Parent Teacher Conferences
Preparation and Questions Can Ensure Successful School Meetings
Oct 31, 2008
The parent-teacher conference is a highly effective tool in the relationship with the child’s teacher and school. It enables the parent to meet the teacher, yet it can also be a testy encounter if controversial issues are to be resolved. All teachers have reputations and in some cases parents may dread a conference if that reputation is one of hostility or fruitless resolutions. Other teachers may be unwilling to address concerns or analyze the problems that led to the conference. Conferences with aloof teachers are as difficult as those with confrontational teachers.
Who Should Attend the Conference
Both parents should arrange to attend the conference even if it means taking time off from work. A good strategy is to ask the child to appear as well, but only after meeting first with conference attendees in private. This works best with high school students. Request that the following school personnel be present at the meeting:
- The teacher or teachers if problems span several classes
- The Guidance Counselor
- An Administration representative
- The school Psychologist
- The Learning Support teacher if the child receives accommodations
Preparation and Questions for the Conference
Bring to the conference all communication from the teacher including progress reports, copies of emails, notes, and dates of telephone call exchanges. Relevant student assessments should be brought as well. In many cases conferences concern grading issues that are best resolved when analyzing the student’s work and the teacher’s rubrics.
Be familiar with the school policy on grade reporting and other published guidelines affecting communication between teacher, student, and parent. Does the school handbook address any of the concerns or issues that led to the parent-teacher conference? Other pertinent questions should be:
- Do progress reports include all relevant data regarding grade postings?
- Were all assessments graded or are some assignments merely checked?
- Do assessment instructions include clearly understandable rubrics?
- Is extra credit offered?
- Does the teacher provide additional help after class or tutoring?
- Is there a written syllabus or course outline?
If the child has a documented learning disability, is the school providing the legal accommodations within the classroom or through a Learning Support department? Parents can request that private tutors or counselors retained by them be allowed to attend the meeting and offer input on issues concerning the child.
Attending the Conference
Be professional in appearance and demeanor. How parents present themselves going into the conference demonstrates the degree of seriousness involved. Recall that the conference may be one small but important step in rectifying a negative situation and setting up ground rules to ensure the academic success of the student.
The conference should produce several results. Issues that prompted the conference must be resolved. This may include grading concerns or behavioral problems. Additionally, the conference should outline effective means of future communication between the teacher, school, and parent. Goals should be set for regular communication, tutoring, and other agreed upon resolutions. The conference should end with a definite plan that all parties accept. Post conference communication should be set up between the parent and teacher. If issues are not resolved, it is appropriate to request another conference mediated by the principal or vice-principal.
Above all, each party should realize that the success of the child is the most important concern and all attempts toward that end must be explored. If the child is brought into the conference at the end of the session, those attempts can be reinforced with the child and might involve addressing study habits, organizational issues, and the importance of attending tutoring sessions.
The parent-teacher conference can be a highly successful vehicle in the on-going academic progress of a child. It represents one aspect of an educational endeavor aimed at graduating the child and providing further success in subsequent grade levels.
