By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
Parent-teacher conferences are one of the best ways to communicate with your kids’ teachers about how they’re doing at school. But what’s the best way to prepare for these conferences? Based on the advice of such well-respected institutions as the National Parent Teacher Association, the National Education Association, and the Family Research Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I’ve compiled a list of important documents to bring and questions to ask.
Documents to Bring
# Report cards from previous school years. This gives teachers a broad understanding of how your kids have been doing academically so far. It’s especially important to bring report cards if your kids recently changed schools and/or are doing worse academically than in previous years.
# Test scores. This gives teachers a good sense of whether your kids are thriving or struggling as test-takers. It’s especially important to bring test scores if your kids attend schools that place emphasis on such scores; teachers may be able to share useful test-taking strategies with you.
# Homework assignments. Bring examples of homework assignments that your kids had an easy and a difficult time with, spent little and a lot of time on. This gives teachers a nuanced understanding of your kids’ abilities when it comes to completing assignments on their own.
# Health forms. Bring documentation for any health-related issues that already have or could affect your kids’ learning, such as asthma, diabetes, or serious migraines. This helps teachers better understand why your kids sometimes need certain accommodations.
Questions To Ask
# How are my kids doing academically? Ask questions about how your kids are doing overall, relative to other kids in the class, and in terms of any standards they’re supposed to reach. Also ask questions about how they’re doing on tests, in-class projects, and homework assignments, whether they ask questions when they don’t understand something, whether there are any areas in need of improvement, and how they should go about making those improvements.
# What do you expect from my kids in the coming school year? Ask questions about what your kids are expected to accomplish in the coming school year, which assignments they’ll get to determine whether they’re living up to those expectations, and how those assignments will be assessed (specific benchmarks, standardized tests, grading criteria). Also ask how your kids can best organize their time and what you can do to support them in their learning at home.
# How are my kids doing behaviorally and socially? Ask questions about your kid’s behavior in the classroom. Are they participating constructively in class discussions, talking when they should do that and listening when that’s appropriate? Or do they tend to disrupt the classroom by disturbing other kids? Also ask questions about how they’re doing socially with other kids? Are they thriving and having lots of friends, or do they tend to be isolated and keep to themselves?
# What kind of relationship do you prefer to have with parents? Ask questions about what kind of relationship your kids’ teachers would like to have with you going forward. Do they want to stay in contact with you on a regular basis or only in emergencies? Do they prefer face-to-face, phone, or email conversations? How will they keep you informed about your kids’ progress? Is there anything they’d like you to do before the next scheduled parent-teacher conference?
About the Author
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.