Do parents expect too much or is it all about grades? The discrepancy between parents’ aspirations and child’s academic performance, and parental satisfaction with the school

Figures & data

Table 1. Summary statistics

Variable	Mean/Frequency	Std. deviation
Panel A. Dependent variables
Satisfaction with the school the child attends this year Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied	0.597 0.325 0.057 0.021
Satisfaction with the teacher this child has this year Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied	0.569 0.355 0.061 0.015
Satisfaction with the academic standards of the school Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied	0.590 0.334 0.057 0.019
Satisfaction with the order and discipline at the school Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied	0.578 0.319 0.072 0.031
Satisfaction with the way that school staff interacts with parents Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied	0.506 0.365 0.095 0.034
Panel B. Main variables of interest
Parents’ expectations about child’s future education High school or lower education Vocational/technical school (after high school) or some college Bachelor’s (BA) degree Graduate or professional degree	0.059 0.192 0.323 0.426
Child’s grades Mostly A’s Mostly B’s Mostly C’s or lower	0.544 0.331 0.125
Panel C. Control variables and variables used in subsample analyses
Private school (private = 1, public = 0)	0.115	0.319
Female child (girl = 1, boy = 0)	0.487	0.500
Female respondent (mother = 1, father = 0)	0.697	0.460
Single parent	0.259	0.438
Child’s age	12.667	3.535
Number of children	2.069	0.959
Mother’s employment status (employed = 1, not = 0)	0.746	0.435
Father’s employment status (employed = 1, not = 0)	0.909	0.287
Parents’ marital status (married = 1, not = 0)	0.702	0.457
Black child	0.095	0.293
Hispanic child	0.212	0.408
Child’s health below very good (below very good = 1, very good or excellent = 0)	0.111	0.314
Mother’s highest education High school or lower education Vocational/technical school (after high school) or some college Bachelor’s (BA) degree Graduate or professional degree	0.217 0.323 0.272 0.188
Father’s highest education High school or lower education Vocational/technical school (after high school) or some college Bachelor’s (BA) degree Graduate or professional degree	0.257 0.294 0.249 0.200
Household income bracket Up to $20,000 $20,001–50,000 $50,001–75,000 $75,001–100,000 $100,001–150,000 Above $150,000	0.115 0.227 0.158 0.146 0.171 0.183

Notes: The source of the data are the 2012, 2016 and 2019 waves of the Parent and Family Involvement in Education (PFI) survey.

Table 2. Effect of expectations and performance on satisfaction: Coefficients and marginal effects

