How parents selected their #ParentPriorities for 2021-2022!

Though we did not host a PAVE Parent Policy Summit in 2021 due to the pandemic, we still centered our work on the voices of parents across DC!

PAVE 2021 End of School Year Parent Survey

Our work at PAVE lifts up the voices and experiences of families in DC to ensure that they are centered in our education system. In order to learn more about families’ experiences, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and their hopes and plans for the future, in May of 2021 we conducted the PAVE End of School Year Parent Survey as the 2020-21 school year came to a close. 

A total of 628 families participated in the survey, and these respondents are an equitable representation of DC’s public education system. Most families surveyed live in the Wards with the greatest number of public school children (Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), 64% identify as Black/African-American, 13% identify as Hispanic/Latinx, and 41% receive benefits such as TANF, SNAP, or Medicaid.

NOTE: Survey responses were recorded from May 20th, 2021 through June 10, 2021. The last day of school for DCPS and some public charter schools was June 19, 2021.

The PAVE 2021 End Of School Year Parent Survey Report analyzes families’ responses to questions in the following key areas:

  • Returning to School In-Person
  • Parents’ Experiences with their Children’s Schools: Satisfaction and Concerns
  • Academics and Enrichment
  • School-based Mental Health Supports
  • Family Wellbeing and COVID Impact
Read the FULL survey report!

Community Conversations

In July and August, we conducted 13 Community Conversations with small groups of parents and caregivers to

  1. Hear directly about their visions for an equitable DC education system!

  2. Dig further into the PAVE 2021 End of School Year survey results!

Selecting TWO Top Policy Priorities

From the findings of the Parent End of School Year Survey and experiences shared by families who joined our Community Conversations, parent leaders selected FIVE critical policy issues that consistently came up as priorities for families. Parent leaders then voted to determine their TWO top #ParentPriorities for 2021-2022: School-Based Mental Health and Out-of-School Time programs!