What do counselors, teachers, and administrators have in common? They all conduct parent conferences. It's true that most parent conferences are positive, but it is those that are not that stand out in educators' memories.

Parents can be an educator's best ally or worst enemy and since every parent is influential in a student's life, it is the wise educator that makes every parental contact as positive as possible. The ten strategies in this book can make this happen. With this powerful resource in hand, you will learn the importance of:

Making contact before the meeting

Being prepared and on time

Being polite by providing an inviting setting

Separating the action from the actor

Avoiding sibling comparisons

Utilizing parents as resources

Finding something positive

Being professional at all costs

Not getting caught up in someone else's negativity

Rehashing the meeting and wrapping it up

Each strategy is introduced with a clever cartoon, identifies pitfalls to beware of, and gives important information on how to make the strategy work.

Also included are several reproducible scenarios for educators to practice the strategies before an actual parent meeting.

Educators new to the field and seasoned educators alike will find this book a valuable resource to guide them through both positive and negative parent conferences.

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TOPIC: Parent conferences

INCLUDES: 10 strategies, reproducible scenarios

GRADE LEVELS: K-12/AGES: 5-18

FOR USE WITH: Parents, teachers

AUTHOR: Chad & Carrie Mason

RECOMMENDED FOR: Elementary-school counselors,elementary-school teachers, high-school counselors, high-school teachers, middle-school counselors, middle-school teachers, administrators, psychologists

6 x 9, 64 pages, black & white illustrations, paperback, 2007