Herricks Indo-US Community BLOG

10 REASONS HERRICKS UFSD SHOULD MOVE TOWARDS HAVING PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES IN THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS

NOTE: Attending a Parent Teacher Conference is a great way to promote a collaborative environment to address student learning. Here are 10 reasons such formal conferences would benefit the teacher, parent and child in the Herricks UFSD.

1. Conferences are a great time for parents and teachers to meet and discuss student academic progress. Parent Teacher Conferences, when held early in the school year, is a great opportunity for teachers to provide early feedback about their child to parents. Parents will welcome such information from instructors.

2. Parents need to hear from their children's teachers when things are not going so well for their child. They also need to hear from teachers when their child has made accomplishments as well.

3. Parents get to meet the teachers who will spend quality time with their child for a year. This can form the basis for establishing ongoing conversation, a sense of trust and shared information that can benefit all parties.

4. A strong partnership between schools and parents is essential to the academic well being of students. When school staff and parents work together to reinforce high standards of conduct and achievement, the result is a school environment that promotes even greater academic success for all students.

5. A Parent Teacher Conference is an ideal time to catch and correct academic problems early in the year and to tackle behavior issues that could hamper students’ classroom performance.

6. It's the one formal conversation that parents have with teachers during the school year, and, if necessary, it can become an opportunity to plan early academic intervention for a struggling student.

7. Parents have to be educated in modern teaching methods and educational philosophies that can help them promote better education at home. Only a professionally trained teacher can provide such guidance to parents.

8. Attending Parent Teacher Conferences is another way to involve parents and make them feel part of the school community, and it can be a steppingstone for greater parental involvement in the school system.

9. A personal, face to face meeting is more effective than one that relies on emails and telephone conversation. For many parents, particularly the immigrant parent or those new to the district, it demystifies the process.

10. Many surrounding school districts, including Mineola, Jericho, Valley Stream and Sewanhaka, offer parent-teacher conferences. They recognize its value.

In his recent presentation to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama made reference to the pivotal role parents can play in the education of their children, as well as the value of parent-teacher conferences. According to a November 20, 2008 publication of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), parent-teacher conferences are important because they “provide an opportunity for teachers and parents to exchange information about students’ progress and to discuss classroom expectations.     They’re a chance to assess students’ emotional and social growth. Parents and teachers need to maximize what these conferences have to offer.”
If we value Parent Teacher Conferences at the elementary level, why not continue this tradition at the middle and high school levels?

Compiled by Dr. Baytoram Ramharack, Social Studies Chairperson, Elmont Memorial High School (email: scholarship@herricksindo.org )

POLL: http://www.herricksindo.org/poll/