7 Steps to Empowering Our At-Promise Students By Putting Them in Charge

by Alex Kajitani and Mindy Crum

When I was a kid, I loved going to my parent-teacher conferences.  I remember sitting around my teacher’s desk with my mom and teacher, early in the morning before the school day began, eagerly awaiting the grown-up conversation.  Of course, I attended school in a middle-class neighborhood in a solid school district, and my mom was very involved in my education.  As I consistently earned good grades, I often left the conferences beaming with pride at all the nice things my teachers said about me.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the reality for many of our at-promise students.  For them, parent-teacher conferences are a half-hour (or more) of teachers telling their parents or guardians how many homework assignments they haven’t completed, how poor their scores were on the latest round of standardized tests, and how they need to modify and improve their behavior.  That is, assuming the parents even show up at all. 

This format and experience -- of teachers talking at parents while the student sits idly by -- only further discourages at-promise students and rarely leads to improvement.

I’ve found student-led conferences to be a revelation for my at-promise students, as has Mindy Crum, an experienced teacher of at-promise students whom I asked to co-author this month’s column.  After implementing student-led conferences at our low-performing schools, we both experienced a positive shift in students’ attitudes before, during and after parent conferences.

Seven Steps To A New Kind of Conference

Below are seven steps you can take to have your at-promise students run their own conferences this year, and give them an opportunity to think critically, speak articulately, and own their learning:

Step 1: Select and Announce Dates

Selecting and announcing conference dates at the beginning of the school year secures your commitment to running your conferences differently this year. It also gives the students time to process that they will really be conducting their own conferences this year, and gives them a timeline of how much they’ll need to prepare.
Perhaps your school site or district already has prearranged days for parent conferences, often only once per school year.  If so, we suggest adding a second conference period during the school year, and even a third, year-end conference period, to give students and parents maximum benefit from this format. 

While this does take some extra planning and practice, once the structure is in place, we have found that conferences (and the time between conferences) become a pleasure, as the students engage and improve more each time.  The third conference can be used to close out the school year, in celebration of reaching goals, working through challenges, or simply to reflect on learning that has taken place. 

Mindy also found that she is able to save time by scheduling more than one parent conference at the same time.  Since most of the talking is done by the students themselves, she can bounce around the room, and sit in on conferences that are occurring simultaneously (see “Step 7” for more details).

Step 2: Ongoing Communication

Communicating with parents is essential for successful student-led conferences. Be sure to notify parents several weeks prior to the conference week that you will be setting up student-led conferences where both the child and parent need to attend.  Make it clear to parents that their child will be running the conference, and what an exciting opportunity this is to see their child “in action.”  This often takes the pressure off of parents, especially those who are English language learners, and makes them more likely to come.

Make sure to offer a wide range of conference times to ensure that parents can attend at their scheduled time.  Place the responsibility on the students for getting their parent(s) there, and teach them “reminder tools,” such as writing it on the calendar at home, leaving written reminders on the refrigerator (or other high-traffic area in the home), or sending reminder texts/emails to reinforce the importance of attendance.  When sending letters home, be sure that they are written in the parents’ native language.

Step 3: Students Gather Data

Just as an effective sales presentation would include relevant data, any student conference should as well.  Give students a clear picture of what information they will be responsible for sharing during their conference (attendance, grades, standardized test scores, etc.). Help them understand the data they will be presenting, why it is important, and how to effectively showcase it. 

Prior to the actual conference, have students spend time analyzing the data, perhaps comparing it with other students (a built-in math lesson!), and organizing it.  This organization should also include other information that will be presented, such as goal binders, reading levels, recent test/homework scores, as well as a “big-picture” idea of how all aspects fit together. 

Step 4: Students Complete Checklist

After the data has been gathered and organized, students need to complete a checklist. Not only does this checklist ensure that the students are well-prepared and thorough, it can also serve as a guide for use during the conference.

Click here to see co-author Mindy Crum’s actual checklist that she uses with her students.

You can create your checklist any way that works for the data your students will share with their parents.  Make sure not to leave anything to the last minute – have students complete the checklist at least a week prior to the conference, as well as have their needed materials ready (data notebooks, test scores, writing samples, etc.).  This helps them feel relaxed, and also invested in getting their parents to the conference to see the work they have prepared.

