 44% 46% 46% 40% 61% 58% 35% to review content next year Send comments to school administration about the syllabus used for your child s class(es) 18% 36% 35% 39% 34% 46% 49% 29% Request and review a list of the books available in the school library Black (29%) and Hispanic (25%) parents are significantly more likely to say they ll take most of these actions. 18% 36% 37% 37% 34% 54% 49% 26% Visit the school library to see what books are available to students 18% 35% 36% 38% 32% 38% 31% 48% Suggest changes to the textbooks your child will use during the school year 14% 26% 24% 28% 26% 36% 35% 20% 20

Data Suggest More Parents Would Take Action if Content is Missing than if They Disagree with It Would Do if Disagree with Content Would Do if Content is Missing Definitely Would Very likely Definitely Would Very Likely Teach your child that content or information outside of school 39% 69% 37% 64% < Talk to your child s teacher 38% 64% Talk to your child s teacher 30% 52% Talk to the school principal Ask that your child be excused from that content or lesson 31% 54% 23% Talk to the school principal 41% Raise concerns at a school board meeting Raise concerns at a school board meeting 22% 25% 42% 46% Suggest alternative content to replace the information that you disagree with Ask that the content or information be added to the class for all students 20% 41% 24% 46% Organize with other parents to question the content that you disagree with Suggest additional content to add to the curriculum 20% 37% 22% 44% Organize with other parents to advocate for the content you want included Ask that the content or information be removed from the class for all students 19% 34% 22% 41% 21

Misinformation and Curriculum

Most Parents See Lessons on Information Literacy as Important, but Do Not See it Taught in Schools The ability to identify false information on social media represents the largest gap. Importance of Misinformation Curriculum Topics Somewhat Important Very Important Taught at My Child's School 96% 95% 94% 91% 90% 66% 66% 66% 64% 53% 36% 29% 28% 21% 20% How to verify information students find on the internet How to identify false information on social media The importance of looking for multiple sources to confirm if statements made online are accurate Questions to ask to decide if information students hear or read is accurate How to determine if a news story or article is biased 23

Parents Strongly Agree that Students Need Safe, Supportive Spaces and Accurate History They also (softly) contend that teachers and staff share their values and priorities. Agree/Disagree w/ Statements Elem. Middle High Black Hispanic White Schools have a responsibilty to keep students safe in the classroom. 95% 96% 97% 93% 95% 97% 83% 96% Schools should make sure all students feel seen, heard, and included at school. 73% 93% 92% 91% 91% 91% 95% 92% Schools should use educational materials that are historically accurate and reflect the diversity of our nation s history. 66% 91% 92% 90% 89% 90% 92% 91% Schools should use curriculum that prepares students to think critically and to actively participate in our democracy. 58% 85% 88% 87% 84% 83% 87% 86% In general, the teachers and staff at my child s school share my values and priorities when it comes to my child s education. 37% 74% 75% 66% 74% 75% 73% 78% In general, my child s teachers share my values and priorities when it comes to my child s education. 32% 70% 74% 67% 66% 70% 74% 68% 24

For additional information, please contact: Adam Burns| burns@edgeresearch.com Karen Emmerson | emmerson@edgeresearch.com Edge Research 1560 Wilson Blvd, Suite 475 Arlington, VA 22209 www.edgeresearch.com