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It's live in the Bream with the host of Fox news Sunday, Shannon Bream. All right, guys, it is that time of year. So I'm so excited for this week's live in the Bream to welcome an old colleague and friend. She's not old. I'm old. We've worked together in the past is what I meant to say, but she has got important information for you in the day and age and time of report card season. Um,
Tracy Potts is on the advisory board of Learning Heroes. It's an education nonprofit. She's also executive director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. She and I both used to work at NBC in different ways, but CrossPaths worked in the same building. The media business is very small. And Tracy, I'm so excited to reconnect with you to talk about education.
This is so fun. It's great to reconnect with you. And it's great to see like what a journalism career can blossom into. So I'm spending a lot of my time focusing on education at the collegiate level, at the K-12 level now. And it's exciting. I mean, how could it not be exciting doing things that are in support of our kids? They're the future.
Exactly. And you are a researcher at heart as a journalist, as somebody who's covered, you know, presidential administrations and been around the world and now this world of education. And there's so many interesting things that you guys have found, because I want to start here. When you get your report cards, your kids get the cards. They probably don't even get them physically anymore like we used to back in the old days. I'm sure it's all just online.
But when you find out the grade that is assigned for your kid, that is only part of the story. You're saying parents, guardians, whoever it is, you know, helping, you know, nurture and run a kiddo's life. It's about more than just those letter grades. You see what the parents, guardians and friends need to know.
Yeah, if we are only looking at report card grades, we are missing such a big part of the story. That grade includes lots of things. It includes effort. It includes, is your child turning in their homework? But the key is parents are looking at that saying, oh, good, all A's and B's, check, we're done. But what that does not necessarily tell you is, is your child on grade level? They can be progressing.
They can be engaged in class, but it doesn't necessarily mean that your third grader has mastered third grade math. So there's there's this problem. We call it deflation. And there's some hard data to back this up. We did some research with Gallup. And what we found is that parents are really not getting the whole picture when they're only looking at the grades.
Yeah, and you say there's this gap there too in the data that you got with Gallup that when people are asked, "Hey, do you think your kids are at reading grade level, grade level or at math for their grade level?" The vast majority of parents think, "Yep, my kid's on track." But the data about where kids really are, where they're measuring out for grade levels and reading and math, indicates to us that is not true. So where is the gap happening for parents? How do they get the real information that tells them their kid is ready?
Shannon, these numbers are startling. So what we found when we did this research with Gallup is that 80% of parents are telling us my kids are getting B's or better. 90% of parents are saying, yeah, I absolutely think because of those report cards, because of those grades, that my child is on grade level. But when you actually look at achievement data, at best,
At best, 50% of kids are on grade level. In some areas like Washington, D.C., where we are, it's much less. And so that perception gap between what parents think and what's actually happening is critical. And here's the thing.
Parents want to know. Teachers want parents to know. And so what we're doing is really trying to raise awareness that parents need to go beyond grades. That's why we've named our campaign Go Beyond Grades, because there's a lot more that we need to know.
Absolutely. So how does a parent then have a conversation with a teacher? It's one thing when you know your kids are struggling and the letter grades you see aren't great. But if they are good, how can a parent have questions, conversations, teachers conferences, whatever it is, to get to the information they really need? What should they be asking teachers?
Yeah. So, so the critical thing I always tell people, if you don't remember anything else I said, the critical thing that parents need to know is asking the right question. So we go into the parent conference. Often they're only in the fall, but this time of year, there may also be spring conferences or you can certainly ask for one. And what do we say? Hi, how's my child doing? I did it as well. How's my child doing? Well,
that's kind of vague. The specific question we want to ask is, is my child on grade level in reading? Is my child on grade level in math? Because that can bring a different, uh, response. And that opens the conversation. Um,
You hit it right, Shannon. It's about a conversation, opening that line of communication with teachers to share information about actual achievement and not the larger issue of, you know, how's my child doing? What's their behavior like? Are they...
cooperating in class? Are they turning in their homework? Are they raising their hands? All of that is really good information. And it's all reflected in that grade. But more specifically, it's really important to know, again, is your third grader doing third grade math or first grade math? We'll have more Live in the Bream in a moment.
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Again, we're talking to Tracy Potts, who is on the Advisory Board of Learning Heroes, an education nonprofit, in this season of report cards, giving us more information about what's really going to be helpful to parents and students. So if you do get word that your child is not on grade level with reading or with math, what steps can you take? Have you seen some of these stories turn around?
Yeah, absolutely. So we've been working with communities all over the country. Right now we're in Tarrant County. We're working with 80 organizations there that want to raise this issue and raise awareness about this issue with parents. So if you are a parent, you ask that question and the response is, well, actually turns out your child is a little behind in math. Then the next question becomes,
How can I help? What is it specifically that's going on? So some of the resources that we provide at go beyond grades dot org is a list of questions, specific questions that parents can ask so they can figure out, A, how can I help my child at home? And B, are there other resources, sometimes free resources to help my child advance to where they need to be?
