Lexia 2025 Back-to-School Teacher Survey

What District Leaders Need To Know: 5 Key Findings About Family Engagement and Literacy

Lexia’s 2025 Back-to-School Teacher Survey offers a critical look at how educators view family engagement in student reading development—and what district leaders can do to close the gaps. Drawing from the experiences of more than 1,500 K–12 teachers, the data shows that most families are only moderately involved in supporting reading at home, with just 9% of teachers reporting strong parental engagement. The primary barriers? Time and knowledge. Parents’ busy schedules and unfamiliarity with how to support reading instruction—especially using science of reading practices—leave many unsure of how to help.

A significant finding is that only 15% of teachers are sending home Structured Literacy activities, while nearly one-third aren’t offering any reading guidance to families. Most teachers say they need practical, parent-friendly tools like multilingual videos, in-person workshops, and access to decodable texts to help families reinforce classroom learning.

Yet district-level support is scarce: Only 1 in 10 teachers say their district offers a comprehensive family literacy program aligned with the science of reading. The takeaway for district leaders is clear—there’s a powerful opportunity to improve reading outcomes by investing in family engagement initiatives that are flexible, accessible, and research-backed. With the right resources and professional learning, school leaders can build stronger home-school partnerships that benefit every learner.