Each fall and spring in Academy District 20, schools have parent-teacher conferences, in which students and their parents meet and discuss with teachers, and Air Academy High School had theirs recently. Parent-teacher conferences have existed since the elementary school level and are just another part of the school year.

What are they for, should they exist, and how should they happen?

Parent-teacher conferences have been around essentially since the beginning of time as an instrument schools employ to prioritize communicate amongst teachers, students, and parents.

“I mean, ever since I’ve been a student, parent-teacher conferences have been a thing. I don’t remember a time when they weren’t a thing,” engineering teacher Adam Truex recalled.

Parent-teacher conferences play a crucial role in communication between parents and teachers. They allow teachers to learn more about students’ strengths and weaknesses and for parents to learn about how their student is working and succeeding in the classroom.

“A parent-teacher conference is a great opportunity to: Share academic progress and growth based on classroom observations, testing data, assessments, portfolios, and assignments, learn from parents or guardians so you can be better informed about students’ strengths, needs, behaviors, and learning styles, discuss enrichment or intervention strategies to support students’ learning, and discuss issues that may be interfering with students’ learning and growth,” according to an article on kidshealth.org titled “Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tips for Teachers.”

In recent years, especially at the high school level, conferences increasingly take the shape of Microsoft Teams meetings, which is a form of communication primarily adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This format provides freedom and flexibility for busy families and increases overall convenience.

“I’m getting used to it. Obviously, it didn’t come about until COVID, and I think it’s helpful for families who are really busy or have lots of different kids at different schools. It makes it easy on them to be able to connect with all of the parents, so they don’t have to pick and choose which schools to go to and they’re not running around. Especially if they’re busy with after-school activities and stuff, I see a benefit in the digital format,” Truex explained.

Each fall, as well as spring, parent-teacher conferences appear at a certain time. This year they appeared just before spring break and intended to not interrupt the usual structure of a school week. The timing of parent-teacher conferences is well-placed for maximum usefulness and convenience.

“I think they’re good. They come after a quarter, in this case after the third quarter, so we kind of get a break in the middle of the semester to meet with parents and help adjust students’ focus and help them improve before the semester ends,” Truex added.

Parent-teacher conferences serve a vital role in communication between teachers and families and are an invaluable resource that too few parents utilize. AAHS should revitalize conferences so that more parents seize this opportunity.

“I don’t think [the format should be changed]. I think the current format works. Maybe trying to find ways to bring more parents in, or get more parents involved- maybe more teachers need to reach out to specific parents that they want to see, and say, ‘consider coming and seeing me or signing up online’ or something like that,” Truex opined.

As parent-teacher conferences came to pass in the week before spring break and will arrive again in the fall, it is crucial to remember that they are there for an essential reason. Families across AAHS should seize the opportunity to form a connection between parents and teachers while receiving a day off of school as an added benefit.

For more information on parent-teacher conferences, see this site: Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tips for Teachers