Learning Heroes’ tenth annual national parent survey reveals shifting mindsets and new opportunities. Parents have high expectations for their children and are gaining a more realistic picture of their academic progress. Those who know their children are behind worry differently and are more likely to take action. Amid evolving views on AI and technology, the findings point to a powerful opportunity: using curriculum to strengthen family-school partnerships by giving parents greater visibility into what their children are learning, a greater voice in their education, and practical ways to support learning at home.
Category: Research
Deepening Impact of NYC Reads & NYC Solves: Opportunities for Strengthening Family Partnerships
New research from Learning Heroes examines New York City parents’ perspectives on their children’s learning, including NYC Reads and NYC Solves. The findings highlight NYC parents’ high expectations, growing support for the city’s efforts to strengthen reading and math instruction, and opportunities to strengthen family-school partnerships by giving families greater visibility into what their children are learning and practical ways to support learning at home.
Supporting Strong Readers in Arkansas: Understanding Parent & Educator Mindsets to Strengthen Partnerships
A statewide survey by Learning Heroes in spring 2026 examined Arkansas elementary (K–5) parents’ engagement with the ATLAS state tests and their children’s reading progress. The findings provide insight into parent perspectives, awareness, and concerns related to their child’s learning and highlights opportunities to strengthen partnerships between families and educators to support student success.
The Engagement Advantage: Findings from a Mixed-Methods Study of Family-School Partnerships
In partnership with TNTP, Learning Heroes launched The Engagement Advantage to examine how family-school partnerships relate to student attendance and academic outcomes. The first stage of this mixed-methods study found that schools with stronger pre-pandemic family engagement experienced significantly lower chronic absenteeism and higher academic performance post-pandemic — with family engagement showing a stronger relationship to absenteeism than poverty.
The second stage identified the specific leadership practices, mindsets, and communication strategies that distinguish “bright spot” schools serving similar communities — offering a practical roadmap for states, districts, and schools seeking to strengthen partnerships and improve student outcomes.
Centering Families in the Future of Education: Insights & Perspectives From 10 Years of Research
Building on a rich and longstanding body of research on family engagement, Centering Families in the Future of Education shares ten insights from ten years — what families and educators have told us they need to support student learning and well-being. From the gap between parent perception and academic performance to the need for clearer, more actionable communication, the findings underscore a central truth: when families are treated as true partners, trust deepens, outcomes improve, and systems become more responsive to every learner’s needs.
The Teacher & Principal Lens: Opportunities for equitable support for students with learning differences
This national survey of teachers and principals was conducted as part of our participation with the NeuroEquity Research Collaborative (NERC) which is being led and funded by Understood.org. Building on The Parent Journey, our 2023 survey of families of children with learning differences, this new body of research offers the educator perspective, shedding light on actionable insights. Based on this data, we offer a set of recommendations as well as an updated communications playbook for schools, districts, and advocates.
Hablan los maestros y directores sobre las oportunidades para un apoyo equitativo a los estudiantes con diferencias de aprendizaje
Esta encuesta nacional a maestros y directores de centros educativos fue realizada como parte de nuestra participación en el NeuroEquity Research Collaborative (NERC), dirigido y financiado por Understood.org. Sobre la base de The Parent Journey, nuestra encuesta de 2023 a familias de niños con diferencias de aprendizaje, esta nueva investigación ofrece la perspectiva de los educadores, recomendaciones y reflexiones de aplicación práctica, así como un manual de comunicación actualizado para escuelas, distritos escolares y grupos de apoyo.
Go Beyond Grades New York City
For the Go Beyond Grades campaign in New York City, we conducted a survey of K–12 public school parents to better understand parent mindsets, worries, and beliefs about their children’s education. The research explores how parents perceive their child’s grade-level achievement—often equating good grades with grade-level mastery—and includes insights from parents of children who learn differently. In addition to this pre-campaign research, we have included a post-campaign evaluation assessing the campaign’s reach, impact, and effectiveness in shifting parent awareness and understanding.
Go Beyond Grades — Ciudad de Nueva York
Para la campaña de Go Beyond Grades en la ciudad de Nueva York realizamos una encuesta para conocer mejor el modo de pensar, las preocupaciones y las creencias de los padres de las escuelas públicas de la ciudad de Nueva York sobre la educación de sus hijos. La encuesta revela las percepciones de los padres sobre el rendimiento escolar de sus hijos en función de su creencia de que las buenas calificaciones equivalen a dominio de las materias a nivel de grado, e incluye las percepciones de los padres de niños que aprenden de manera diferente.
Go Beyond Grades – Tarrant County
For the Go Beyond Grades campaign in Tarrant County, TX, we conducted a survey of K–12 public school parents to better understand parent mindsets, worries, and beliefs about their children’s education. The research highlights the disconnect between parent perceptions of grade-level achievement and the reality shown by local assessment data. In addition to this pre-campaign research, we have included a post-campaign evaluation assessing the campaign’s effectiveness in shifting parent understanding.