Many parents who may not otherwise visit the school spend time there with their child and their child's teachers. During the second 10 minutes, teachers discuss the student's report card, progress reports from each of the student's subject-area teachers, and support services for the subjects in which students are falling behind. Parents have time to ask questions. After the formal conference is over, students and parents are encouraged to spend time in a central place in the school talking about additional work and portfolio contents. They provide an incentive for students to keep and organize their work throughout the year and to be accountable for it at the student-led conference.
Students collect work for their portfolios throughout the year, in preparation for the conference.
Teachers receive stipends for conferences they conduct in off-hours to accommodate parents. Students are naturally nervous when talking to their parents about their work and progress in school. Conway takes this seriously and prepares students for the conferences by asking them to consider their most important accomplishment in each class and how that relates to their own goals for improvement. These efforts pay off. As the novelty of the new student-led conferences began to fade after the first year, Conway staff have made a concerted effort to make clear clear they expect parents to participate.