Given “emerging parent power” in the nation’s public schools, school districts would be wise to embrace such convictions, according to a new report from Georgetown University’s public policy think tank FutureEd.

“Prioritizing more meaningful parental engagement stands to increase parents’ trust, reduce rancor and provide local education leaders with valuable new insight into student needs, especially from low-income parents and parents of color who have long been relegated to public education’s periphery,” the report states.

The report, titled “Leaning In, The New Power of Parents in Public Education,” notes the rise of a new generation of activist parent organizations in public education, some of them groups that represent underrepresented families and communities. Others represent conservatives “who see education as a means to push back against what they view as damaging cultural shifts.”

According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified this new wave of parent activism as their kitchen tables were turned into classrooms, stoking parental frustrations with school closures and online learning.