Middle school students direct conferences

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 2, 1999

This being the first day of school, it may seem a little early to be reading about parent/teacher conferences.

Thursday, September 02, 1999

This being the first day of school, it may seem a little early to be reading about parent/teacher conferences.

Email newsletter signup

But at Ellis Middle School in 1999-00, a major change in the way the school conducts its conferences will be watched closely.

The school is shifting to student-directed conferences.

Principal Jeanne McDermott, in her first full year as the school’s principal, liked what she saw last year in a pilot program.

"Ninety percent of the parents attended the (pilot) conferences," McDermott said. "It increases participation."

Last year, only 40 to 50 percent of parents attended the voluntary seventh and eighth grade parent/teacher conferences. Ninety-eight percent of parents attended the mandatory sixth-grade conferences.

McDermott hopes that by implementing student-directed conferences school-wide, parental participation will rise closer to 90 percent.

The student-directed conferences give each student the leadership role in the conferences. Each student is assigned an advisor, with whom the student sets goals for each class.

Come conference time, the student, parents and teachers can look back on those goals. The student will then explain how his or her real work matches up to the goals.

Students are encouraged to save school assignments, tests and other school work to support their causes during the conferences.

"It’s not just teachers spewing facts about the student," McDermott said, "and the parents are appreciative of that."chool students direct conferences