Great Public Schools for Every Student

More NEA Websites

Our Members

• NEA Today
• NEA Today
• NEA Today
• Join NEA
• NEA Today

• Issues And Action
  • No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) | ESEA
  • Professional Pay
  • Education Funding
  • Minority Community Outreach
  • Dropout Prevention
  • Legislative Action Center
  • Achievement Gaps
  • Reference Center
  • More Issues...
• Tools And Ideas
  • Lesson Plans
  • Classroom Management
  • School Life
  • Teaching Strategies
  • Advice & Support
• Grants And Events
  • Grants & Awards
  • Read Across America
  • National Teacher Day
  • Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA)
  • NEA Meetings
  • Education Events Calendar
  • Diversity Calendar
  • American Education Week

Editor's Picks from Works4Me E-Newsletter

Found in: Advice & Support

Works4Me is a weekly e-newsletter, showcasing practical classroom tips written and submitted by the readers themselves. Below are a few of our favorites on parent-teacher conferences.

Student Comments for Conferences

Michele DeBerry, a second and third grade combination teacher, in Ft. Meade, Maryland

To prepare for parent-teacher conferences, I hand out to my students a worksheet which is divided in half. On one side it says 'Progress Report for ________' and states, 'My Observations.' Two headings are included for the student to consider: strengths and things to work on. My students fold the page in half and think about themselves and their progress to this point in the year. They write freely about the things they do well and about the things they feel they need to improve. I collect their papers and record my thoughts about the child's progress on the other side of the page under the same headings.

At the conference, I share the progress report with the parent as a basis for our discussion. Parents are thrilled to see that their child is thinking about their learning and evaluating their progress. It is also refreshing to see how many of our children really do know themselves. My comments frequently mirror those written by the student, but I am also able to include my observations of the child's academic and social progress. The paper is given to the parent at the end of the conference to display at home as a reminder of the goal(s) set by the student and teacher for the upcoming marking period.

• Rate This Tip

Getting Parents to Conferences

Julie Woletz, a business education teacher at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Wisconsin

Parents are not required to attend conferences in our school, so to get them to come, I offer the students a free assignment coupon if their parent comes to see me. I give the parents the coupon to take home and give to their child. I've found that kids will go home and beg their mom or dad to come in, even if it is just to talk to me. The coupon can be used for an assignment that students have not completed, don't want to complete, or to replace their lowest grade of the quarter with full points. I have many graded assignments so the coupons don't affect their grades much, but they sure do work hard to get their parents to see me!

• Rate This Tip

Parent/Teacher Conference Preparation

From Judy Bonfilio, a retired fifth grade teacher

1. If possible, include the child in the conference. If you need to critique him on behaviors, performance or study habits, he is right there ready to help make a plan to correct. If all you have is praise, it's great for the child to hear you sing!
2. Be prepared. Have some anecdotal notes, test results, work samples, and so forth to present and discuss in a concrete way, rather than vague references.
3. Ask the parent to bring you up to speed on past school years' performance.
4. Be positive and focused on plans to correct any problems you and the parents and/or student agree upon. Be as specific as you can if you have ideas for implementing help. This may include specific plans about how you and the parent will keep in touch in the ensuing weeks. In short, what can the parent expect you to do to report progress on any new tactics? Be wary of overburdening yourself with constant written reports or phone calls. Don’t forget you have other students, too!
5. Recruit the parent by impressing on him that you are a team. This may include suggesting that he take certain responsibilities in helping his student, too, such as monitoring, checking over work, or even signing daily or weekly reports from you.
6. Reflect on the child, not on defending yourself or your policies. Center on how he can best mesh with classroom rules and procedures that are in place.
7. Be sure the parent knows what to expect as far as progress reports from you throughout the year.
8. Give contact information to the parent if he has concerns.
9. Start and end with something positive about the child, even if you have to dig to think of things.

• Rate This Tip