A Primer on Parent-Teacher Conferences for New Teachers 

For new teachers, getting ready for parent-teacher conferences can be overwhelming. With so many things to accomplish in such a short period of time, it’s hard to know where to even begin. But with intentional preparation, teachers can create communicative, collaborative, and positive experiences for everyone—from the very beginning prep stages to the follow-up. 

The more teachers make the process accessible, the higher the likelihood that caregivers will show up and contribute to helping support their student’s growth. Families can be brought in with simple communication tools before conferences even begin. Planning ahead for translators where needed and providing families context about their child’s progress in advance helps them prepare to engage in conversation, which ensures that the meetings are more collaborative and equitable. 

At the beginning of the conference, it’s normal for both teachers and parents to be nervous. Following a plan allows teachers to focus on addressing each family’s needs and share succinct updates. A good rule to help ease tensions off the top is to begin each meeting by highlighting the student’s strengths. And while the conversation can sometimes get stuck on grades and student performance, there are ways teachers can shift the emphasis away from grades and toward goals of growth in both social and emotional learning and academic subject areas. 

An icebreaker like stars and stairs or an activity where teacher and parent take turns sharing the top three adjectives that come to mind when describing the student can also provide structure. Sharing reflections in turns can help guide the conversation and ensure that families are talking for at least a third of the meeting. 

One powerful strategy is to invite students to co-lead one conference in the year. This gives students the opportunity to be active in their learning and growth and helps them sharpen their presentation skills. Teachers can support students to create their own presentations for their families by offering template examples and having them share “proud pieces” and “growth pieces” they’ve chosen themselves. Concluding the session with a “growth contract” can provide a space where students can write out their goals for the next quarter and a place where caregivers and teachers can articulate how they will support their student to achieve these goals. 

Ultimately, it is important to see families as key contributors and partners in helping teachers do their jobs better—and gaining insights that can support students to achieve their potential is an invaluable aspect of conferences. 

For more resources, read family coordinator Ari Gerzon-Kessler’s article for Edutopia “Engaging With Families Through Parent-Teacher Conferences” or classroom evaluator Elli Carroll’s piece “4 Ways to Make Parent-Teacher Conferences Easier.” Lory Walker Peroff shares more ideas in her article “Emphasizing Growth, Not Grades, in Parent-Teacher Conferences.” 

To see more strategies for student-led conferences, check out Ralinda Watts’s piece “Building Student Leadership Skills Through Participation in Parent-Teacher Conferences.”