While the upcoming school year may return to some form of normalcy, it’s safe to assume that things are not totally going to be like they were before. Most likely, education will look like a blend of virtual and in-person instruction, and therefore it’s imperative that we as teachers adequately prepare for this new and complex world. 

One aspect of teaching which seems particularly challenging during distance learning is meeting with parents. How might you reach out to students’ families when you can’t even see your students in-person? This is where virtual conferencing platforms come in. In order to prepare for this inevitability, we’ve put together a guide on how to do virtual parent-teacher conferences. 

Below, you’ll find guidelines for parent-teacher conferences during remote learning, parent-teacher conference preparation worksheets, the best practices for parent-teacher conferences, and more!

Why Do Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences? 5 Reasons to Care

Understanding a few reasons to care is the first step to running effective virtual parent-teacher conferences. Here are five reasons these meetings matter:

1. A partnership between parent and teacher can make a student’s education more meaningful.

Student-parent meetings allow both parties to identify and locate a student’s particular needs, skills, and interests, making for a more personalized, and thus, more meaningful model of education. 

The bottom-line is that students tend to feel more accommodated and cared for when parents and teachers meet. Virtual conferencing, then, can help teachers achieve this bond with more convenience, allowing both teachers and families to meet from their own homes.  

2. Parent-teacher conferences allow teachers to clearly discuss and outline student progress with families.

By sitting down and having one-on-one conversations with students and their parents, teachers can more directly communicate student progress, assess strengths, address needs, and offer advice and solutions to continue student advancement. 

Parents can also communicate their thoughts and feelings about their child’s education, which can provide teachers with insight they may otherwise not gain. 

3. Research shows that parent-teacher conferences benefit students.

There is a plethora of research indicating that parent-teacher conferences benefit students in myriad ways. While each study typically contains its own angle, most if not all suggest that strong parent-teacher relationships can benefit students in areas of academic progress, social and emotional development, responsibility and accountability, and much, much more. 

4. Virtual parent-teacher conferences are convenient and efficient but still effective.

Virtual parent-teacher conferencing platforms allow both parties to meet at convenient locations and flexible times. Parents no longer have to travel to their student’s school after work but can simply meet with teachers from the comfort of their own homes. The remote nature of virtual parent teacher conferencing platforms can make it easy for both parents and teachers. 

5. Meeting with parents can help teachers discover their student’s passions, interests, and hobbies.

The more informal but perhaps most significant aspect of parent-teacher conferences lies within the small moments: the quick discussion of a student’s hobbies and dreams, or the casual small talk covering a student’s recent interests or favorite pastimes. Learning these personal tidbits can not only strengthen student-teacher relationships but help teachers differentiate their instruction and tailor it toward student needs and interests.

 

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How to Schedule Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences: 3 Steps to Success

In order to have a virtual parent-teacher conference, we need to schedule one! Here, we outline how to easily start scheduling your virtual parent-teacher conferences.

1. Create a parent-teacher conference signup schedule.

Either build your own signup sheet and disseminate it via mass email or use a web platform like SignUpGenius to create an online interactive schedule. Use one of the big three video conferencing platforms—Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime—and include instructions on how to access each one. The benefit to this approach is that it involves the parents of each and every student, and it renders your classroom more open and approachable. You may get flooded with signups, but these interactions will ultimately benefit your students and make your school year much more productive and student-centered. 

2. Call or email the student’s parents and set up a meeting through Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or another common video conferencing platform. 

Perhaps the easiest way to schedule a parent-teacher meeting is by simply making a call or sending an email. At the beginning of the year, schools typically collect parent contact information, so if you don’t know a parent’s email address or phone number, ask either an administrative assistant or an administrator and they will be able to help you. 

We also recommend that you collect parent contact information through a mass email or hand out sheet at the beginning of the year and keep it secured in an organizer. Once in touch with the parents, ask which platform they feel most comfortable using. 

3. If needed, involve an administrator.

Whether you’re having difficulty locating an email address or home phone number, or you need to sit down and have a more serious parent-teacher conference, ask an administrator for assistance if you find yourself totally in the dark. They are specifically trained to assist teachers in parent-teacher relations, and their expertise in navigating this interaction can prove invaluable. 

Administrators can calm your nerves by serving as a mediator, offering assistance in managing the conference’s tone, further commenting on student data, and providing insight into solutions. Don’t be afraid to ask; most of the time, they’re excited and willing to help.

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How to Prepare Parents for Remote Parent-Teacher Conferences: 7 Tips

Parent-teacher conferences can be daunting, especially when they’re done remotely. Here are seven helpful tips to help you get ready for your next remote parent-teacher conference.