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
Variable	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Expect high school or less * Grade A	−0.126 (0.181) [0.027]	−0.162 (0.209) [0.035]	0.088 (0.186) [0.020]	0.132 (0.208) [−0.030]	−0.090 (0.205) [0.021]
Expect high school or less * Grade B	0.565*** (0.157) [−0.121***]	0.649*** (0.146) [−0.140***]	0.456*** (0.159) [−0.102***]	0.485*** (0.157) [−0.109***]	0.252* (0.148) [−0.058*]
Expect high school or less * Grade C or lower	1.172*** (0.157) [−0.366***]	1.464*** (0.161) [−0.316***]	1.359*** (0.149) [−0.303***]	1.259*** (0.163) [−0.282***]	1.119*** (0.151) [−0.259***]
Expect some college * Grade A	0.033 (0.085) [−0.007]	−0.078 (0.083) [0.017]	0.016 (0.084) [−0.004]	0.231*** (0.082) [−0.052***]	0.166** (0.082) [−0.038**]
Expect some college * Grade B	0.575*** (0.072) [−0.123***]	0.566*** (0.081) [−0.122***]	0.550*** (0.074) [−0.123***]	0.511*** (0.077) [−0.115***]	0.387*** (0.068) [−0.089***]
Expect some college * Grade C or lower	1.274*** (0.104) [−0.272***]	1.142*** (0.097) [−0.246***]	0.981*** (0.101) [−0.219***]	0.849*** (0.098) [−0.190***]	0.824*** (0.104) [−0.190***]
Expect BA * Grade A	−0.023 (0.054) [0.005]	0.044 (0.051) [−0.009]	0.040 (0.052) [−0.009]	0.094* (0.051) [−0.021*]	0.031 (0.048) [−0.007]
Expect BA * Grade B	0.497*** (0.060) [−0.106***]	0.584*** (0.060) [−0.126***]	0.379*** (0.061) [−0.084***]	0.379*** (0.058) [−0.085***]	0.328*** (0.058) [−0.076***]
Expect BA * Grade C or lower	1.108*** (0.143) [−0.237***]	1.059*** (0.122) [−0.228***]	0.934*** (0.122) [−0.208***]	0.664*** (0.114) [−0.149***]	0.696*** (0.117) [−0.161***]
Expect a graduate degree * Grade B	0.517*** (0.069) [−0.110***]	0.577*** (0.067) [−0.124***]	0.424*** (0.068) [−0.095***]	0.320*** (0.068) [−0.072***]	0.386*** (0.065) [−0.089***]
Expect a graduate degree * Grade C or lower	1.576*** (0.181) [−0.337***]	1.568*** (0.150) [−0.338***]	1.207*** (0.137) [−0.269***]	1.253*** (0.127) [−0.281***]	1.001*** (0.144) [−0.231***]
Private school	−0.926*** (0.065) [0.179***]	−0.665*** (0.057) [0.135***]	−0.960*** (0.065) [0.194***]	−1.038*** (0.066) [0.210***]	−0.881*** (0.058) [0.195***]
Female child	0.093** (0.038) [−0.020**]	0.137*** (0.037) [−0.029***]	0.019 (0.037) [−0.004]	0.077** (0.037) [−0.017**]	0.050 (0.035) [−0.012]
Child’s age	0.044*** (0.006) [−0.009***]	0.097*** (0.006) [−0.021***]	0.034*** (0.006) [−0.007***]	0.060*** (0.006) [−0.013***]	0.086*** (0.005) [−0.020***]
Number of children	−0.021 (0.021) [0.004]	−0.059*** (0.020) [0.013***]	0.0003 (0.021) [−0.0001]	0.003 (0.039) [−0.001]	−0.036* (0.020) [0.008*]
Female respondent	0.142*** (0.040) [−0.030***]	0.062 (0.038) [−0.013]	0.077** (0.039) [−0.017**]	0.120*** (0.039) [−0.027***]	0.100*** (0.037) [−0.023***]
Employed mother	−0.045 (0.045) [0.010]	0.021 (0.044) [−0.004]	−0.046 (0.043) [0.010]	0.023 (0.043) [−0.005]	0.024 (0.042) [−0.006]
Employed father	−0.142** (0.071) [0.031**]	0.027 (0.072) [−0.006]	−0.128* (0.069) [0.029*]	−0.173** (0.073) [0.039**]	−0.082 (0.068) [0.019]
Married parents	−0.020 (0.088) [0.004]	0.012 (0.088) [−0.003]	−0.078 (0.079) [0.018]	−0.017 (0.085) [0.004]	−0.052 (0.083) [0.012]
Black child	0.319*** (0.077) [−0.070***]	0.201*** (0.076) [−0.044***]	0.103 (0.078) [−0.023]	0.125 (0.078) [−0.028]	0.054 (0.072) [−0.013]
Hispanic child	−0.066 (0.050 [0.014]	−0.058 (0.051) [0.012]	−0.024 (0.049) [0.005]	−0.079 (0.049) [0.018]	−0.024 (0.046) [0.006]
Child’s health below very good	0.505*** (0.065) [−0.113***]	0.373*** (0.062) [−0.083***]	0.372*** (0.061) [−0.085***]	0.355*** (0.062) [−0.082***]	0.321*** (0.060) [−0.075***]
Observations	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725
R-squared	0.0554	0.0582	0.0389	0.0393	0.0405

Estimates are obtained from ordered Logit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on parental aspirations and child’s current academic performance and a set of controls. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table 3. Effect of high expectations and low performance on satisfaction: Coefficients and marginal effects

