What do millennial parents expect from public schools?

Survey shows millennials want their kids’ education to encompass far more than core academics

We found that millennial parents are open to a wide range of methods to hold schools accountable for making sure students are learning properly. We were interested in who millennial parents believe should be held accountable when a school is not living up to that responsibility. We asked our focus groups, “What should happen if a school is consistently failing?”

We know millennial parents use a variety of ways to measure their kids’ success in school. Next, we wanted to know how millennial parents evaluate the schools themselves. School culture? Test scores? Extra-curriculars? We asked our focus groups to sketch out what criteria they use to judge a school.

Millennial parents use many different criteria to judge if their kids are getting the skills they need. We wanted to learn how millennial parents are evaluating if their kids are being properly prepared for the future. Grades? Conversations with teachers? Test scores? A combination? We asked our focus groups, “What are the important things you look at to measure how much your kid is learning?”

Millennial parents care not only about their kids’ academic skills but career and life skills. We asked our focus groups, “What is the purpose of a public education?” and “What skills do you expect your kids to have upon graduation?”

Millennial parents expect a lot out of their kids’ schools. We wanted to know how education has changed since millennial parents themselves were in school. We asked our focus groups, “Is millennial parenting different than the way you were raised?”

In Washington, D.C., PAVE informs and connects parents to education issues impacting their kids

Grassroots group fights to ensure high-quality education options for low-income students

Massachusetts Parents United is the largest urban advocacy organization in the Bay State and growing

Native Washingtonian believes place-based parent power is the key to education change

At Thomasville Heights Elementary, staff is building community ties that bind

Supporting the Urban League of New Orleans to inform parents about high quality schools