1. Before the conference, make a 1-page quick reference sheet detailing student data, progress, and skills.

To make the meeting as productive as possible, create a preparation sheet before even reaching out to the parents detailing the student’s academic progress, behavioral performance, social and emotional skills, or any other category you deem important to the student’s success. This will provide structure and organization to the conference, and it will strengthen the conversation with a more visual form of support. More on this below where we’ve provided a detailed example of what this parent-teacher conference sheet might look like. 

2. Call or email parents and inform them what particular challenges, issues, and successes the student seems to be currently having.

Before the actual meeting, offer your own reasons for holding the conference. Tell the parents what you’ve been noticing during class, and offer examples of student behavior and academic progress. Share the 1-page reference sheet with them. 

In other words, start with the “why?” Ask yourself why you’re holding the meeting and why it matters to the parents, and then share your reasoning with the parents and the student. This will make the meeting more collaborative and supportive of the student’s needs, but it will also allow the teacher to serve as the center of the meeting.

3. Ask parents what particular subjects or issues they would like to cover during the meeting.

In your initial email or phone call, ask the parents what issues, challenges, subjects, and—don’t forget this big one—successes their child is currently having. Be sure to jot down what they say either on a Google Doc or on a sheet of paper because their concerns will certainly need to be addressed during the meeting. 

Be sure to compile their input into an organized list, table, or chart using Google Docs or another online (and shareable) platform, and share the document with the parents via email. 

4. Let the parents know that an administrator can join the conference if needed.

Sometimes, during more serious meetings, parents might feel more comfortable with an administrator present. Sometimes they’ll directly request one to sit in on the meeting. But just simply mentioning that a principal can join during your initial reach-out and scheduling discussion will ease any anxiety parents may feel about the meeting, and it will also demonstrate your total dedication to the student’s success. 

5. To conclude the initial reach out, ask the parents if there’s anything else which needs to be discussed during the meeting.

This seems like a no-brainer but the stress and breadth surrounding these conferences can sometimes make teachers forget to do basic things. This question is vital in that it demonstrates your total commitment to the success of the student and opens doors for further discussion. It’s just a great way to end the initial reach out. 

6. At least three days before the meeting, offer advice on how to use the video conferencing platform through a pre-recorded video.

Remember that not all parents are as tech-savvy as their children, so providing a few pointers on how to use the virtual conferencing platform is imperative. An easy way to go about this is to record a video going through the basics of virtual conferencing. 

We recommend using Loom.com’s free plan and recording an instructional video detailing the ins and outs of the virtual conferencing platform, and then sharing that video with parents at least three days before the meeting. This will not only save time by anticipating any technical issues but establish a friendly and professional rapport with the parents. 

We also recommend consulting the plethora of helpful infographics that have recently popped up throughout the internet, and maybe including them within the template.

7. After sending the video, create a how-to guide containing instructions on how to access the video platform and share it with the parents.

The most effective way to ensure the success of virtual parent-teacher conferences is to draft a template or a how-to guide covering access instructions, and share it with the parents before the meeting. This will save time and anticipate any technical headaches you may face during the meeting, and it will also establish a sense of professionalism. By the way, check out our free teaching strategy discovery tool.

On the template, provide instructions on which video platform you’re using, how to access it, and how to use it. If you plan to hold the virtual conference via Skype then provide them with the username and access instructions in the template; if you plan to use Zoom, then give them the access code, etc. Below, we’ve included a look at what this template may look like, taken from Zoom’s very own instructional outline.

 

 

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How to Create Your Own Parent-Teacher Conference Preparation Sheet: Example

Preparation can often help calm your nerves down. We recommend creating your own parent-teacher conference preparation sheet to provide for parents ahead of the meeting. These sorts of sheets will also help you frame your conversation and allow you to be proactive with the parent as to what will be discussed.