So tell us again more about the website and what kind of practical data that families, parents, guardians, people searching to help their kids, what can they find there?
Yep. So the first thing you're going to see for parents specifically is those ABCs. So we try to make it simple for people to remember, right? Ask if your child is on grade level, be in the know about your child's learning, and then connect with resources. And right now is a great time because in the summer, there's so many different programs that are fun, but also fun.
support learning. So, you know, ask, be in the know and connect. So if you go to go beyond grades.org, what you're going to see are what I found as a parent were really helpful, specific resources, for example, an outline of what that conversation should look like. We've got a two pager for one for reading and one for math on specific questions that you should ask your teacher, like,
how is our school teaching math? Or what should I be looking out for when my child is doing homework? What is the curriculum like? After you get the general answer, we're going to kind of walk you through what that conversation should be like. We've even got some resources that will allow you to plug in information and create a letter to your child's teacher, to their summer learning partner and advisor to say, hey,
Here's what you need to know about my child. Personally, when my kids were younger, they're young adults now. I used to do this every year. I'd say, hi, you're the new teacher. Here's who I am. Here's all my contact info. And here's what I think you need to know about my child. That's the level of communication we want to get to between educators and parents.
Yeah, that's so good. My mom was a teacher for decades and I found that she taught at a smaller school and they wanted the teachers to personally visit each family during that first semester so they would know, you know, this is this child dealing with something at home that's going to affect their ability to stay awake or be engaged at class.
Do they have needs with poverty or hunger or other things that you should know about as a teacher? Do they have potentially special learning abilities or disabilities? All kinds of things that I love that you get so personal with the information you're providing to the teacher to say, here's what to know about my child because everybody's a little individual with...
quirks and pluses and minuses and strengths and weaknesses and how helpful to the teacher too to say, let me just introduce us, our family and my child to you. I love the specificity of that. Tell me why for you, education has become this additional career for you on top of everything else. Well, so it's funny when you and I were both working together in journalism, obviously you still are. I've kind of moved on to the education side a little bit, but
I actually always spent a lot of time as a K-12 parent advocate because, you know, it started my kids went to school and I thought, OK, I'm supposed to be involved in the PTA. I'm supposed to be helping the teachers. I think these are the things I'm supposed to be doing. But as I did that, I started to see needs. I started to see inequities. I started to see the challenges of.
funding and what was provided, but working in the schools, I could see what the teachers and what the kids really needed. So while I was reporting by day, by night, I was, and sometimes by day as well, I was advocating for what our schools needed. I was going to school board meetings. I was getting involved on boards of national organizations to kind
of elevate the importance of this. But you're right. It's so personal. It really just started with me wanting to create the best school environment for my kids. You know, we all as parents make decisions around our family of where our kids will go to school, what they'll learn, how we can support. And I really always thought the best schools and there's research behind this. The best schools are the schools where the parents are involved. There's hard data that shows when parents are
get involved in the educational process, students benefit. We see lower dropout rates. We see higher achievement rates when it comes to grades and learning. And so part of what I really wanted to do was inspire parents to
that you belong here, that there's not this big gap or this big separation between the home and the school, but that it's really important that you build that bridge. And that's tough, right? Not everybody had the best experience walking into a school. So sometimes, you know, it's challenging to pull parents into that environment. But that's kind of really what motivated me to get involved with all this.
And teachers have so much pressure on them. I mean, goodness, they're called to do all kinds of things in this day and age, deal with behavior issues and all kinds of challenges outside of school. They come to the classroom when you're there. You talk about funding challenges and things that they need as well.
What can parents do to have a better relationship with teachers? Because I got to think some of them annoying moments with my mom over her career where they just feel beat up. I mean, teachers, we put a lot on them, but we need them to feel successful and secure in order for them to help the next generation of kiddos coming through their classes, too.
No question. I used to I was a PTA leader for a long time and I used to remind my teachers I would just go walk through the school sometimes. This was after I did the early morning 30 live shot, Shannon, and I would go walk through the school.
And just visit with teachers, you know, during a break or something like that. And I'd say, do you know what PTA stands for? It's the Parent Teacher Association. So it's not just about parents. I'm here to represent you. I would often tell my teachers, I can go to the school board and say anything and I won't get fired because I don't work for them. So I need you to help me understand how I can make your job better. God bless your mom.
and all of the other millions of teachers out there, their job has changed. It's changed a lot. And I think it's really important that we as parents
have a lot of grace when we start those, build those relationships and have conversations with teachers, have a lot of grace. I often say that we know one or two or three or ten kids. My sister has nine kids. So, you know, we know a few kids in depth. They know a lot of kids and they have a breadth of knowledge and we need both.