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
Variable	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.929*** (0.112) [−0.205***]	0.891*** (0.096) [−0.198***]	0.741*** (0.092) [−0.169***]	0.614*** (0.087) [−0.140***]	0.570*** (0.092) [−0.133***]
Private school	−1.007*** (0.064) [0.198***]	−0.739*** (0.056) [0.153***]	−1.025*** (0.065) [0.208***]	−1.101*** (0.066) [0.224***]	−0.941*** (0.058) [0.210***]
Female child	−0.026 (0.038) [0.006]	0.023 (0.037) [−0.005]	−0.073** (0.037) [0.017**]	−0.006 (0.037) [0.001]	−0.021 (0.035) [0.005]
Child’s age	0.059*** (0.006) [−0.013***]	0.110*** (0.006) [−0.025***]	0.046*** (0.005) [0.011***]	0.070*** (0.005) [−0.016***]	0.095*** (0.005) [−0.023***]
Number of children	−0.006 (0.021) [0.001]	−0.048** (0.020) [0.011**]	0.013 (0.021) [0.003]	0.014 (0.021) [−0.003]	−0.027 (0.020) [0.006]
Female respondent	0.179*** (0.040) [−0.039***]	−0.095** (0.038) [−0.021**]	0.109*** (0.039) [−0.025***]	0.152*** (0.039) [−0.035***]	0.126*** (0.037) [−0.029***]
Employed mother	−0.063 (0.044) [0.014]	0.009 (0.043) [−0.002]	−0.059 (0.043) [0.013]	0.010 (0.043) [−0.002]	0.014 (0.042) [−0.003]
Employed father	−0.240*** (0.068) [0.054***]	−0.067 (0.068) [0.015]	−0.209*** (0.067) [0.048***]	−0.242*** (0.071) [0.056***]	−0.143** (0.067) [0.034**]
Married parents	−0.140* (0.084) [0.031*]	−0.092 (0.085) [0.021]	−0.171** (0.079) [0.040**]	−0.100 (0.084) [0.023]	−0.121 (0.082) [0.028]
Black child	0.418*** (0.075) [−0.096***]	0.299*** (0.074) [−0.068***]	0.176** (0.077) [−0.041**]	0.174** (0.077) [−0.040**]	0.124* (0.071) [−0.029*]
Hispanic child	−0.004 (0.049) [0.001]	0.008 (0.050) [−0.002]	0.019 (0.048) [−0.004]	−0.055 (0.048) [0.013]	0.014 (0.046) [−0.003]
Child’s health below very good	0.683*** (0.062) [−0.159***]	0.533*** (0.060) [0.123***]	0.519*** (0.058) [−0.123***]	0.493*** (0.059) [−0.116***]	0.445*** (0.058) [−0.105***]
Observations	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725
R-squared	0.0350	0.0402	0.0264	0.0300	0.0328

Estimates are obtained from ordered Logit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table 4. Subsample analysis by parental education: Marginal effects of high expectations and low performance on the likelihood of being very satisfied with child schooling

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Panel A. Mother’s education: High school or lower
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.652*** (0.242) [−0.147***]	0.625*** (0.174) [−0.141***]	0.574*** (0.167) [−0.134***]	0.532*** (0.167) [−0.124***]	0.419** (0.169) [−0.099**]
	5,408	5,408	5,408	5,408	5,408
Panel B. Mother’s education: Technical or vocational degree after high school or some college
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.955*** (0.168) [−0.220***]	0.918*** (0.151) [−0.109***]	0.897*** (0.150) [−0.209***]	0.526*** (0.134) [−0.124***]	0.536*** (0.141) [−0.126***]
	8,164	8,164	8,164	8,164	8,164
Panel C. Mother’s education: Bachelor’s degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.161*** (0.193) [−0.241***]	1.151*** (0.216) [−0.145***]	0.738*** (0.190) [−0.159***]	0.816*** (0.185) [−0.178***]	0.731*** (0.206) [−0.168***]
	7,810	7,810	7,810	7,810	7,810
Panel D. Mother’s education: Graduate degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.380*** (0.218) [−0.286***]	1.248*** (0.231) [−0.269***]	1.006*** (0.215) [−0.218***]	0.823*** (0.224) [−0.174***]	0.999*** (0.222) [−0.231***]
	5,343	5,343	5,343	5,343	5,343
Panel E. Father’s education: High school or lower
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.809*** (0.209) [−0.184***]	0.756*** (0.159) [−0.171***]	0.729*** (0.159) [−0.171***]	0.533*** (0.148) [−0.125***]	0.498*** (0.154) [−0.117***]
	6,840	6,840	6,840	6,840	6,840
Panel F. Father’s education: Technical or vocational degree after high school or some college
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.067*** (0.157) [−0.243***]	1.039*** (0.168) [−0.234***]	0.872*** (0.146) [−0.199***]	0.755*** (0.131) [−0.175***]	0.728*** (0.141) [−0.171]
	7,762	7,762	7,762	7,762	7,762
Panel G. Father’s education: Bachelor’s degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.979*** (0.180) [−0.205***]	0.952*** (0.184) [−0.205***]	0.599*** (0.175) [−0.132***]	0.488*** (0.174) [−0.107***]	0.432** (0.204) [−0.099**]
	6,712	6,712	6,712	6,712	6,712
Panel H. Father’s education: Graduate degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.921*** (0.267) [−0.189***]	0.865*** (0.241) [−0.186***]	0.567** (0.240) [−0.122**]	0.719*** (0.256) [−0.151***]	0.632** (0.258) [−0.146**]
	5,411	5,411	5,411	5,411	5,411