Step 5: The Dress Rehearsal

Like any good presenter, students need time to practice; and for many running a meeting will be a new experience.  This practice is most effective (and fun) when done with another adult acting as the parent.  Recruit your principal, librarian, nurse, on-campus adult volunteers, and other teachers who are considering incorporating student-led conferences into their own pedagogy.  Model first to students how to share their data, using the checklist as a guide, if necessary.  Explain to the “stand in” adults that their role is to be a listening guide, and to ask clarifying questions as necessary. 

Important: make the practice authentic to the situation students will face at the real conference. Set up stations in the room where the conferences will be held.  If students will be speaking primarily in a language other than English, have them practice in that language as well.  A student whose parents speak only Spanish should not have to translate their words for the first time in front of their parents.  If the actual conference is scheduled for 15 minutes, have students practice for the equivalent amount of time. 

If you are not able to recruit adults, you can always pair up students, taking turns in the roles of “student” and “parent,” or ask students from higher grades to fill in.

Step 6: Room Set-up

The set-up of the room is extremely important, especially if you have several conferences occurring at once. As many parents (especially those who do not speak English well, or who come from a different culture) are often intimidated or uncomfortable in a school, be sure to create a warm and welcoming environment. Playing quiet classical music is very helpful in both creating a relaxed atmosphere and preventing simultaneous conversations from being overheard.  Have the student data and checklists easily accessible at the entrance of the classroom, such as in a folder in a file box, placed on a desk at the entrance. 

When setting up conference stations, we recommend placing two desks next to each other with four chairs (for student, parent, teacher and interpreter, if needed).  Set up the conference stations in the corners of the room, which creates maximum spacing between groups for privacy.  It is also a good idea to have the child and parent sit next to each other (not across from each other), so that both can read what is being presented. 

Step 7: The Conference

As you talk up the conferences in the week prior, students will become both anxious and excited.  Take this opportunity to explain to them that these are normal emotions, but keep them focused on the goal of running a productive conference that will result in the development of their speaking and leadership skills. Trust that they will become empowered through the process of sharing, discussing, and understanding their own learning by articulating it to their parents. 

As the conferences get underway, float from one conference to another (if you have chosen to schedule more than one at the same time), making sure to double-check that students are using the checklist correctly.  Of course, anticipate that some students will need you to be physically seated there for the entire conference, and schedule and plan accordingly. 

Finally, find a way to close the conference in a way that is positive and action-driven.
Consider ending the conference with the child, parent and teacher signing the conference checklist where “New Goals” had been written. Be sure to copy the checklist, and send it home as soon after the conference as possible.

Are Student-Led Conferences Worth the Effort?

Our answer: unequivocally, Yes!  We found that students’, parents’ and our own experience of conference time was transformed for the better when we implemented student-led conferences.  Although it requires more effort and organization up front, we found conference time to be “easier” and much more rewarding this way. 

By taking responsibility for clearly communicating their own progress and goal-setting, students improve not only their learning engagement and confidence, but their oral language skills as well. And we’ve watched with joy as parents listen intently to their child’s sharing of successes and struggles, which can serve to strengthening the lines of communication between them. 

Great conferences needn’t be a rarity for at-promise students.  Student-led conferences offer them an opportunity to not just survive in the academic world, but to take an empowering leadership role in it.

Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year.  Seeking a way to connect with his at-promise students, he began to combine hip-hop music with math lessons to engage students and "make math cool"; this was so successful it led him to create two CDs and a workbook (available at http://www.MathRaps.com). Now known around the country as "The Rappin' Mathematician," he has been featured on The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and speaks to groups nationwide about teaching and education.  His new book, How to Rock Middle School Math, is due out later this year.  Alex is currently a Teacher on Special Assignment with the Escondido Union School District in Escondido, CA.  Find more stories, strategies and inspiration at http://www.AlexKajitani.com/ .

Mindy Crum is a fourth-grade teacher at a Title 1 school in North San Diego County, where the majority of her students are second language learners who live in shared housing.  Ms. Crum has taught first, third and fourth graders for the past 11 years. Prior to teaching she spent three years working in the business world, where she quickly realized she was not living her true passion. Her philosophy is saving lives...children’s lives. When she is not teaching elementary students you can find Mindy fulfilling her second passion, teaching skiing at Mammoth Mountain, California in the high Sierras.   Send your successes and questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .