Despite the efforts of policy makers over the last few decades, American schools are still struggling to provide all of their students with a quality education. Even before the pandemic caused widespread school closures, national data indicated that 30% of graduating seniors failed to reach basic levels of competency in reading, with 40% failing to do so in math. Performance gaps across race and socioeconomic status in both subjects have been persistent for years, while teachers report high levels of stress and many young people are not entering the profession.
While many policy initiatives have focused on improving internal K-12 school systems, little attention has been given to the profound influence of the nation’s family policies. Parents have a significant role to play in fostering their children’s academic success, and many elements that contribute to this success have deep roots outside the school environment. If America wants to help teachers, it will have to do a better job of supporting parents.
Raising children in the United States can be challenging without guaranteed paid leave and affordable child care, benefits that are commonplace in many other peer countries. Furthermore, available supports such as tax credits or job-protected family and medical leave often exclude the poorest citizens, and aids targeted specifically at needy families are often challenging to access or come with employment requirements. These conditions not only create unnecessary difficulties for caregivers; they also compromise the larger project of teaching American kids.
A child’s education often begins the moment they are born. The majority of physical brain development occurs within the first few years of life before children enter a classroom, which is a sensitive time that requires rich interactions between caregivers and children to help stimulate cognitive growth. However, many parents have fewer opportunities to devote such attention to their children, particularly parents without paid leave or with demanding work schedules. Wealthier families can outsource these responsibilities, but with a massive shortage of child-care workers, more parents and children are left to struggle on their own.
When children do not receive early support, their ability to learn is compromised, and this has a lasting impact on scholastic readiness. Although policy makers have suggested universal pre-K as a potential solution, it does not start early enough to aid low-income children who often score lower on cognitive-development tests at a very early stage.
While America’s educational challenges begin in early childhood, the strain on parents can persist beyond the early years. As caregivers, parents are responsible for supporting their children in many ways, including attending meetings with teachers, assisting with extracurricular activities and managing homework. If a child has a learning difficulty related to their health or developmental disorder, parents are often responsible for implementing strategies at home. This high level of involvement in a child’s education is critical for academic success, but it can be impossible for many parents, particularly those who are low-income.
These challenges can lead to misbehavior in class and cycles of learning disruption, particularly when children’s basic needs like food, shelter, sleep, and safety are not met. Teachers can only manage classroom disruptions to some extent, and addressing the source of the problem is key to helping students succeed.
Ultimately, a child’s ability to succeed in school is strongly influenced by the level of support they receive at home. Schools often provide a social safety net for children with difficult home lives, but it is not fair to rely solely on schools to play catch-up. Addressing the forces that hold back American education is not possible without assisting America’s families.
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