Effective communication is a two-way process. Educators must be willing to listen to parents and create convenient, comfortable avenues and forums. A Missouri school reversed the usual parent-teacher conference format, allowing parents to lead discussions about their children's strengths and weaknesses. Parents enjoyed this format, and teachers…

Discusses steps that teachers and concerned parents can take to ensure that their students and children are not overburdened by standardized tests. Examines the significance of standardized tests and considers some alternatives to standardized tests, such as more effective parent-teacher conferences. (MDM)

Describes how parent teacher conferences in elementary schools in Tacoma, Washington, differ from traditional conferences by starting early in the schools year, being held at least twice a year, lasting about 40 minutes, including students, developing goals using conference information, and involving parents and students in developing goals to…

This working paper explores reasons to encourage parents of English language learners (ELLs) to be involved in the learning process at the middle school level. Barriers to parental involvement of language minority students will be identified and successful, research-based strategies to increase parental involvement will be introduced. Five…

This bibliography is a listing of resources which provide information about the involvement of parents and guardians in the process of the education of their children. The items listed are housed in the Library, Instructional Resources Unit, Manitoba Education and Training section of the provincial government. The bibliography is divided into two…

Because of the large increase in the number of new teachers and because of the importance of insuring disadvantaged children the best possible quality integrated education, an after-school workshop program for the training of these teachers is being offered, funded under PL 89-10, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These workshops will…

The effects of overall attendance at parent conferences on Title I student's standardized test scores were studied in the Dallas (Texas) Public Schools. Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA's) were conducted to investigate the effect of overall attendance on students' standardized test scores, and Cohen's "f" statistics were used as an index…

In this article we examine the complexities of immigrant children's role as translators and linguistic mediators between their parents and their teachers during parent-teacher conferences. In our analyses, we first examine the linguistic structure of teachers' narratives about the children, and then look at how children construct their moral and…

The sixth of eight related documents, this monograph describes the parent study group aspect of the Reading Instruction and Pupil Personnel Services (RIPPS) program. The document describes the background and rationale for this parenting program, designed to help parents understand their child and the role parents play in a child's development, and…

Parent-teacher conferences can provide the foundation for ongoing home and school cooperation and require only a minimal amount of counselor time using the guidelines set down in this article. (Author/HMV)

Suggestions are given to teachers of handicapped students concerning developing helpful relationships with parents. Topics covered include what parents want to know, preparing for a teacher-parent conference, selecting a place, making arrangements for the conference, obtaining further information, communicating with parents, and working with…

IN IDENTIFYING THE GIFTED CHILD, THE TEACHER SHOULD BE ALERT AS TO WHETHER THE CHILD LEARNS EASILY AND RAPIDLY. OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY THE GIFTED ARE A LARGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY AND A LARGE VOCABULARY. ALSO IMPORTANT ARE THE CHILD'S UNUSUAL POWER OF OBSERVATION, INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY, UNUSAL POWER OF CONCENTRATION, AND CREATIVE…

A teacher reports on the understanding to be gained by visits to the homes of disadvantaged students. Because many parents cannot and do not come to scheduled conferences at school, the teacher visited the families, in this case to explain the availability of a summer school program. This teacher found that the parents of culturally disadvantaged…

This document studies parent attitudes toward parent-teacher communication in the setting of the parent-teacher conference. Respondents were asked to share in-depth their thoughts about parent-teacher communication in six topic areas: (1) the circumstances, (2) the importance, (3) the expectations, (4) the comfort level, (5) the characteristics,…

This article discusses ideal roles for both parents and teachers in parent-teacher conferences. Parents should use a team approach, prepare questions for the teacher, and listen to what the teacher has to say. Teachers should prepare students for the conference, create a welcoming environment for parents, and plan a general outline for the…