College leaders use an often-repeated phrase to describe the relationship they aspire to have with their students’ parents: They’d like to make parents partners, rather than adversaries. But that’s not an easy task. With sky-high tuition, diminishing faith in the value of higher education, and widespread concerns about safety — including from Covid-19 and campus violence — they are caught in a balancing act between a range of parents.
At one end are those with high expectations — typically college-educated, affluent, and white. At the other end are parents who have scant understanding of how higher education works and feel particularly excluded by the unspoken and informal rules that govern everything from grades to social rituals.
Managing the 21st Century Parent will help college leaders and those who work with parents to better understand the attitudes and concerns of family members. Explore strategies and initiatives that a broad range of institutions are using to truly make all parents partners.
