Collaboration is in

If your child’s school follows the traditional calendar, it’s almost time for the fall one-on-one meeting.

But don’t be surprised if other parents show up at your scheduled time. Group parent-teacher conferences are trending.

You and other parents will leave the classroom with games and activities designed to reinforce classroom learning. Your child will still bring home the usual report card.

The group conference format is designed to increase collaboration with the classroom teacher and other parents. A bonus benefit is that group meetings reduce the time demand on teachers.

As an educator, I strongly support parent-teacher communication – after all, I even made home visits to my students! – but I’m not convinced group conferences will increase student learning.