Estimates are obtained from ordered Logit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls, conditional on different levels of education of the parents. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table 5. Subsample analysis by household income: Marginal effects of high expectations and low performance on the likelihood of being very satisfied with child schooling

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Panel A. Up to $20,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.794** (0.398) [−0.175**]	1.156*** (0.348) [−0.240***]	1.237*** (0.322) [−0.276***]	0.808*** (0.307) [−0.182***]	0.965*** (0.260) [−0.220***]
	1,490	1,490	1,490	1,490	1,490
Panel B. Between $20,001 and $50,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.018*** (0.216) [−0.228***]	0.931*** (0.163) [−0.206***]	0.727*** (0.152) [−0.168***]	0.613*** (0.152) [−0.141***]	0.659*** (0.180) [−0.154***]
	4,816	4,816	4,816	4,816	4,816
Panel C. Between $50,001 and $75,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.074*** (0.305) [−0.249***]	0.730*** (0.241) [−0.167***]	0.707*** (0.248) [−0.166***]	0.610*** (0.196) [−0.145***]	0.364 (0.241) [−0.086]
	4,218	4,218	4,218	4,218	4,218
Panel D. Between $75,001 and $100,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.787*** (0.235) [−0.176***]	0.693*** (0.216) [−0.154***]	0.696*** (0.228) [−0.160***]	0.546** (0.239) [−0.124**]	0.424* (0.223) [−0.098*]
	4,448	4,448	4,448	4,448	4,448
Panel E. Between $100,001 and $150,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	1.036*** (0.224) [−0.224***]	1.072*** (0.251) [−0.236***]	0.780*** (0.211) [−0.176***]	0.603*** (0.208) [−0.138***]	0.624*** (0.202) [−0.146***]
	5,562	5,562	5,562	5,562	5,562
Panel F. Above $150,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.888*** (0.231) [−0.182***]	0.931*** (0.195) [−0.202***]	0.589*** (0.224) [−0.126***]	0.650*** (0.209) [−0.136***]	0.698*** (0.244) [−0.159***]
	6,191	6,191	6,191	6,191	6,191

Estimates are obtained from ordered Logit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls, conditional on different household income brackets. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table A1. Effect of expectations and performance on satisfaction, and effect of high expectations and low performance on satisfaction: Coefficients and marginal effects

