Written by Paige DeLozier
Why it’s time to rethink parent-teacher conferences
In many schools, parent-teacher conferences are treated as one-way updates—teachers share grades, families listen, and time runs out. But is that really the best way to use these precious minutes with families? Research suggests it’s time to shift toward creating partnerships to support students rather than simply sending one-way announcements.
As the first quarter of the school year winds down, teachers are preparing for their first round of family conferences, and TalkingPoints has some key data to share that will help guide new, insightful conversations.
As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, TalkingPoints conducts research to identify best practices in school-family engagement, supporting teachers, schools, and districts in achieving their student academic and well-being goals. In the Spring of 2022, Kevin Fosnacht, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate at TalkingPoints, conducted an Impact Survey that uncovered some untapped opportunities to bridge the gap between what families want and need to know from teachers, and what teachers need to know from families to best support students.
What families want from conferences
According to our survey of English and Spanish-speaking families across early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students, conferences that focus mainly on academics serve their needs pretty well.
Our survey showed that families want to know three things above all: how their child is performing academically, whether they are meeting behavior expectations, and if they have missing homework. Families see these areas as critical to their child’s success—and they appreciate teachers who come prepared with specific examples of strengths and areas for growth.
Teachers can support this by coming to the conference prepared with examples of each student’s academic needs and some behavior notes for each student.
What teachers want to learn from families
One finding from the research was that teachers wanted more insight into student home life and any circumstances that could impact classroom behavior and learning. The top three areas teachers wanted to learn more about from families were social-emotional challenges, important family circumstances, and behavioral challenges.
Teachers emphasized that they want to better understand what’s happening beyond the classroom—social-emotional challenges, family circumstances, and behavior patterns. Conferences give families the chance to be the experts on their children, helping teachers connect the dots between home and school.
Circumstances at home and social-emotional challenges can have a significant influence on a child’s growth and learning, and taking time to explore these themes can help create productive partnerships between the family and the teacher that, in turn, can benefit the student.
How to structure a successful family conference
What would an ideal conference look like, now that we know the best areas of focus? Here’s an idea based on Dr. Fosnacht’s research results and a 30-minute conference schedule you can adjust based on what your own schedule allows.
Prepare for your upcoming conferences:
Download the TalkingPoints quick-guide and Collaborative Conferences Worksheet
Tips for encouraging attendance and family participation
Many families do not know what to expect from conferences or what their role should be. Teachers can help lay the groundwork for a successful session by sending information ahead of time, letting families know what to expect, and encouraging them to think about the areas they want to explore.
Sometimes, in preparing for a successful conference, the question teachers find themselves asking isn’t “What will this student’s family want to talk about?” but rather, “Why can’t I get families to attend conferences?”
While many teachers struggle with no-shows, 100% parent-teacher conference attendance is possible—and TalkingPoints has proven it. Kentucky 5th-grade teacher Wendy Young achieved perfect attendance twice a year, for two years in a row, by combining meaningful family communication with flexible in-person and virtual options.
Making logistics easy for families is important too. Clear communication in their home language is the first step. Simplifying conference sign-ups helps everyone, and TalkingPoints now includes an easy event sign-up and RSVP feature for parent-teacher conferences and other classroom events.
A success story: 100% attendance with TalkingPoints
Wendy Young, a 5th-grade teacher in Fayette, Kentucky, used TalkingPoints to stay in contact with all of her students’ families throughout the school year. With a combination of those meaningful messages and an offering of in-person or virtual meetings, she was able to have a conference with every single family she needed to!
That’s not all…she had 100% attendance at parent-teacher conferences, twice a year, for two years in a row. And she attributes that to the conversations and relationships she built through TalkingPoints.
Hear Wendy’s whole story – Watch the webinar
Propelling Progress Post-Conference: How to drive momentum with families
Building stronger family-school partnerships
Families are teachers’ partners in each student’s educational journey, and conferences offer a valuable opportunity to form and deepen relationships with families for the benefit of students.
Communication and connections mustn’t stop at these meetings. Staying connected all year will help families help their students. We’ve added Family Check-Ins, based on family engagement best practices, that allow for quick and easy school-year aligned updates to keep families informed and engaged. Let’s make every moment count and every voice heard.
Let us know what tricks you have for successful parent-teacher conferences by tagging us on Twitter @TalkingPointsEd or with the hashtag #TPFamilyConference.
Celebrating 10 years of partnership and impact
For a decade, TalkingPoints has supported students, families, and educators through the power of effective family-school partnerships. We connect 9 million+ educators, students, and family members annually and have facilitated more than one billion conversations—building trust, fostering relationships, and fueling student success. Named by Common Sense Education as “the best overall family communication platform for teachers and schools,” TalkingPoints drives measurable gains in attendance and academic achievement, backed by rigorous, causal research.
TalkingPoints is the only nonprofit platform with the impact focus and funding model to turn engagement strategies into lasting results—helping systems improve and every student succeed.
Join us in building a future where every child has the support they need to thrive.
