The best chance for teachers and other school staff to become acquainted with the families of students is through personal contacts. The parent-teacher conference is a common if brief form of personal contact which may be arranged for all families once or twice a year. Richer contacts are likely to occur in home visits because they demonstrate strong interest in students' families. Parent liaisons can also help schools respond to the needs and concerns of families. How to make the best use of these strategies is explored in this section.
Parents provide important perspectives and information that can be extremely valuable.
Teachers need the help of parents to do the best possible job of educating every child and can help parents play an active role in education at home. Conferences are a time for listening and sharing. They can reinforce the idea of working as a team. Conferences also provide an opportunity for teachers to explain the criteria and grades used on report cards. In fact, many schools schedule conferences right after a reporting period.