Conducting Effective Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nitsch Elementary School

The parent–teacher conference is an opportunity for

parents to learn about their children’s

progress in school and for teachers to gain

insights into their students’ home and

community lives.

Parent – Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences provide a direct form of communication between the parents and teachers. The conferences offer the chance to build a partnership between the school and the students' families. Conferences are the only formal time in which teachers communicate with some of the parents. The structure of and preparation for the conferences can increase the effectiveness of the meeting.

10 Helpful Tips

1. Do some research first. Send home school letter. Looking Forward to Our Conference Letter (PDF) a couple of weeks before parent conferences, asking parents what their main concerns and questions are. Staple their responses directly to your conference notes and use them to guide your conference preparation.

• Value yourself. Be honest and ethical, and practice strong moral values.

Tip #2

Use your established assessment system. Be prepared to go over student data, assignments, and assessments during the conference. Review any checklists or notes you've been using for ongoing assessment. Decide whether to have the checklist with you at the conference or use it to create a conference note form.

Tip #3 Organize your notes into simple categories on a Parent Conference Form (PDF). Include only the most vital and relevant standards in each curriculum area and the simplest and most useful of ratings categories — for example, Areas of Strength, Areas of Concern, and Goals and plans for support.

Tip#4

Ask your students how they think they're doing. Although as the teacher you have a broad and sophisticated perspective on student progress, asking students in upper elementary to reflect on their own work can be very useful. They are very likely to provide additional insights into areas of growth or challenge, or draw your attention to something you've missed.

Tip #5

Be prepared with samples of student work. Parents should leave a conference with a clear idea and concrete examples of what's going well and what areas need work. While it's not a good idea to overwhelm parents with a whole semester's worth of written work, well-chosen samples in a portfolio will support and clarify your salient notes.

Tip #6

• Always begin with what the child does well. Without exception, human beings are more receptive to constructive criticism — even bad news — when our hard work, honest attempts, and natural talents are noticed and remarked upon. Parents identify with their children and, in many cases, experienced similar academic or social circumstances themselves when they were young. It's vitally important to them that you see their children as individuals and that you like them. In some cases, you may have to search high and low for a success story.

Tip #7

Only say what you know. Don't feel you have to report on every area of the curriculum. Get an idea of what each family's priorities are (by sending home a notice before conference time), and discuss what seems most relevant. It's perfectly acceptable to say, "I need to do a little research on that, and I'll get back to you," if a parent asks you something you are not prepared to answer. This response, if stated confidently and unapologetically, is perfectly professional, and certainly is preferable to making something up on the spot. If a parent is disrespectful or unpleasant, don't feel you have to defend yourself. Maintain your composure by acknowledging the comment without engaging the parent unnecessarily. "Hmm. You find the homework is too easy. I'll make a note of that. Can you give me a brief example of what you mean?" Write the feedback on your notes, and then immediately regain control of the conference by returning to your agenda and your prepared materials.

Tip #8

• Avoid jargon. Using overwrought professional vocabulary or this month's educational buzzword actually makes your dialogue with parents less substantial. Instead of using catchphrases or technical terms, describe what you mean or demonstrate it with examples or concrete materials. For instance, instead of using the term "miscue" when discussing a student's reading, try "When reading aloud, Irene frequently substitutes one word for another similar-looking word. For example, on this page, she read ‘understandable' instead of ‘unmanageable.'" Make your written reports concise and jargon-free as well.

Tip #9

• Show that you know the child by having an anecdote ready to share. Parents deeply appreciate your knowledge of their child, above and beyond the child's academic abilities. A brief story about a comment made in a class meeting, a journal entry, or a social interaction can personalize a conference and make it more satisfying for parents.

Tip #10

• Anticipate frequently asked questions. For new teachers, as well as teachers who are new to a school or to a grade level, it's helpful to consult more experienced teachers to find out what parents typically ask about.

• All parents are proud of their children and need to hear about their strengths as well as their challenges from you. This helps show parents that you value the unique strengths of their children and have high expectations for their ability to succeed in school and in life.

The Don’ts During Parent Teacher Conferences

• Don't stray from the topic at hand. It's easy for conversations to wander off into fun topics, such as shared interests. But remember why you are having this conference in the first place and keep the meeting on track.

• Don't Get Emotional. Stay professional and objective as you describe the behavior you've observed from a particular child. If you stay rational and calm, the parents likely will, as well.

Don’ts• Don't run late. Once the Parent-Teacher Conference

schedule is set, do everything possible to keep things running in a timely manner. Parents have busy lives and have dropped everything to meet with you at the appointed time. Respecting their time will make a great impression.

• Don't have a messy classroom. We all know that classrooms can get messy during the busy course of a school day. But spend some time straightening up your room, especially your desk, in order to make the best possible impression.

• Don't overwhelm the parents with too many at-home tasks. Choose 2-3 doable ways that the parents can support learning at home. Be specific and offer them the tools they will need.

References:

Parent Teacher Conferences: It’s all about teamwork [Leaflet]. (2006). McKinney, TX: Practical parent education.

Parent-Teacher Conference Tip Sheets for Principal, Teachers, and Parents. (2010, October). Retrieved October 2, 2012, from Harvard family

research project website: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/parent-teacher-conference-tip-sheets-for-principals-teachers-and-parents

Ten Tips for Productive Parent Conferences. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2012, from Scholastic Teachers website:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/ten-tips-productive-parent-conferences