Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences with Multilingual Families

If you are preparing for conferences with multilingual families, there are lots of steps you can take to help the conferences go more smoothly and ensure that both you and the families get something out of the conversation. Here are some ideas to help you get started!

Putting Yourself in Families' Shoes

First, it's important to think about the conference experience from families' point of view. If you grew up in the U.S., then you probably have a clear idea of what parent-teacher conferences are all about and may have memories of the conferences your family held with your teachers.

Yet parent-teacher conferences may be a totally new experience for families from other countries. Here's a thought experiment:

Imagine that you have been relocated to a new country for your job and that you have a child who will be attending that country's public school system. Before you leave the U.S., you barely learn a little bit of the language spoken in this country and you've gotten the basic assistance to get your child registered in the school system. You don't know anything, however, about this country's educational system, and you are not sure what the expectations are for students or their parents, or how you will communicate with the teacher.

Once you have arrived and the school year begins, you are not able to understand the information that is sent home; your child is struggling to learn math, social studies, and science in a new language. Then you get a notice about coming to a school meeting. Is this meeting for all families or just for you? Are you required to attend? What happens if the meeting is scheduled during your work hours? Is your child in trouble? And if you want an English translator, how do you request one?

This example demonstrates some of the stress and confusion our multilingual families might experience as they attempt to understand the U.S. educational system and practices such as parent-teacher conferences — a practice that educators generally view as a positive and important opportunity to work together on children's behalf. The challenges of navigating this situation could also be compounded if families do not have very much education themselves or feel uncomfortable in an educational environment.

In addition, families may come from a culture where a teacher's expertise is highly valued and parents aren't seen as "partners." It may also be seen as insulting to a teacher to ask for student progress information. Alternatively, the expectation may be that the children have been sent to the teacher to learn and if the teacher is asking for a family's help, that indicates a problem with the teacher. You can see how many bridges must be crossed in order to offer the kind of outreach and support families may need to fully benefit from parent-teacher conferences.

Provide Language Support

As you plan for the conferences, it's critical to identify what kinds of language support will be offered to families. Keep in mind that all families have a legal right to language support in their primary language.

Arrange for an interpreter

Find out what kinds of language supports are available through your district, such as interpreters or language lines. Collaborate with interpreters, administrators, and other teachers to determine how the schedule will work.

If needed, you can explore additional support through a language line, especially for low-incidence languages. Bring any concerns you have to administrators.

Meet with the interpreter

If there is time, meet with the interpreter before conferences begin to go over your plans for the conferences and to address any questions or concerns. Be sure to define the kind of information that will be shared and make sure that the interpreter feels comfortable interpreting information about specific topics that might come up.

Note: For conferences that relate to special education, ensure that interpreters are prepared to handle any technical terms that might come up.

Remember: Students should not be used as interpreters

Asking students to interpret puts them in an uncomfortable position and places an undue burden on them, even if they have experience interpreting for their family members. They may also be exposed to confidential information, and they may not know the appropriate vocabulary to interpret the educational information. And while many students handle interpreting responsibilities well, some may not be forthcoming if they do not like the information being presented.

Recommended resources

• Equity Through Language Access: Best Practices for Collaborating with Interpreters

Before the Conference

Explain what conferences are

As noted above, parent-teacher conferences may be a new experience for multilingual families. Share information about conferences in multiple settings -- during back-to-school night, through text and social media channels, and in translated flyers that go home. Ensure that families know:

• What the meetings are
• That all students and families are invited to a conference
• That families' engagement with the school is welcome and encouraged

You are welcome to share this tip sheet in English and Spanish on Parent-Teacher Conferences with families as part of your outreach!

Encourage family attendance

Once it's time to schedule conferences, try the following tips:

Send a personal invitation in families' languages

Ensure that families have information about the conference in their language, ideally in various formats (printed, email, and text reminders). Describe the parent-teacher conference and what families should expect. Keep in mind that families' language and literacy levels will vary. If you work with a family liaison, talk about how to best handle communication.

Schedule an appointment with families

While some schools use "office hours" for conferences, it may help to give families an appointment time. When you offer the appointment time, let families know how they can request a different time if needed. (See creative ideas on scheduling conferences below.)

Note: When scheduling conferences with ELL families, allow more time for translations -- conferences with an interpreter will take more time while you, the interpreter, and the parents exchange information.

