CBS News – It can be hard for some parents to have conversations with their kids about how they’re doing in school.

Many parents are being left in the dark.

As part of CBS New York’s ongoing education series “The Science of Reading,” we’re looking into how parents can get break through.

We spoke to parents in a variety of situations, some knowing their child is in a good place in city public schools, and some who had already removed their child from the system. The common thread is parents need to be as involved as possible.

Jarring numbers show a disconnect. According to the organization Learning Heroes, 93% of K-12 parents in the city believe their child is at or above grade level in reading. The reality is just 55% of students are. So how can so many parents just not know?

“Parents don’t want to acknowledge something is ‘wrong’ with their child,” said Jenny Ulloa, whose son has dyslexia.

That’s one of the many possible reasons mentioned by parents that we spoke to. Advocates for Children spoke to more as documented in a report chronicling the experiences of parents. The report is designed to make recommendation to city schools.

“One of the things we heard from a lot of the parents was that they were worried they didn’t know the right questions to ask,” lead author Maggie Moroff said. “What the schools said to them was, ‘Read with your child,’ and they wanted more than that, needed more than that, and just kept hitting walls.”