About this report

This mixed-method research was done as part of Populace's broader effort to understand the shifting landscape of public institutions at a national level, including parent and community priorities about the purpose of education, and in partnership with the Shah Family Foundation to inform their work on the “Last night @ School Committee” podcast. The report includes both quantitative and qualitative research revealing attitudes and expectations of parents with children in the Boston Public School system. The goals of releasing this report are not only to inform that national work, but also to contribute to the conversation about the future of education in Boston.  

 

Key findings in the report:

BPS satisfaction levels are showing a decline since the start of the school year.

  • Prior to the start of the school year (July 2021), a majority of parents reported having positive views about how well BPS partners with parents (79%), how well it lives up to its commitment (83%), and how satisfied they were with the BPS system overall (86%).
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  • When asked these questions again during the school year (Nov 2021), there was between a 7 and 14 point decline. Specifically, views about how well BPS partners with parents declined 7 points, overall satisfaction with the BPS system declined 10 points, and how well BPS lives up to its commitment declined 14 points.
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  • Notably, while satisfaction with BPS remains high, the majority of parents think that "most other" parents are less satisfied with BPS than they actually are.

Parents want more engagement with their child’s education than BPS currently enables them to have. 

  • Prior to the start of the school year (July 2021), 94% of parents reported wanting to be engaged in their child's education, while 88% of parents reported that BPS enables them to be engaged (a six-point difference).
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  • When asked these questions again during the school year (Nov 2021), there was a three point increase in how engaged parents want to be, and a seven point decrease in how engaged BPS enables them to be (resulting in a 16-point difference).
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  • Notably, a majority of parents think "most other" parents desire less engagement in their child’s education, and believe BPS enables less engagement, than they actually do.