New roadmap helps parents support children’s progress

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Just as teachers are the experts on learning, parents are the experts when it comes to their children. And just as teachers need access to high-quality tools, so too do parents. That’s the mission of Learning Heroes—to inform parents about what’s happening in classrooms and equip them to support their children’s academic success. Learning Heroes’ latest creation is the Readiness Roadmap, a suite of resources that includes the following handy tools for parents:

  • Academic expectations by grade
  • Tips on paying for college
  • Information on emotional health and happiness
  • Conversation guides to make the most of parent-teacher conferences as well as conversations with their child
  • Tools to help parents understand where their child might need additional support
  • Personalized resources to meet their child’s individual needs
The Readiness Roadmap was developed to respond to questions, concerns, interests, and hopes that parents voiced in a recent national survey. According to Bibb Hubbard, founder of Learning Heroes, the survey was about finding out what’s on parents’ hearts and minds: “What hopes and dreams do they have for their child? What goals do they set, and how do they know if their child is on track to meet them? When do they say ‘I’ve got this!’ and when are they far less sure? What help are they looking for along the way?” The survey found that:
  • 84 percent of parents believe they can make a difference in their child’s learning and academic progress, and 75 percent believe their child is getting a good education.
  • 75 percent of parents believe it is very important for their child to go to college; this percentage is even higher among Hispanic parents (90 percent) and African American parents (83 percent).
  • 90 percent of parents believe their child is achieving at or above grade level in reading and math. However, the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that, in reality, only 40 percent of students are proficient in math and 36 percent are proficient in reading.
  • Parents’ top concerns about raising their children are paying for college, their child’s social and emotional well-being and physical safety, and ensuring that their child is safely and responsibly using technology.
Overall, the survey makes it clear that parents have big hopes for their children, but the road to success isn’t easy and many parents need help navigating it. Says Hubbard, “As parents help their child live up to his or her full potential, we hope The Readiness Roadmap can be a support along the way.” Parents can access the Readiness Roadmap and other free resources and information at BeALearningHero.org.

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