Right. It's not me coming in saying I'm the expert on my kid. And, you know, and it's not the teacher saying I've seen this a hundred times. I know what's going on with your kid. We need both.
perspectives. And we need the investment of both the teachers and the educators working together to help these kids. And we all know that. But in the moment, right, when I get the note or the message from the teacher to come in, I instantly think, oh, God, something's wrong. And I found personally for me, I had to check my
and not be defensive, right? When you're called in and your child may not be performing at grade level or there's an issue, sometimes a behavioral issue, it's not a comment on my parenting. It's a teacher reaching out to help that situation. And so I find that what was helpful for me is to reach out the hand on that other side. But yeah, let's just all have a lot of grace because it's a tough job.
Can we just have that in general? Just in society and life in general, not immediately assume the worst about each other or jump to conclusions. Of course, it's got to be intimidating to get a call like, we need to speak with you. None of us like that from our boss or anywhere else. We always immediately think, I've got to defend myself. But you make such a good point that it's really a collaborative thing when teachers and parents are working together for the best of the child.
A couple more questions. I wanted to ask you about standardized tests. I mean, do you have much data on how those are viewed? Are they helpful in really assessing where a kid is? How much should a parent worry, not worry about those kinds of things? So they are a date. That's one data point. It's an important data point, right? It kind of helps us to see at one moment in time.
on one day, whether our child was meeting benchmarks that were set by the district or by the state.
But if that's really the only data point that we're using, we're not getting a full picture of our child's learning and education. The other challenge with that is, I mean, I don't know if you've ever seen these reports that come home. Sometimes they're hard to read. And so some districts now, some of those that we're working with as well, are working to make the
the scores and the interpretation of the scores more easily understandable for parents. Because sending me home a folder with a whole bunch of charts and numbers, it's challenging for parents to understand what that means.
about having a conversation with your child. If you get a report card that's less than ideal this time around, this end of the school year, what's the best way for a parent to have the conversation with the child to figure out best steps forward?
you know, I got to assume most kids, I know that you get something that doesn't measure up to what you're hoping to get. I mean, there can be disappointment. Other kids feel checked out because they feel like I'm not a good learner. I can't figure this out. I'm not going to test take her. What about the parent child conversation? Yeah, I had that child who was not a good test taker, who could literally like do a whole lesson at home about what she'd learned and then go and bomb the test. And I think
that conversation has to start way before the report cards come out. It starts at the beginning of the year, the beginning of the semester when I sit down with my child and say, what are your expectations for this class? What are your expectations? What does success look like to you? Do you want to get a B? Do you want to learn more about this particular subject?
You know, do you want to improve your work skills to to really bring them in and give them some ownership of how they progress through that? So then when the report cards come out, it's a follow up conversation. And I think that conversation involves a lot of listening because, frankly, we are not in the classroom.
And so we're not having the same experience as our children. So when you see a C in a class that you thought should be an A or a D, or maybe your child fails, this happens, you know, it's not the end of the world. It does happen. I think really listening to how your child feels about that, what your child thinks contributed to that is how that conversation needs to begin.
Well, again, we're talking to Tracy Potts. She is on the Advisory Board of Learning Heroes. She's the executive director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. And I want to mention again this website she mentioned. If you're a parent, if you want to know more about what you really need to know about how your kids are doing, it's gobeyondgrades.org. There are free tools there, pro tips.
Ready, Miss Roadmaps. There's teacher conference prep, mapping out conversations and a whole lot more. Tracy, thank you for providing so many interesting resources. Is there anything else that you want to point parents or teachers or kids to?
I think just, you know, you mentioned learning heroes. I love the concept of parents wanting to be their child's learning hero. I think that's so important that we make sure that parents understand that you belong in this process. Shannon, I did earlier this year or actually later last year, I
an editorial on this for christianparenting.com and I said we don't just like send our kids off to church and expect them to come back as Christians or expect them to kind of you know come back as holy we don't send our kids off to school and expect them to come back educated we are part of that process and I think
So empowering parents to understand that you belong here and you're supposed to be part of that process and there are teachers who want to work with you is really an important part of this work that we do.
Yeah, well, thank you for all the work that you are doing. In addition to all the fantastic journalism you've done over the years as well, you're a multitasker and multi-talented. Tracy Potts, thank you so much. So you get that report card this season, whether it's fantastic or it's subpar, it doesn't tell the whole story about how your child is doing. So thank you, Tracy, for telling us what questions to ask and where to go to get help in the work that you're doing. We so appreciate it on Live in the Breen.
Thank you. Listen ad-free with the Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. And Amazon Prime members can listen to this show ad-free on the Amazon Music app. From the Fox News Podcast Network. I'm Janice Dean, Fox News Senior Meteorologist. Be sure to subscribe to the Janice Dean Podcast at foxnewspodcast.com or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And don't forget to spread the sunshine.