Making the Most of NYC School Parent-Teacher Conferences

What to know about parent-teacher conferences:

• Parent-teacher conferences are short meetings with your child’s teacher to discuss grades, behavior, and progress.
• It helps you support your child’s learning at home and build a strong connection with the school.
• You can request an interpreter, and schools cannot ask about immigration status or Social Security numbers.
• Make sure to bring questions, share important info, and keep in touch with the teacher after the meeting.

With NYC public schools heading back in late August and early September, the first parent-teacher conferences (PTCs) of the year are just around the corner. Here’s a breakdown of how to make the most of your PTC. A bit of planning always helps so you can start the school year strong.

Also Read: Support Your School: How To Join a Parent-Teacher Association in NYC

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What is a parent teacher conference?

PTC stands for the term “parent-teacher conference”, a meeting where you connect with your child’s teacher. It’s a chance for teachers to discuss your child’s grades, behavior, and overall progress, as well as to offer guidance on how you can support their learning at home.

Meetings can be in-person or online and the length can vary between 15 minutes to an hour. 

Teachers will typically reach out a week or so ahead to schedule a meeting time that works best for you. 

You have the right to take this meeting in your primary language. For example, if your primary language is Spanish, the school should get an interpreter for you. 

You can request this in a few ways:

• Fill out the IEP Translation Request form online and submit it at your child’s school.
• Send an email to Hello@schools.nyc.gov and write that you need an interpreter.
• Call (718) 935-2013 and state that you need an interpreter.

Important: Public schools cannot ask for a Social Security number or a U.S. birth certificate. This means your immigration status does not affect your rights as a parent, and you will not be asked for this information.

How to prepare for your parent-teacher conference

To make the most of your meeting with your child’s teacher, there are several actions you can take before, during, and after the discussion.

Before the meeting: 

• Have a conversation with your child about how things are going in school. You can ask them about their favorite subjects or any struggles they may be facing.
• Ask them if they have any questions to ask the teacher.
• Draft a list of questions for the teacher, incorporating both your child’s feedback and your own concerns as a parent. Some questions could be: How is my child performing academically? Are they participating in class activities? How do they interact with classmates? What can we do at home to support their learning?
• This is a mutual exchange of information, so make sure to prepare a list of things you want the teacher to know about your child also.
• Write down your contact information and give it to the teacher at the conference.

During the meeting: 

• Prioritize your questions, asking the most important ones first in case time runs out.
• Don’t hesitate to ask the teacher for clarification or further explanation if you don’t understand something.
• Consider sharing any relevant information about your home situation that could affect your child’s learning, such as a death in the family, divorce, or housing instability. 

After the meeting: 

• Share with your child how it went and what you learned about their school progress.
• You can start implementing the plans you and the teacher discussed like extra help with homework or other strategies to support your child’s behavior and learning.
• Send a note, email, or make a phone call to thank the teacher and clarify any points you didn’t fully understand during the conference.
• Stay in touch with the teacher and don’t hesitate to schedule additional meetings as needed.
• If you and the teacher are unable to resolve issues, reach out to other school staff for help, such as the guidance counselor, principal, or parent coordinator.
• Always keep your contact information updated. Inform the school if your phone number, home address, or email address changes.

Here’s a one-page prep you can download and fill it out before the meeting.