Top Questions to Ask During a Parent-Teacher Conference
Ready for another checkup? Only this checkup isn’t at the doctor’s office, it’s at your child’s school: It’s parent-teacher conference time!
Did you know that parental involvement is a strong predictor of academic success? Teachers want you to attend conferences and be involved in your children’s school lives. This is an exciting opportunity for both you and the teacher!
To make the most of this opportunity, we've put together a few questions for your child before the conference and 10 important questions to ask during a parent-teacher conference. By asking these questions, you will get a better understanding of how your child is doing in school and the values and beliefs of your child’s teacher, which will both be extremely valuable as the school year continues.
Pre-conference Questions to Ask Your Child:
1. Ask your child how they complete homework for each class.
2. For each class, ask your child to write down what is going well and what they think is challenging for them.
3. Ask your child to write a question or two they have for each class.
4. Ask them to think about some ways they could be more successful in each class.
Note: Tell your child it's okay to express any frustration they may have in the class, and help them express this constructively.
Questions to Ask During Parent-Teacher Conferences:
1. How do you best prefer to communicate with me? (Email? Phone? Text? Notes?)
2. What do you see as my child’s strengths?
3. What do you think are the academic challenges for my child?
4. Is my child on grade level for reading, math and writing?
5. How does the school handle standardized testing and prep for those tests? Are there ramifications for my child due to state testing results?
6. Do you have any concerns with how my child is turning in or completing homework?
7. Are there skills from last year you think we should work on at home so they’re caught up right now?
8. Do you feel my child is reaching their potential in your class?
9. What kinds of things do you think my child could do to improve their performance in your class?
10. What can I do at home to support what you’re doing in the classroom?