The Next Normal: Parents’ Roles in Online K-12 Learning

The authors of the 2008 book Disrupting Class: How Disruption Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns predicted that by 2019, “about 50 percent of high school courses will be delivered online” (p. 9).¹ That was a full decade before anyone had even heard of COVID-19. Today, the pandemic has accelerated growth of online learning — as it has homeschooling, which has seen parents assuming new roles in their child’s education.²

Although this (hopefully) temporary educational arrangement has proven stressful for both parents and their child, there is some good coming out of it. Studies show that parental involvement in their child’s K-12 education leads to better grades, better self-esteem, and higher graduation rates, to name just a few benefits.

Apart from taking over the full-time role of an actual teacher, there are other responsibilities that parents are now finding themselves assuming. Here are some of the most common ones.

1. Being engaged while their child is learning.

As students engage in their online learning at home, parents — especially those of younger children — should take an active approach in watching how their children learn. That doesn’t mean you have to hold their hand as they write an essay or solve a math problem. Simply observing how your child approaches a task can be beneficial in understanding how the child’s mind works — and how that may or may not help them to succeed academically. You can then encourage them to explore their approach further or steer them in a direction they might not have considered.

In the results of a survey conducted by the global nonprofit Education Development Center (EDS), a key finding was that many parents “did not seem to be aware of the importance and the power of noticing, talking about, and exploring the things that children wonder about and experience in their everyday lives.”³ Spending just a few hours a week doing so with your child can open them up to new ideas, while you can gain better insight about their individual skills and interests.

Engaging with your child can also help you identify potential learning disabilities. As a parent, you have the unique advantage of watching your child learn one-on-one, as opposed to a teacher who must oversee an entire class. Observing how your child learns new vocabulary or struggles with a simple math calculation could be a sign that they should be tested by a professional. Catching such issues early on can help them acquire the tools to overcome or ameliorate the issue, thus giving them a better chance at success.

2. Working more closely with teachers.

By now, most parents have a greater appreciation for their child’s teacher. But that appreciation can be taken a step further by proactively reaching out to the teacher, which can help ensure everyone is working closely together.

Extending the invitation for two-way communication demonstrates to the teacher that the parent is involved, engaged, and invested in their child’s education. That makes the teacher more likely to reach out when she notices something small that she might otherwise let slip by if she thought the parents wouldn’t respond. For example, if your child shows competency in music, she might recommend additional lessons to accelerate your child’s learning. On the flip side, if she were to notice your child lagging noticeably behind their classmates in reading when all other areas are equal, she might suggest tests for dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Diagnosing such issues early on can be crucial to helping your child keep pace with their classmates.

So make sure to have a good rapport with the teacher and to keep the lines of communication open. As a team, you can work to ensure your child’s academic success.

3. Becoming familiar with your school’s tech capabilities.

Not so long ago, gaining access to your child’s grades and attendance records required calling — or even visiting — the school. Today, most schools have some sort of learning management system (LMS), an online platform that allows students and their parents to track their grades, view and submit assignments, and a host of other functions. That means your child’s education is literally at your fingertips.

But this also means you need to familiarize yourself with the school’s unique LMS. Ask your child’s teacher if they have tutorials on how to use it. Oftentimes, they already have videos or written documentation to give you a walk-through of the most common features, such as checking grades and attendance.

And even if your child says that the system can’t do something, double-check. It’s not uncommon for your child not to know about all the features, such as reviewing submitted assignments, or to misrepresent them to their technologically challenged parents (today’s equivalent of hiding report cards). You may even want to form a group with other parents to review the features and functionality — and to request new ones, such as receiving an email every time your child misses an assignment or gets lower than, say, a C+.

It’s a whole new world out there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t navigate it. If you view this unprecedented time as an opportunity to get a leg up on your child’s education, both of you could come out ahead on the other end.

1. Christensen, C.M., Horn, M.B., and Staker, H. (2008).  Disrupting Class:  How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.  New York:  McGraw-Hill.
2. Germin, B., Pape, L., Vashaw, L., and Watson, J. (2015) Keeping pace with K-12 digital learning:  An annual review of policy and practice (12^th ed.).  Evergreen Education Group.  Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED570125.pdf
3. https://www.edc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/EDC_SRI_What_Parents_Talk_About.pdf