Taking place on a single night, traditionally at the school (and recently over Zoom), parent-teacher meetings allow for teachers to relay a snapshot of children’s achievement and behavior to their parents. While parent-teacher interviews are intended to show children that their parents “value and are interested in [their] learning and school experience” (Laskin, 2022), during these meetings, teachers typically download huge amounts of information to parents, which can leave them feeling “confused, unclear…ill-informed[, and] struggling to interpret statements” (Hargraves, 2019) made.In addition, traditional parent-teacher interviews “may be thwarted by mismatched expectations, mutual incomprehension and defensive behaviors (in both teachers and parents)” (Hargraves, 2019),leaving both parties feeling “frustrate[ed] and deeply distress[ed]” (Hargraves, 2019). In short, they only serve to drive the stakeholders in a student’s education further apart rather than closer together.In addition, traditional parent-teacher interviews “may be thwarted by mismatched expectations, mutual incomprehension and defensive behaviors (in both teachers and parents)” (Hargraves, 2019), leaving both parties feeling “frustrate[ed]and deeply distress[ed]” (Hargraves, 2019). In short, they only serve to drive the stakeholders in a student’s ducation further apart rather than closer together.
The TogetR4Success method uses workshops to break the ice between teachers so they can discuss roadblocks to children’s ability to focus so they will be engaged and succeed for all ages in all schools. These workshops serve as a place for parents, teachers, and administrators to find common ground so they can build community to better set up the children in their care for future success. Though TogetR4Success method is not about teachers reporting student achievement and behavior in something akin to an “annual performance review” (Freireich and Platzer, 2021), it is not a replacement for one-on-one contact between parents and teachers. Reporting on student achievement and behavior still takes place, albeit outside of the workshop environment. TogetR4Success workshops are about the adults on the frontlines of education finding common ground so they can work together to ensure student success. It is about leveling the playing field so both parents and teachers will feel as if they are partners in student education.