School-Wide Planning Tool for Conferences
Person(s)/Team
Area of Planning Things to consider Timeline Additional Notes
Responsible
Location
Determine the best location in the building The need for interpreters, ease for
for conferences to be held for both staff families to see multiple teachers,
and families. etc.
Professional Development
Schedule professional development on What information will staff need to
conducting effective conferences and/or best prepare? Will we be
Student-Led Conferences. introducing Student-Led
Conferences during the year?
Expectations
Communicating expectations on In what ways can we communicate
attendance to families. expectations to families?
Newsletters, phone calls, etc.?
Communicating expectations on How can we make sure that we all
attendance to staff. strive for 100%?
Developing and communicating with staff What is the plan for home visits?
a plan to help teachers who are having When is it appropriate to schedule a
difficulty connecting with families. home visit? When is a phone call
conference appropriate?
School-Wide Planning Tool for Conferences
Person(s)/Team
Area of Planning Things to consider Timeline Additional Notes
Responsible
Scheduling
Creating a Parent-Teacher Conference How will you allow more
schedule for teachers to use. conferencing time for students who
might need it (for example, for
families that are utilizing
interpreters, students who are
having either academic or
behavioral challenges, etc.). How
can siblings be best scheduled?
How much time should be left so
families can ask questions?
Notification and Reminders
Notifying and reminding families about Postcards? Flyers? Personal phone
their conferences. calls? Is everybody expected to do
the same thing to notify families?
Does any staff member have an
effective scheduling form or
reminder form to share with
others? Is staff expected to use the
same notification/reminder
process?
Conference Content & Materials/Handouts
School-Wide Planning Tool for Conferences
Person(s)/Team
Area of Planning Things to consider Timeline Additional Notes
Responsible
Communicating to staff expectations for How will you share how the student
conference format and materials. is doing academically and socially?
What information or tools can you
give to parents so that they can
help their child at home?
Interpreters
Identifying which families need What expectations do we have for
interpreters. conferences with interpreters?
What info does our staff need in
order to have an effective
conference with an interpreter?
Set-Up
Procedures for setting up conferences. Will signs be in place to welcome
families? Will we arrange tables to
allow for maximum privacy? Who
will be greeting families as they
enter? Will adult-sized chairs be
provided?
Parent Feedback
Survey procedures for families. How will we survey parents on
their expectations at conferences?
Will we survey all families or only
specific grade levels? Will we use
paper pencil or on the computer?
How will we share the results with
staff and families?
School-Wide Planning Tool for Conferences
Person(s)/Team
Area of Planning Things to consider Timeline Additional Notes
Responsible
Staff Feedback
Staff survey procedures. How will we share the results?
Follow-Up
Following up. Do you need to schedule additional
time with some families?