Tue, September 10, 2024

9 Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences

By Anne Burns and Mary Ann Clerkin, Parents League School Advisors

As the new school year gets underway, schools will begin to send notifications for parent-teacher conferences! These meetings are especially critical touch points for parents/guardians of kindergarten through 4th grade students. In the lower school, you will likely have two parent-teacher conferences during the year, but you can request additional meetings with teachers as needed. The school may request additional meetings if a new issue merits a one-on-one conversation. These conferences give you a clear idea of how your child is doing in the school setting, help the teacher understand how you feel it is going, and foster a partnership around how to resolve any issues. Wondering how to prepare for the parent-teacher conference? Here are our helpful tips:

Plan your questions

Set aside time to prepare for your parent-teacher conference in advance. Plan questions that you would like to ask and prioritize them. Many schools have limited time for the meeting – often from 15 to 30 minutes, so be judicious in what you wish to cover.

Take notes afterward

Though some schools may provide a summary of what is discussed, it helps to bring a laptop or writing materials so you can take notes immediately following the conference.

Talk to your child about the parent-teacher conference

Take a moment to sit down with your child and talk about how they feel about school, classmates, and teachers, and how your child thinks they are doing in school. Is there anything they would like you to ask?

Approach it collaboratively

Plan to attend the conference with the assumption that the teachers want to be partners with parents and are invested in your child’s success.

Listen to teachers

Listen carefully to the teacher so that they have time to give you feedback on your child’s academic performance and social/emotional well-being.

Provide helpful background information

Share a concise summary of relevant issues your child may be experiencing outside of their school life.

Understand the context

Remember that the child you see at home may not be the same child the teachers see in class.

Support Teachers

When the conference ends, express your appreciation and ask how you can help and support what they are doing in school.

Follow up with your child

Following the conference, give your child a brief positive summary that will encourage them to return to school with confidence and the reassurance of unconditional love.

Anne Burns serves as the Director of the Parents League Advisory services. She advises parents with younger children applying to preschool through elementary school, oversees Advisory and conducts, manages and oversees our school admissions workshop series. A leading educator and expert in the independent school world, Anne most recently served for ten years as the Director of Lower School at Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York before joining the Parents League. Read Anne’s full bio

Mary Ann Clerkin has been a School Advisor at the Parents League since 2008 and has special expertise counseling families transitioning from public to private school, as well as advising families applying to kindergarten, elementary, middle and upper school. Prior to joining the Parents League, she was a New York State licensed, certified, tenured teacher and the Director of The Community House in Forest Hills Gardens for over 20 years. Read Mary Ann’s Full bio