A parent-teacher conference preparation sheet could look something like this: 

Student Name: John Doe 

Conference Date: 8/1/20

Teacher: Mr. Smith

Next Conference Date: 10/1/20

Meeting Agenda Items:	1. John’s tardiness	2. John’s low homework grade	3. John’s relationship with other students
Areas to Discuss	✅	🆇	Notes/ways to help
Homework
Understands assignments	✅		John understands the content of the assignments and when he does turn in homework, it is done well and correctly
Finishes on time		🆇	John rarely turns in his homework on time
Turns in completed work		🆇	John rarely turns in completed work, and instead halfway completes assignments
Class Participation
Arrives prepared and on time		🆇	John rarely arrives to class on time and currently has 15 tardies
Listens and follows directions	✅		John does listen to and follow directions during class time
Follows class rules	✅		See above
Academics
Makes progress in key areas		🆇	John’s low HW rate is keeping him from progressing
Knows when to ask for help	✅		John does ask for help when needed
Doesn’t give up too easily		🆇	John tends to give up when the work starts to pile up rather than tackling it head on
Social/Emotional
Gets along with other students		🆇	John frequently has social issues with other students
Gets along with the teacher	✅		John is polite to me, often helpful
Can handle frustration		🆇	John shuts down when frustrated
Next Meeting Goals	1. Increase John’s homework completion	2. Decrease John’s tardy rate	3. Strengthen John’s social skills
Next Meeting Date:	5/20/20

If you didn’t click the button above, here is the nicely formatted, empty version of this parent-teacher conference prep sheet that you can use. Feel free to share this with anyone you think may find this useful.

 

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Best Practices During Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences: 7 Pointers

Knowing what the best practices are for virtual parent-teacher conferences can help you relieve some of the stress of running a ton of these meetings in a week. Here are a few key pointers to consider:

1. Be friendly, stay positive, and remain solution-driven.

Let’s face it: parent-teacher conferences can be intimidating, and they can, at times, be rather difficult to navigate. So remember to always remain friendly toward parents and students, and keep the conversation grounded in achieving a solution. 

If the conference begins to sway off topic or seems to be entering an avenue you don’t want it to go down then steer it back on course with discussion involving solutions. Here are three sentence stems that you can use to keep calm. 

• “[STUDENT] shows great enthusiasm for everything we do in class. However, they are having some difficulty with [BEHAVIOR/ACADEMIC CONCERN].”
• “[STUDENT] still needs guidance and support in [SUBJECT OR BEHAVIOR] but is continuing to grow in independence.”
• “[STUDENT’S POSITIVE ACADEMIC OR BEHAVIORAL TRAIT] has truly helped to make my year a positive one.”

2. Refer to your preparation sheet!

You spent the time and effort organizing student data and compiling the preparation sheet, so use it when you need to! Try and avoid merely equivocating, and instead use the preparation sheet to be more precise with your discussion points. 

Locate specific moments or examples that demonstrate the point you’re trying to make, and refer the parents to the sheet as you discuss it. This will ground your conversation and make the entire meeting more productive for all parties involved. Specificity helps parents have more productive conversations with their students after your meeting as well.

3. Be aware of your body language.

Managing your body language during these meetings is essential for developing beneficial relationships with parents and students, so be careful with how you use your body to communicate. Avoid crossed arms, tensed positions, glaring, rigid posture, or frustrated and fidgety movements. These can sometimes suggest or perform a certain negativity that can ruin the professional nature of the conference. 

Study after study has shown that body language plays an essential role in developing an overall impression, so it is crucial that you pay attention to how you’re communicating nonverbally during the meeting.

4. Share student work.

Remember that a significant purpose of the meeting is to address the student’s academic performance in addition to their social-emotional skills and behavioral routine. 

Share student work that demonstrates progress or stagnation in any of these categories. Sharing direct examples of work will involve parents in the academic side of your classroom, and it will augment and enrich the overall discussion. 

5. Don’t forget to ask questions.

Ask essential and solution-driven questions that are student-centered and inclusive. Though it can be easy to slip into the “sage-on-the-stage” lecture format during parent-teacher conferences, work hard to avoid monopolizing the conversation. 

Be sure to ask questions that seek to address the whole student, not just their academic performance or their social-emotional skills but the entire student. Here are some statement stems to help you: 

• “Have you noticed any new developments in [STUDENT’S BEHAVIOR] at home?” 
• “Would you like to share any other challenges that [STUDENT] might be experiencing that I am unaware of?” 
• “How do you envision the next steps in [STUDENT’S] development?”

6. Make plans to communicate further.

If you and the parents set goals or objectives for the student to meet, be sure that you establish how you’re going to communicate student progress with the parents. And once you establish a mode of communication, stick to it. If you all decide to chart student progress using a data collection table or daily journal, share those documents with the parents through email or another form of communication. Another option is to utilize online educator resources such as our very own data-driven tools and share the solutions with the parents. We offer plenty of opportunities to collect, assess, and analyze student data!

Feel free to reach out to try Albert for free with your school this year. It costs you nothing and lets your school try out our site to support your curricula needs. 

7. Relax, stay calm, and be yourself.

Though this advice might appear trite on the surface, parent-teacher conferences can be extremely stressful and intimidating, so it’s easy to let nerves take over and forget to be yourself. Treat the meeting as any other meeting and remain professional but friendly.

