Lower School Assistant Principal, PK-1, Jillien Ciresi Featured in Education Week, Discusses Student-Led Conferences

At Friends, educators believe it's never too early for students to share the story of their learning journey. Students begin leading their own parent-teacher conferences in kindergarten.

Jillien Ciresi, Lower School Assistant Principal, PK-1, was recently featured in an Education Week article about schools that opt for student-led conferences over traditional parent-teacher ones.

Ciresi discusses the process of Friends' student-led conferences, from preparing their portfolios in chronological order to track progress, to setting social, emotional, and academic goals at the beginning of the year to determine if they've been reached by the end, and working on their various presentation skills through peer practice. 

Education Week highlights Friends School of Baltimore and other schools that utilize this conference method to emphasize the benefits that it derives. We sat down with Ciresi to gain a more in-depth understanding of Friends’ student-led conferences. 

How long has Friends School been doing student-led parent-teacher conferences?

Way before my time. We’ve done these conferences since I’ve been here, and that’s 14 years. We’ve done them since Heidi [Hutchison, Principal, PK-8] has been here, and that’s 20 years.

Why does Friends choose to do the student-led conferences?

Because of our philosophy of student voice and choice. Students have a choice in their learning, showcased by presenting at and leading the conferences themselves. Student voice and choice is a huge piece of how we believe students will learn best and take ownership of their learning- it’s the most valuable piece of learning. Student-led conferences are embedded in what we do, and we wouldn’t have it any other way because it supports everything that we believe in in their education: that students are going to explain their learning best and get the most out of the experience if they lead it.

As an administrator and former teacher, what are the benefits you see derived from student-led conferences?

Countless benefits. The fact that the students feel so proud to showcase and tell the story of their year or work. Student-led conferences are valuable to families, who prefer to hear their children reflecting on their own work (teachers already reflect on students in the report cards), and to students, who can see what went well for them throughout the year and what they need to improve on. The students are always beaming with pride during the conferences; they never have enough time during it because they have so much work they want to share. It’s a great highlight of the year.

The students and their families also get to see how they’ve progressed throughout the year. Each grade does the portfolios differently. In fourth grade (which Ciresi taught), the big project is the Egypt Project. I had some non-negotiables that the students had to include in their portfolios, and the entire Egypt Project was one of those. Parents only see the finished Egypt Project that the students present, so my students had to include their writing from start to finish on that project to show their evolution and improvement from beginning to end.

Student-led conferences also develop public speaking skills. The children work on presentation skills throughout the year by practicing their presentations in small groups. This way, the child works on and practices skills such as volume, clarity, eye contact, and body language. 

Is there anything else you want to add about Friends’ student-led conferences?

I wouldn’t have [conferences] any other way. The fall conferences are with the parents/caregivers, which is when the teachers lead, so I just can’t imagine any other way to showcase the year and have students reflect on their work than in the student-led conferences in the spring.

Read the full article in Education Week here: These Schools Let Students Lead Parent-Teacher Conferences- With Big Results