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
Variable	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Panel A. Effect of expectations and performance on satisfaction: Coefficients and marginal effects (Reflects Table 2 in the article, but using an ordered Probit specification)
Expect high school or less * Grade A	−0.066 (0.115) [0.023]	−0.075 (0.127) [0.027]	0.061 (0.115) [−0.022]	0.117 (0.126) [−0.043]	−0.024 (0.123) [0.009]
Expect high school or less * Grade B	0.339*** (0.094) [−0.120***]	0.374*** (0.085) [−0.133***]	0.275*** (0.094) [−0.101***]	0.288*** (0.091) [−0.105***]	0.154* (0.090) [−0.058*]
Expect high school or less * Grade C or lower	0.980*** (0.079) [−0.347***]	0.853*** (0.084) [−0.305***]	0.780*** (0.077) [−0.285***]	0.745*** (0.093) [−0.273***]	0.655*** (0.083) [−0.246***]
Expect some college * Grade A	0.005 (0.050) [−0.002]	−0.046 (0.049) [0.017]	−0.001 (0.050) [−0.0002]	0.132*** (0.048) [−0.049***]	0.086* (0.048) [−0.032*]
Expect some college * Grade B	0.316*** (0.042) [−0.112***]	0.352*** (0.054) [−0.126***]	0.312*** (0.044) [−0.114***]	0.304*** (0.044) [−0.111***]	0.211*** (0.039) [−0.079***]
Expect some college * Grade C or lower	0.741*** (0.057) [−0.262***]	0.667*** (0.053) [−0.239***]	0.578*** (0.056) [−0.211***]	0.507*** (0.055) [−0.186***]	0.491*** (0.057) [−0.185***]
Expect BA * Grade A	−0.027 (0.032) [0.010]	0.015 (0.030) [−0.005]	0.012 (0.030) [−0.004]	0.049* (0.030) [−0.018*]	0.003 (0.029) [−0.001]
Expect BA * Grade B	0.281*** (0.036) [−0.099***]	0.349*** (0.036) [−0.125***]	0.217*** (0.036) [−0.079***]	0.222*** (0.035) [−0.082***]	0.191*** (0.035) [−0.072***]
Expect BA * Grade C or lower	0.652*** (0.079) [−0.230***]	0.628*** (0.070) [−0.224***]	0.546*** (0.069) [−0.200***]	0.389*** (0.066) [−0.143***]	0.401*** (0.066) [−0.151***]
Expect a graduate degree * Grade B	0.295*** (0.041) [−0.104***]	0.332*** (0.039) [−0.119***]	0.249*** (0.041) [−0.091***]	0.191*** (0.040) [−0.070***]	0.221*** (0.038) [−0.083***]
Expect a graduate degree * Grade C or lower	0.899*** (0.093) [−0.318***]	0.913*** (0.082) [−0.326***]	0.698*** (0.077) [−0.255***]	0.722*** (0.072) [−0.265***]	0.578*** (0.079) [−0.217***]
Observations	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725
R-squared	0.0558	0.0557	0.0386	0.0394	0.0404
Panel B. Effect of high expectations and low performance on satisfaction: Coefficients and marginal effects (Reflects Table 3 in the article, but using an ordered Probit specification)
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.536*** (0.060) [−0.195***]	0.519*** (0.054) [−0.190***]	0.428*** (0.052) [−0.159***]	0.350*** (0.050) [−0.130***]	0.328*** (0.051) [−0.124***]
Observations	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725	26,725
R-squared	0.0350	0.0372	0.0260	0.0296	0.0324

In Panel A, estimates are obtained from ordered Probit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on parental aspirations and child’s current academic performance and a set of controls. In Panel B, estimates are obtained from ordered Probit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table A2. Subsample analysis by parental education: Marginal effects of high expectations and low performance on the likelihood of being very satisfied with child schooling (Reflects Table 4 in the article, but using an ordered Probit specification)

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Panel A. Mother’s education: High school or lower
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.396*** (0.131) [−0.146***]	0.353*** (0.103) [−0.131***]	0.328*** (0.099) [−0.124***]	0.293*** (0.097) [−0.111***]	0.222** (0.095) [−0.085**]
	5,408	5,408	5,408	5,408	5,408
Panel B. Mother’s education: Technical or vocational degree after high school or some college
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.546*** (0.091) [−0.205***]	0.537*** (0.085) [−0.201***]	0.520*** (0.084) [−0.197***]	0.309*** (0.077) [−0.118***]	0.313*** (0.081) [−0.119***]
	8,164	8,164	8,164	8,164	8,164
Panel C. Mother’s education: Bachelor’s degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.661*** (0.102) [−0.228***]	0.662*** (0.111) [−0.234***]	0.418*** (0.103) [−0.148***]	0.464*** (0.101) [−0.167***]	0.412*** (0.108) [−0.154***]
	7,810	7,810	7,810	7,810	7,810
Panel D. Mother’s education: Graduate degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.771*** (0.112) [−0.265***]	0.737*** (0.124) [−0.262***]	0.571*** (0.116) [−0.203***]	0.484*** (0.125) [−0.169***]	0.576*** (0.119) [−0.217***]
	5,343	5,343	5,343	5,343	5,343
Panel E. Father’s education: High school or lower
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.464*** (0.110) [−0.172***]	0.426*** (0.089) [−0.158***]	0.422*** (0.090) [−0.160***]	0.299*** (0.086) [−0.114***]	0.281*** (0.087) [−0.108***]
	6,840	6,840	6,840	6,840	6,840
Panel F. Father’s education: Technical or vocational degree after high school or some college
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.622*** (0.089) [−0.231***]	0.618*** (0.096) [−0.228***]	0.492*** (0.084) [−0.183***]	0.423*** (0.075) [−0.160***]	0.406*** (0.079) [−0.155]
	7,762	7,762	7,762	7,762	7,762
Panel G. Father’s education: Bachelor’s degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.568*** (0.099) [−0.197***]	0.560*** (0.103) [−0.200***]	0.367*** (0.099) [−0.133***]	0.292*** (0.098) [−0.106***]	0.275** (0.110) [−0.102**]
	6,712	6,712	6,712	6,712	6,712
Panel H. Father’s education: Graduate degree
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.538*** (0.142) [−0.183***]	0.527*** (0.140) [−0.188***]	0.340** (0.136) [−0.121**]	0.438*** (0.143) [−0.152***]	0.374** (0.138) [−0.141**]
	5,411	5,411	5,411	5,411	5,411

