Families & the Community Report Roundup

Parents as Educators

By Karla Scoon Reid — January 28, 2014 1 min read
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A new national survey confirms what most American mothers of school-age children already know: They are the “chief education officers” in their families.

The Sylvan Learning online survey found that 88 percent of mothers of school-age children believe they are primarily responsible for their child’s academic success and deserve the so-called CEO title.

The online poll was conducted by Harris Interactive in December. The survey of more than 5,000 adults includes 471 mothers of children ages 6-17 living in their household.

The tutoring company also found that these home-based education executives cite helping their children with homework (44 percent) and understanding their school’s curriculum (35 percent) as their top sources of stress. Almost a third (30 percent) were concerned about the lack of time they had at home to help their children with homework, while 20 percent believe that quality family time suffers because of their children’s academic responsibilities.

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A version of this article appeared in the January 29, 2014 edition of Education Week as Parents as Educators

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