Kristyn Lariviere

October 25th, 2017

ELED 641

Conference Rationale

I chose to have parent-teacher listening conferences before and after school during the

week of October 23rd. One-on-one conferences allow ample time to discuss each individual

student, and when done effectively it can create a more personal relationship with you, your

student, and their parents (Lindle, 1989). In my schedule, I offer multiple meeting days and

times to allow flexibility with parents varying schedules. This flexibility also permits longer

conference times as necessary to meet the needs of the student and keep parents informed and

comfortable about their child in my classroom. I will also have a translator available during

these times to meet the needs of parents who are not comfortable or able to communicate in

English (Robertson, 2007). In the event that a parent cannot be present on any of the provided

days, I will offer an alternative; if parents are unavailable that specific week, I will work with

them individually to set up a meeting time that works with their schedule. If the issue is long

term, I will offer a phone or skype conference, so that they can still stay informed of their childs

progress and be involved in their learning. Lastly, I will offer an alternative where I visit the

students home to have the conference. This accommodates families with different cultural rules

and expectations, as well as families who lack transportation to get to the school (Robertson,

2007).

In order to communicate all of this information to families, I will contact them in multiple

ways. I will send an email informing them of the dates and availability with an excel form that
they can use to sign up for a date and time. I will also send a print version of the form home for

families to fill out and return along with information regarding the conferences (flexibility,

accommodations, etc.). After I have sent forms home and emails to all families, I will follow up

with phone calls to confirm dates and times that parents signed up for, as well as verify any

accommodations they wish to have (Robertson, 2007).

These conferences should accomplish many important things. I want to collaborate with

parents to discuss a plan of action that best promotes their students learning and success (Lindle,

1989). Conferences are also a good time to inform parents of behavior and academic

performance that I have observed through formal and informal assessment data. Most

importantly, I want my parent-teacher conferences to help me gain insight into my students, and

build stronger, more positive parent-teacher relationships (Lindle, 1989).

 References

Lindle, J.C. (1989). What do parents want from principals and teachers? Educational

Leadership, 12-14. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198910_lindle.pdf

Robertson, K. (2007). Tips for successful parent-teacher conferences with bilingual families.

Colorin Colorado! Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/tips-

successful-parent-teacher-conferences-bilingual-families