Families and teachers want real conversations about student progress. Go Beyond Grades is a national public awareness campaign that sounds the alarm about the gap between what parents think about their child’s learning and real student achievement scores. 

Created in spring 2023, Go Beyond Grades juxtaposes parent perceptions about their child’s learning and real student achievement scores, and connects families with local academic resources. It has touched down in Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia, Houston, New York City, Sacramento County, St. Louis, and continues to spread to new communities across the country, such as Ft. Worth and rural Texas.

Almost 9 in 10 parents nationally think their children are on grade level, despite a steady stream of data that shows the reality of declining student achievement. Nationally, only around one-third of students are on grade level in reading and math. How is this possible? Learning Heroes’ research has shown that parents rely on report card grades as their primary source of information, and around 8 in 10 parents say their kids receive B’s or better.

Teachers say the number one way for parents to know how their child is achieving is to ask the teacher. So, we’re asking parents to go beyond grades by exploring our free tips and tools, and by teaming up with their child’s teachers.

Nationally, Go Beyond Grades has reached 82 million people through billboards in English and Spanish in our target communities; 346.8 million through the media and 34.2 million through digital ads; and 150,000 through our websites. Go Beyond Grades has touched down in Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia, Houston, New York City, Sacramento, and St. Louis, and continues to spread to new communities across the country.

Featured news coverage:

• PBS NewsHour: Study shows parents overestimate their student’s academic progress
• Newsweek: Parents: Your Kids Can’t Read. It’s Time to Get Angry—and Act | Opinion
• TIME: Many American Parents Have No Idea How Their Kids Are Doing in School
• LA Times: Nine in ten parents say their child is at grade level. About one in four are.
• Axios Boston: Campaign aims to reverse pandemic learning loss

National funders:

• Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin and Griffin Catalyst (Spring and Summer 2023, Fall 2023)
• Overdeck Family Foundation (Spring and Summer 2023)
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Spring and Summer 2023)
• Clear Channel Outdoor (in-kind support, Spring and Summer 2023)