The Promise — and Pitfalls — of Crowdsourced Wisdom in K-12 Education

A report examining the potential of online reviews to improve and inform schools

Research has demonstrated that crowdsourced wisdom — the understanding that experiencers hold knowledge that may elude decision-makers — has many benefits for both those using and designing a product or service. From restaurants to hospitals, online reviews allow users to voice opinions in a way that can and does influence other users’ perceptions and behaviors. Crowdsourced reviews can also influence the practices of decision-makers and experts being reviewed, by providing a reliable source of data that reflects or even predicts high-stakes outcomes. Studies have found that online reviews can predict product recalls or health code violations, and even accurately reflect hospital mortality rates.

The education system has the opportunity to use online reviews, just as other sectors have, to understand, learn, and improve. Understanding the nuances of what parents want for their child, their child’s school, and schools across the nation merits the effort because so many stakeholders — from educators to policymakers to other parents — stand to gain from this knowledge. Most crucially, online reviews could enable schools and districts to respond to the needs of the moment by listening to the very people who experience the education system. In this way, crowdsourcing parent wisdom about schools may not only offer a scalable approach to deciphering parent desires in a time of increasing polarization, but it may also help the school system evolve.

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