Student-Led Conferences: Resources for Educators
Whether you already do student-led conferences or are interested in making a shift, this list includes a variety of go-to examples, guides, tips, and forms to help launch or improve these meetings.
Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.
In many schools, educators are transforming teacher-led parent-teacher conferences in favor of student-led meeting formats that engage students in the process. These conferences can provide powerful opportunities for students to advocate for their own learning.
How Do Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) Work?
Though the format may vary, these conferences differ from traditional conferences in that they place students at the helm of teacher-supported discussions with parents about student progress and learning. SLCs also often present opportunities for students to prepare, reflect on, and discuss evidence of their learning and growth by way of student portfolios.
Schools that implement student-led conferences report that they:
- Encourage students to take responsibility and ownership for their learning by involving them in the goal-setting and assessment process.
- Engage families in richer, more transparent conversations about student progress.
To better visualize what these meetings might look like in various grade levels, watch these video highlights from Expeditionary Learning featuring a at Delaware Ridge Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, and a and at聽Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) in New York City.
Whether you already hold student-led conferences or want to make a change, this list of practical resources includes examples, guides, and specific tools that will help you prepare for or improve these meetings:
Useful Tips, Guides, Checklists, and Printables
: You'll find a number of resources in this blog post by middle grades educator John DePasquale, including a prior to conferences. This is a follow-up post to elementary teacher Kriscia Cabral's series on and .
: In this post from Teaching Channel, explore takeaways shared by an experienced primary teacher, and learn how she plans for her station-based approach to student-led conferences.
: Educators discuss benefits of SLCs, process considerations, pitfalls to avoid, and other helpful tips in this podcast from BAM Radio Network (Length: 13 minutes).
: Download a comprehensive handbook from Washington Heights Elementary School for access to self-evaluation templates, scheduling worksheets, staff worksheets, preparation checklists, scripts, agendas, and more.
: This presentation, authored by Patti Kinney of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, is chock-full of information for school leaders, including info about SLC benefits, sample letters, scripts, evaluation forms, frequently asked questions, and other tips.
Downloads and Examples From Schools That Work
Student-Led Meetings: Empowering Student Voice
Students at University Park Campus School in Worcester, Massachusetts, grow into their power and potential through student-led meetings. Watch footage from these meetings, hear insights from educators, and then explore the following school tools:
- : This guide can help students plan for their upcoming student-led meeting.
- : This worksheet includes a sample parent and teacher agenda for student-led meetings.
- : University Park uses this worksheet to help structure follow-up progress meetings.
At Wildwood IB World Magnet School in Chicago, Illinois, student-led conferences create opportunities for reflection, engagement, and agency. Find out how educators at Wildwood make this student ownership a reality and engage parents in conversations with students about their learning. Then check out a few of the tools they use to scaffold the process:
- : These sample prompts are used by a second-grade teacher to help students prepare for student-led conferences.
- : Reflection prompts help students think through quarterly progress on goals.
- : This form includes areas for students to list their strengths and think through areas for improvement.
- : The school portfolio guide provides information about how portfolios are structured and聽how materials are collected, including聽both student and teacher reflection sheets.
More Resources From 麻豆传媒入口 and the Web
- , The Atlantic
- Students as Leaders of Their Own Learning, 麻豆传媒入口
- Giving Students Charge of How They Learn, 麻豆传媒入口
- , ASCD
- , MindShift
- Using Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences to Build Relationships, 麻豆传媒入口
- , Association for Middle Level Education