Guidelines on what to expect and how to prepare for your child’s parent-teacher conference
Shortly after the first marking period ends, parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled. Usually they span two days at regularly scheduled time intervals. Conferences may be as short as 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes, varying with the school. The conferences usually take place without the students present. Generally, the meetings are led by teachers who take a more active role in information sharing, with parents relegated mostly to the role of listeners.
The purpose of parent-teacher conferences is to:
- Discuss a child’s academic progress and social behavior at school
- Find solutions to academic or behavioral problems
- Develop a plan and cooperative strategies for the student’s future
- Supplement the information conveyed by report cards by focusing on students’ specific strengths and weaknesses in individual subjects
- Provide a generalized level of inter-curricular skills and competences
- Provide an opportunity to increase communication between school and home
Preparing Before the Conference:
- If you are unable to make the scheduled conference times due to work or other reasons reach out immediately to the teacher and seek a private appointment to accomplish the same.
- Make a list ahead of time of potential discussion topics that may impact your child’s performance at school. This may include changes at home or in your family, religious holidays requiring your child’s absence from school, observations of your child at home doing homework or studying for an assessment.
- Prepare questions regarding your child’s academic performance:
Is your child at, below, or above grade level?
What support/challenge can be given to my child?
How can we, parents, help at home? - Prepare questions regarding your child socially or emotionally at school:
Does your child have friends?
Does your child seem well adjusted? - Prioritize your list as time will be limited.
- If your child has an updated IEP, bring along the appropriate paperwork.
- Bring paper and pen for your note-taking.
During the parent-teacher conference:
- Arrive on time. This assures you will have your full time allotment.
- Be mindful of the fact that both you and your teacher want to help your child and to insure that your child is performing his/her best.
- Your child’s teacher wants to share as much information as possible.
- Be polite, listen, and ask questions if you are not clear (or disagree) about what the teacher is referring to.
- Ask your most important questions/concerns.
- Share information about your child that may help the teacher gain insight into your child.
- As the conference ends, share appreciation.
- If you and/or the teacher feel that more time is needed, set up a follow-up appointment that is convenient to all.
- Ask if there are additional ways to support the teacher in the classroom.
- Establish that the teacher has the best contact information to continue updates and to continue the communication between school and home.
- Remember that you, as parents, and your child’s teacher form a team to bring out the best in your child.
- End on time so that other parents may begin their conference on schedule.
After the parent-teacher conference:
- Implement the plan or strategies agreed upon at the parent-teacher conference at home.
- Work with independent tutors or therapist, as necessary.
- Be positive and direct with your child about the conference.
- If there is a follow-up plan, help your child understand that both you as parents and his/her teacher are working together to help bring out your child’s best.
- Follow-up with your teacher via the established communication channels to determine if, and to what degree, there is progress with the plan.
- Determine where/how to make changes if there is an area that is not progressing.
- Stay in touch with your child’s teacher. This will strengthen the parent-teacher bond and enhance your child’s success at school.