Report Card Sharing:
How to Get the Most out of Parent-Teacher Meetings
by
Eva Patrikakou, Roger Weissberg, Mary Hancock,
Michelle Rubenstein, and Jennifer Zeisz
Laboratory for Student Success

One of the key goals of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) is to encourage school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic performance and the socioemotional development of children and youth. Teachers face the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse student population which is growing up in varied home environments. Families and schools are both active participants in the education of children and youth. Parents/guardians and teachers need to collaborate to improve student achievement and school performance. Family members and educators each have a distinctive yet interrelated role to play, and each has an important voice to be heard.

Report Card Pick-Up represents a great opportunity for two-way communication between teachers and parents. Parents’/guardians’ attitudes toward teachers and their efforts to get involved are critical to good parent-teacher relationships and to student achievement. Parent involvement is a necessary ingredient in children’s growth, development, and learning. Being an involved parent takes time and perseverance, but there are many payoffs!

Did you know that...

Work closely with teachers to help your child

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• Achieve more and like school better.
• Get better grades and test scores.
• Become more likely to graduate from high school.

  Meet with teachers

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• Get to know your child’s teacher.
• Learn more about what your child is doing in school.
• Let your child know you and the teacher are working together.

How can I prepare for the meeting?

Write down specific questions you have about your child

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For example...
• How is my child doing in class?
• How is my child’s behavior?
• How long should homework take?
• What are the things my child does well?
• How does my child get along with peers?

  Write down concerns you have for your child

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• My child is having trouble with his/her math homework.
• My child seems to have a hard time paying attention.

  Write down your child’s strengths and accomplishments

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• My child helps out around the house.
• My child enjoys reading.
• My child plays for the community basketball team and they won the local tournament.

What can I do to get the most out of the meeting?

Get all the information you need

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• Which times table is my child having trouble with?
• Is there a certain time of day when my child acts out?

  Ask for ways to help your child at home

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• How can I help my child learn his/her times tables?
• How can I help my child with his/her homework every day?
• How can my child’s teacher and I work together to develop a plan of action?
• How much TV viewing should I allow at home?

What can I do after the meeting to follow up?

Work with your child at home

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• Follow the teacher’s suggestions.
• Reading, checking homework, and asking your child about school are also great ways to help.

  Identify ways to collaborate with the teacher in the future

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• Establish the best ways (e.g., phone calls, notes) to communicate with each other on a regular basis.
• Pick a time to frequently touch base with the teacher about your child’s progress.

  Talk with your child’s teacher often

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• Let the teacher know if the suggestions worked.
• Ask for more tips if you need them!

  Recognize the positive efforts of your child’s teacher

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• Point out something that your child enjoys doing in class.
• Thank the teacher for a specific, positive thing he/she has done for your child.

Partnerships is a publication of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory at the Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education. For more information about the LSS and other LSS publications, contact the Laboratory for Student Success, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091; Telephone: (215) 204-3000; E-mail: <lss@vm.temple.edu>. Also browse the LSS website at <http://www.temple.edu/LSS/>. Copyright (c) 1997 Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education.