Estimates are obtained from ordered Probit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls, conditional on different levels of education of the parents. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.

Table A3. Subsample analysis by household income: Marginal effects of high expectations and low performance on the likelihood of being very satisfied with child schooling (Reflects Table 5 in the article, but using an ordered Probit specification)

	Parental satisfaction outcomes
	School	Teacher	Academic standards	Order and discipline	Interaction
Panel A. Up to $20,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.474** (0.214) [−0.172**]	0.703*** (0.195) [−0.244***]	0.712*** (0.179) [−0.261***]	0.453*** (0.170) [−0.167***]	0.532*** (0.146) [−0.199***]
	1,490	1,490	1,490	1,490	1,490
Panel B. Between $20,001 and $50,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.574*** (0.113) [−0.210***]	0.538*** (0.093) [−0.195***]	0.408*** (0.087) [−0.153***]	0.339*** (0.088) [−0.127***]	0.374*** (0.100) [−0.142***]
	4,816	4,816	4,816	4,816	4,816
Panel C. Between $50,001 and $75,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.601*** (0.154) [−0.226***]	0.407*** (0.133) [−0.152***]	0.406*** (0.133) [−0.154***]	0.326*** (0.110) [−0.125***]	0.224 (0.136) [−0.086]
	4,218	4,218	4,218	4,218	4,218
Panel D. Between $75,001 and $100,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.443*** (0.130) [−0.162***]	0.376*** (0.115) [−0.138***]	0.408*** (0.138) [−0.152***]	0.356** (0.146) [−0.132**]	0.249** (0.125) [−0.094**]
	4,448	4,448	4,448	4,448	4,448
Panel E. Between $100,001 and $150,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.613*** (0.123) [−0.218***]	0.632*** (0.132) [−0.229***]	0.460*** (0.115) [−0.169***]	0.343*** (0.114) [−0.128***]	0.358*** (0.111) [−0.136***]
	5,562	5,562	5,562	5,562	5,562
Panel F. Above $150,000
Expect BA or a graduate degree whereas grades are mostly C’s or lower	0.540*** (0.128) [−0.184***]	0.580*** (0.122) [−0.208***]	0.354*** (0.125) [−0.124***]	0.388*** (0.116) [−0.135***]	0.413*** (0.129) [−0.154***]
	6,191	6,191	6,191	6,191	6,191

Estimates are obtained from ordered Probit regressions of different measures of satisfaction with child schooling on an indicator of high parental aspirations (i.e., expect a BA or a graduate degree) whereas child’s current grades are mostly C’s or lower, and a set of controls, conditional on different household income brackets. The following are the conditioning variables: an indicator for a female child, a dummy variable for attending a private school, age of the child, number of children in the family, an indicator denoting whether the respondent is the mother, indicators capturing whether the mother is currently employed, whether the father is currently employed, whether the parents are married, and dummy variables for Hispanic, Black and child at bad health. Robust standard errors are provided in parentheses. Marginal effects on the likelihood of being very satisfied with each measure of parental satisfaction with child schooling are presented in square brackets. *** Significant at 1% level. ** Significant at 5% level. * Significant at 10% level.