--- title: 'Parent-teacher conferences: A guide for families with kids struggling in school' description: If your child is struggling in school, how do you make the most of your parent-teacher conference? Find out which questions to ask and how to get them answered. slug: parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school author: The Understood Team published: '2019-09-06T15:30:09.318Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/1Pk2IRytvI5jOUQOfJYi5v/8439f1b4e2458ca814c66affd74fa121/G1129919838.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school lang: en --- # Parent-teacher conferences: A guide for families with kids struggling in school Your child is having trouble in school, and your parent-teacher conference is coming up. What’s the best way to approach the meeting? How can you prepare? Parent-teacher conferences go by fast — most last only 10 or 15 minutes. If that feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. Lots of families (and teachers) feel unsure about how to have a productive and meaningful conversation in such a short amount of time. But there are a few things you can do beforehand to make the most of your time with the teacher. Keeping track of what’s hard for your child is one. Putting together a list of specific questions to ask is another. The resources below can help guide you to do just that. --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [9 tips to make the most of your parent-teacher conference](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/tips-successful-parent-teacher-conference) - Most parent-teacher conferences only last 10 or 15 minutes. Thats not a lot of time to connect with your childs teacher. But with a little preparation and planning, you can make the most of this time. Here are nine tips that can help. Before the conference 1. Look over schoolwork. Take some time to - [How to have a successful parent-teacher conference](https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/parenting-behavior/how-to-have-a-successful-parent-teacher-conference) - Parent-teacher conferences can seem like stressful, high-pressure events. But they dont have to be. Parent-teacher conferences can seem like high-pressure events. There are only 10 or 15 minutes, at most, for you and the teacher to discuss many important things. Plus you want to keep things posit - [Parent-teacher conference tips: What to say and ask](https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/the-opportunity-gap/preparing-for-parent-teacher-conferences) - Parent-teacher conferences dont have to be confusing. Discover how understanding school from your childs perspective can help you prepare. Ever leave a parent-teacher conference feeling more confused than informed? Dr.Andy Kahn joins us to help you prepare and make the most of these important conv --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school","description":"If your child is struggling in school, how do you make the most of your parent-teacher conference? Find out which questions to ask and how to get them answered."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school","name":"Parent-teacher conferences: A guide for families with kids struggling in school"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-09-06T15:30:09.318Z","description":"If your child is struggling in school, how do you make the most of your parent-teacher conference? Find out which questions to ask and how to get them answered.","headline":"Parent-teacher conferences: A guide for families with kids struggling in school","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/parent-teacher-conferences-guide-for-families-with-kids-struggling-in-school","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```