Entry #11: Middle school has 90 percent
participation in student-led parent conferences


Louisville, Kentucky -- Wow, am I fortunate! This thought occurred to me as I was entering Conway Middle School on the outskirts of Louisville. Here I am, 2,100 miles from home, spending the morning at a progressive school I had read about months ago.

In my 17 years in education, a frustration I often encountered was the lack of TIME to visit classrooms, schools and districts in order to learn from our colleagues in the trenches. The few times I was able to get out proved very valuable and energizing. I wish I could "gift" some of this time to y'all (notice the Kentucky accent), but the closest I can come is continue to share what I see and learn.

At Conway, I found the progressive leader I expected in Principal Steve St.Clair. One of my tasks was to learn more about the student-led conferences that occurred there three weeks ago. Inspired by practices in Battle Creek, Michigan, Conway's "optional" conferences became "expected" with students trained to explain their work and progress to parents and teachers. After 10 minutes of this, teachers then commented and clarified.

Reportedly, the teachers were very pleased with the results, were not cornered by angry parents, and the communication between student and parent carried over into the cafeteria. Before, there was 30% attendance at the traditional parent-teacher conferences -- attendance now stands at 90%. Principal St. Clair explained his satisfaction at seeing the parking lot full ALL day long with the coming and going of hundreds of parents.

It seems that much of the success can be attributed to groundwork laid by Conway parents who attended the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership. These folks put together Student Showcases, a Parent Information night and a Scoring Day. This last effort brought parents and teachers together in the library to evaluate student writing, learn about the scoring process and devise strategies for assistance.

I asked St. Clair why more middle school leaders haven't embraced the Commonwealth Institute and its parent involvement goals. He believes the main reason was the risk involved.

There is a myth in education that parents are "dangerous" and the more educated, the more dangerous they are. But by getting parents and teachers together around the common goal of improving achievement, that myth is debunked -- as it was at Conway. Now, in the words of Principal St. Clair, "parents are respected by the staff."

[Read a story about Conway Middle School's parent initiatives.]

It was perfect timing for me to leave Conway and head across town to the University of Louisville to attend the last two days of a Commonwealth Institute training program. The six-day Institutes, which are held at sites all across Kentucky, are supported by the Prichard Committee, a statewide citizen group that's been a leader in education reform since the early 1980s. The sessions I attended were focused on middle schools.

I arrived with this 3rd in a series of three sessions already in progress. After learning how to collect information from their schools, how to engage parents and what methods to use to bring parents and teachers together, these parents from Jefferson County schools were now ready to develop a project. The overarching goals of the Institute are to improve student achievement and increase parent participation over a lasting period of time. The individual projects are to be designed with these goals in mind.

Since I keep flipping back and forth between the role of parent and educator, I could see how a teacher might be threatened. As long as we in education see the parents as an uninformed outside influence, a major resource will be overlooked. Perception is the key.

Sitting in on the evening session of the Institute, I watched as the parents visited various resource tables staffed by educational consultants . Among the seven presenters were the Kentucky Association of School Councils, the Partnership of Kentucky Schools and a representative of the Regional Service Center. Here were experts from government agencies, businesses and the classroom willing and able to assist these parents as well as their individual schools.

I began to perceive these parents as consultants for their individual schools. Not only are they becoming informed, but they will be able to access other information, materials and resources that the school personnel have neither time nor energy to pursue. Since there is never enough money, I don't see how educational personnel can afford to overlook this resource.

Once the walls come down between a school and its parents, a collaboration can take place focused not on the "faults" of schools or families but on raising student achievement and learning. It was very energizing to listen in on conversations where parents were bouncing ideas off of each other, consultants were offering suggestions, and plans were being made to better serve the students.

As the Commonwealth Institute concluded the next day, these "consultants" left with assignments and projects to be carried out over the next year. With the Prichard Committee's assistance, I can foresee many more schools out there that will be worth visiting.

I hope y'all can find a way to get out and visit some place making changes. Even if its close by, it'll be worth your time.

Until next week, Darrell

The Lee Family has a new website with family photos and more.


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