Send families a reminder

Send reminders on the day before the conference via text or email. You can also post general reminders on social media platforms or texting apps. Be aware that families may have children in other grades or in other schools, and do your best to coordinate with all staff involved on the appointment times for the family. If possible, be flexible if a family can't make the appointment on conference day, and arrange to meet the family on another day after school.

Prepare for meeting the families

Learn more about the families and cultural considerations

If possible, work with family liaisons or bilingual colleagues to get some background information about your students' cultures and educational expectations from students' home countries.

The following true anecdote illustrates the importance of this: A kindergarten teacher met with an ELL family and indicated that she was very concerned about the child's excessive talking, activity, and inability to pay attention or play quietly with the other children. The parents beamed at the teacher and described how happy they were that their child was displaying such inquisitive and active intelligent behavior. Based on the family's culture, they had a very different perspective on the behaviors of a successful learner.

If possible, you may also wish to learn more about eye contact, body language, and gender roles so that you are prepared to help families feel more comfortable and at ease.

See more ideas in this Bright Ideas article on encouraging bilingual family involvement, which includes ideas on bilingual invitations, child care, and other steps you can take to encourage parent attendance.

Recommended resources

• Communicating with ELL Families: 10 Strategies for Schools
• How to Use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families
• How to Build Partnerships with Immigrant Families
• Making Students and Families Feel Welcome

During the Conference

While you may not be able to share everything you want to get through in a short conference, you can prioritize some key points and steps to make families feel welcome and set the stage for future collaboration. And while you don't want to speed through a lot of information, you can still touch on some points briefly and send additional information as a follow-up.

Communicating with families

Welcome your families with a warm greeting and smile

Remember that families might be nervous -- and you might be too! Do your best to put them at ease, thank them for coming, and make them comfortable. Remember that this may be an intimidating and new experience for them.

Speak with the parents, not the interpreter

During the conference, always make eye contact with and talk directly to the parent (as opposed to speaking with the interpreter).

Speak evenly and pause frequently

Speak at a measured pace (not slowly or more loudly) and pause often so the interpreter can translate a manageable amount of information.

Sharing classroom information

Share student work

Your ELL families will enjoy seeing their child's work. If you have something posted on the wall from their child, show that example to the family.

Use simple documents in your explanations

Use documents for visual support, but keep them simple. For example, don't offer a full-page single-spaced description of the curriculum. Offer an example of the student's work and a bullet list or rubric to show how it is evaluated, or a simple calendar with curriculum projects filled in.

Discuss educational plans and the parents' expectations

Some schools develop educational plans with the parents, and this may be a new concept for ELL parents. Simplify the process by asking the parent, "What do you hope your child will learn this year?" or "What do you want your child to get better at?"

Offer translated information if possible

Many schools now offer basic student progress forms in two languages — English on one side and a second language on the other. Teachers fill in the appropriate information for each student and then give the parents the form, showing them the translated explanation of the form on the back. Some forms include classroom schedules and an area for grades and test scores, while others use very basic symbols such as smiley faces. While the teacher's remarks themselves may not be translated, the parents will have an explanation in their language of how their child is being evaluated, and will be able to get a good sense of their child's progress from the form. If your school offers such forms, they can be a highly useful tool in communicating with parents.

Getting family input

Ask families for their observations and input

Ask families what they notice about how their child talks and feels about school. These observations can yield some important insights and information.

Leave time for family questions

Underscore the importance of ongoing communication between the home and the school. Provide the parents with ways that they can contact you and communicate their questions and concerns with the necessary bilingual support. And of course — don't forget to thank them for coming!

Sharing resources

Offer information about how to get information from the school and local support resources

Parents may not know about resources and updates that come from the school; ask them if they are getting regular updates. In addition, share information about resources such as the public library's homework-help program or a tutoring support program offered in the school or community.

Encourage families to maintain their languages

Many multilingual families may think that they should stop speaking their primary languages and focus on English at home, even if they are still learning English themselves. Share the benefits of being bilingual with families and our related tip sheets and videos. Talk about the importance of maintaining strong ties to language, culture, and family. Share bilingual success stories you know about and let them know that their language and culture are assets.

Encourage reading at home

Emphasize the importance of reading at home in the student's primary language and/or English. The important thing is to encourage the joy of reading and to continue to support the development of both languages. If possible, show families an example of a book in their language.

After the Conference

Send a thank you note

One of the most important things about a parent-teacher conference is the development of a partnership between the teacher and the parents. Once the conference has been completed, you can send a note home to the parents and tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them and talking about their child, or you can make a call to the family within a few weeks of the conference to inform them about the positive progress you have noticed in their child.