Most parents think children shouldn’t feel bad about getting poor grades in school, as long as they try hard, according to survey data from the Pew Research Center.
When asked about the statement, “As long as they try hard, children should never feel bad about themselves because of poor grades in school,” 41 percent of parents said the statement came very close to their own view, with another 34 percent saying it was somewhat close to their own view. That leaves about one in four parents who say the statement is not very close or not at all close to their views.
“There are no significant differences on this question across generations or racial, educational or income groups, but there is a difference in how parents with different ideological leanings approach this,” Pew says. Half of politically liberal parents say the statement is very close to their own view. That number drops to 39 percent for conservatives. Interestingly, politically moderate parents had the lowest portion: 32 percent.
There is also an interesting gender gap in the data: 33 percent of fathers said it was very close to their own view, while 47 percent of mothers did.
Nineteen percent of parents said they “would be very disappointed if my child got average grades in school.” Another 32 percent said that statement was somewhat close to their views, with 47 percent saying it was not too close or not at all close to their view.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
