Question of the Week Archives

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NC
I prefer to have the students involved. I am available to parents if they have questions beyond what the child says. Students need to be trained to do these conferences. It helps to have response papers that student and parent must complete during the conference.

Terri Messing - Port Orchard, WA
I believe students should be involved in the parent/teacher conferencing process, after all it is all about the student and their progress towards mastery of curriculum. As part of our professional learning community and as one of our steps in the RTI (response to intervention) process we are beginning the student led conference process. There are some grumblings from students and a few have said they will not come, but all-in-all tis type of conferencing puts the student in the forefront of discussion. They have to show to their parents their strengths and their plan for improving their weaknesses. I believe it is empowering for the student. They see their parents and teacher really listening to them and they see that their voice matters. We tried a very simple apporach in student led conferences last spring. I will see how it goes this coming week.

IN
I like to have my students present during conferences. As we discuss the good things that have occured in the classroom and on the playground, the student is able to hear the teacher tell the parents. He/she will likely remember the teacher's response for a long time. This will also MAKE the teacher look for the good in her students' participation, interaction with others, and classwork. As we discuss grades and participation in the classroom, the student in the lower grades will realize why he/she has the grade given to them. Any problems that the student has will be addressed with the student present to defend himself/herself. Parents may be able to shed light on problems that they do not to discuss in front of the child. Make sure that you let the parent know if there is anything that they want to discuss privitely they may e mail, telephone, or set up a private conference with you.

PA
I believe that having a student present in a parent conference is often a good idea when discussing the responsibilities and the actions of the student. When done in a positive format where the focus of the conference is identifying weaknesses and implementing improvement plans having the student involved helps give the student ownership of what will be done. The student will have input into what is being decided and will gain a better understanding of his/her responsibilities as a student and will understand that he/she will be accountable for their actions. Having the student present at the conference also removes the scenario where the student tells the parent one thing and the teacher another. Having the student available in person to answer questions improves communication and gives credibility to what the teacher is saying and what the parents are saying. One area where I do not feel the student should be involved is when the discussion focuses on the role of the parents. There are times when a parent must be told what to do and this should not be done in front of the student.

KY
I work with middle and high school students and teachers. One way to handle the parent conference at this level is to have it both ways. Parents are there for part of the conference and students are included in part of the conference. Thee are issues with some students that need to be discussed without their presence.

OH
I attended a student driven conference last year, it was my first - and I was impressed. The student is put in a place of participation in the conference, presenting their own work, w/ whatever explanation they do/don't have for the grade it recieved..be that good or bad. I think its important for the kids to face their parents, w/ teachers present and be put in the position of having to take responsibility for their work. There is no playing teachers off the parents or vice/versa, no lame excuses that don't hold water... and on the other side of the coin, if the student has done well with their work, they get a chance to personally show what they have learned and that they have been responsible in their choices and succeeded - and that is just as awesome! My daughter did well on most of her work, but there were a couple of papers where she just wasn't on task and attentive to her work, making careless mistake, she admitted it.. knew what she had done and saw the way it effected her grade on the papers... A wake up call for her... and it worked. She is currently sporting all A's/O's. Well done. If there are other serious issues, and the parent or teacher would like a seperate mtg w/out the student present, that should also be an option. I am a big supporter of student driven conferences.. the student learns more about him/herself when they discover it themselves...