Trend is for pupils to attend parent-teacher conferences too

Having kids there makes them more accountable.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s that time of year when moms and dads across the country are squeezing into uncomfortable kid-sized chairs to discuss with teachers whether their children are off to a good start at school. In some places, the conference comes with a wrinkle: The children sit in.

Marguerite Izzo, who teaches fifth grade in Malverne, N.Y., said including pupils makes kids more accountable for their work and behavior, and ensures that things do not get lost in translation.

“People get different stories,” she said. “This alleviates all of that.”

Joyce Epstein, director of the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University, agrees.

“These are good directions in conferencing because it really lets people know this is not a game of telephone,” Epstein said.

The trend is a response to research showing that parents are more likely to attend a conference if their child also has to come, and to studies showing that pupils benefit from setting goals, she said.

Karen Ernst, a mother of three in Palatine, Ill., likes the new approach. But she says it is important to prepare kids and let them know what is expected. “They can get very shy,” said Ernst, whose children range in age from 12 to 17.

Ernst talks with her children before a conference and explains that no one else will be in the room so they do not have to worry about privacy. She reminds them that the session is a rare opportunity for personal attention.

“They never get that moment with their teachers’ ear ... without three other kids wanting her ear too,” she said.

Being prepared for a parent-teacher conference is important regardless of whether children are included, said Columbia University Teachers College professor Frances Schoonmaker.

Parents without ready questions could lose out on a chance to gain valuable information, Schoonmaker said. Similarly, she said, parents should share information about their kids with the teacher.

“It’s this idea that I have a piece of the puzzle and you have a piece the puzzle. Now, how can we work together?” she said.

Schoonmaker urges parents to refrain from becoming defensive and to think of conferences as opportunities.

“When they work, they are absolutely valuable,” she said. “When they don’t work, everybody is absolutely frustrated.”

Kathy Ely, whose daughter is a freshman in high school, said she prepares by talking with her daughter first.

“I’ll say to my daughter, ’I’m going next week, are there any things that are bothering you?”’ said Ely, of Silver Spring, Md.