Parent-teacher conferences can sometimes be stressful, for you and the parents, but with proper planning and organization you can lay the groundwork for a productive relationship that will benefit the child. Explore the following resources for advice on getting the most from your parent-teacher conferences.
- How Can You Deal With Angry Parents?
Read advice collected from seasoned classroom veterans and from Jerry Newberry, head of the NEA Health Information Network, who used to train teachers to work with parents. - Parents in the Picture
Often the lone volunteer in her sons’ classrooms, Amy Anderson used to make assumptions about the other, missing parents—that they didn’t care, or that their priorities were somehow out of whack. That was before she met Lorelei…
Works4Me Tips
Practical advice written by readers of the popular NEA Works4Me e-newsletter.
- Parent/Teacher Conference Preparation
Nine steps to a productive parent-teacher conference, from Judy Bonfilio, a retired fifth-grade teacher. - Getting Parents to Conferences
What to do when parents are not required to attend conferences, from Julie Woletz, a business education teacher at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Wisconsin. - Student Comments for Conferences
How to enlist your students as partners in your preparation for parent-teacher conferences, from Michele DeBerry, a second- and third-grade combination teacher, in Ft. Meade, Maryland.
More Strategies for Building Effective Parent Partnerships
- There’s No Place Like Home…Visits
- Weekly Folders Deliver News from School to Home
- Modeling the Parent-Teacher Strategies of Special Education
- Research Spotlight on Home Visits
- Research Spotlight on Parental Involvement in Education
- Students Share Their Accomplishments With “Brag Calls”!
- The ‘Helicopter Parent’
