As file bins filled Gault Middle School’s auditorium, so did the sense of anticipation. The buzz was palpable—something very different and important was about to occur, said Rachel Smith-Mosel, Gault’s instructional facilitator. Indeed, Oct. 7 was an incredible day of firsts: Gault’s first building-wide student-led conferences (SLC) and the first time anyone could remember that more than 75 percent of the student body attended conferences.
As students displayed a rainbow of subject matter folders, cleared their throats and read their SLC scripts, parents took careful note and asked detailed questions. Gault’s Assistant Principal Tracy Allen sat in on several conferences and was thrilled by what she witnessed. “Students really took their SLC seriously—much like a business meeting presentation or job interview. Afterwards, parents approached me in droves commenting about the impressive level of ownership displayed, how this waas the most insight they had ever had into their child’s education—and that it came from their child, and they really know what their student needs from them as they work to accomplish their goals.”
One parent shared with Rhonda Tabron, Gault’s life skills teacher, that the student-led conference was the “most she and he daughter ever talked about her schooling.” After the conference, the mother shared her newfound commitment to sitting down with her daughter and her planner to debrief her daily studies. Tabron, who like most Gault teachers had never hosted student-led conferences, was sold. "I had to see it to fully understand how powerful they are," Tabron said.
Another Gault teacher, Lisa Hertzog, who teaches eighth-grade math and is the advisory teacher for sixth graders, was at first unsure what to expect from the youngest children in the building. “The kids were incredible! Parents sat back, listened, inquired and radiated pride. The sixth graders really shined brightly during conferences.”
As the evening concluded, Instructional Facilitator Rachel Smith-Mosel glowed with exhausted pride. “It was a leap of faith to try student-led conferences (SLCs) at the start of the year, but, in the end, all of our hard work and preparation paid off,” she said. “The ownership SLCs foster and the communication channels now open wide between parent and school have put Gault on an excellent, student-centered course this year. My advice to schools thinking about using SLCs: Go for it!”