 

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How to Keep Calm During Stressful Parent-Teacher Conferences: 4 Tips to Keeping Your Cool

Look to these four tips when it comes to helping you remain calm during your tougher parent-teacher conferences. 

1. Pay attention to lighting.

While this tip may sound silly on its surface, the lighting in your classroom or meeting room can have serious effects on the conference’s mood and tone. Avoid harsh, glaring fluorescent lights, and instead opt for a softer approach. Only have half of the lights on or keep a soft lamp going. Don’t make your room a dark dungeon but don’t make it a bright surgery room either; find the sweet spot in the middle. Good lighting will ease the parent’s and your anxieties.

2. Maintain a smile and positive attitude during the entire meeting.

A smile communicates approachability, trustworthiness, and friendliness, so it is important that you maintain positive facial communication throughout the entire meeting.

Obviously, don’t overdo it and strike a cheshire grin the entire conference, but just try and maintain a light smile throughout. A smile will indicate positivity, and thus, quell any anxieties or anger that parents may feel going into the meeting, which will, in turn, lower your own stress levels. 

Positivity is key to keeping the stress levels low. 

3. Refer to student data when the conversation begins trailing off toward unwanted territories.

Since there is typically a ton of information to cover during these meetings, it can be easy to let the conversation slide into off-topic conversations or personal anecdotes. But when the conversation begins to meander, you lose sight of the conference’s objective, which can trigger stress and anxiety. 

In order to keep the conversation grounded and solution-driven, refer to student data and your 1-page reference sheet. This will ensure that the meeting remains centered around the student’s success, and it will help you stay calm and stress-free. 

4. Remember that the purpose of parent-teacher conferences is to discuss how a student is developing, not failing.

It can be easy to get sucked into negativity during parent-teacher conferences, but you must remember that you are meeting to discuss the progress and growth of the student rather than their failures. Address the student’s weaker areas as skills that simply need more growth, not as total failures. With this in mind, you can maintain a positive tone that will help keep stress levels low. 

Communicating in terms of growth mindsets over fixed mindsets can make a big difference in how parents interpret the feedback you are sharing about their child.

 

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How to Set Follow Up Expectations from Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences

The parent-teacher conference itself is only one half of the equation; the other, perhaps even trickier, half consists of following up and achieving the goals established during the meeting. In order to get the most out of your parent-teacher conference, you need to establish expectations for progress. 

In order to successfully follow up on the meeting, you first need to map out a plan with the parents during the conference. With the parents and student, write up a list of goals, create a behavior table, compose a daily journal or draft an accountability log that you will manage during next month. Be sure not to forget to record the data, and allow approximately two weeks for the student to demonstrate development. 

If the student’s behavior worsens during this time, however, reach out to the parents and schedule an early follow-up meeting to discuss possible solutions. But we recommend you give the student at least two weeks to begin showing progress. 

During the meeting, ask the parents how they would like you to keep them updated. A weekly email or phone call might be good options. Once you’ve agreed upon a communication method, stick to it. Set reminders on your calendar or phone so you do not forget. One way to go about this is to send a Friday or end-of-week summary to the student’s parents, filling them in on the behavior or academic progress of their child. 

And, finally, suggest to meet for a second meeting after an allotted amount of time. We suggest two weeks to a month in order to give the student time to demonstrate progress. Remember, you must stick to the agreed upon schedule and goals if you’re to get everything you can out of the meeting.

Wrapping Things Up: How to Do Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences 

We’ve covered a lot in this post on how to do virtual parent-teacher conferences and general best practices for parent-teacher conferences. 

Getting students and parents to meet at one place at one time can be challenging given the chaos of everyday life, so scheduling virtual parent-teacher conferences is no easy task. But, to maintain a productive classroom, it must be done, and the benefit of virtual conferencing is that it can be done from any location. 

Reach out to parents via email or telephone and establish a virtual conferencing date. Remember to craft a parent-teacher conference preparation sheet including student data and share it with the parents. Feel free to use the example template we’ve provided you with to give you a headstart. This will ground and organize the conference around data-driven solutions and involve parents in the academic side of your classroom. 

Once you and the parents arrive at solutions, discuss and record them, and share progress with parents through email or another line of communication. 

Use Albert’s data assessment tools for quick and easy ways to collect and organize student data. We’re always happy to help and would love to work with your school.

And remember to relax, be friendly, and remain student-centered. After all, it’s just a meeting. Don’t let your nerves take over!

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