At a Glance:
We recently spoke with Rachel Starnes, Director of Information Systems at Belton ISD (Texas), about how her district simplified parent-teacher conferences with ParentSquare. With conference sign-ups, reminders, and communication—all in one trusted platform—staff can save time and help families show up prepared.
Parent-teacher conferences shouldn’t be stressful—but for many districts, they are. That was true at Belton ISD until they shifted everything into ParentSquare. By simplifying scheduling, automating reminders, and keeping communication in one trusted place, they were able to improve the conference experience for teachers, staff, and families alike.
Here are the district’s top tips for making parent-teacher conferences run smoothly.
Tip 1: Simplify scheduling with parent-teacher conference sign-ups in ParentSquare
By using ParentSquare’s built-in conference sign-up feature, Belton ISD was able to consolidate tools like SignUpGenius, one-off emails, and paper forms. Now, teachers can set up conference time slots, families can schedule their own appointments, and ParentSquare handles confirmations and reminders.
- Why it works: No more manual setup and tracking for conference sign-ups or easy-to-miss scheduling conflicts.
- Rachel’s take on ParentSquare sign-ups: “There was no work—people signed up, and the reminders went out automatically.”
- Admin bonus: For oversight and consistency, campus and district leaders can see who’s using appointment sign-ups and how many conferences are scheduled.
Tip 2: Keep everyone in the loop with automated, multilingual reminders
Located in Central Texas near Fort Hood, Belton ISD serves a highly mobile community with families speaking several dozen languages, making multilingual reminders especially critical.
For multilingual families, Belton ISD encouraged families to set their language preferences and used ParentSquare to automatically translate conference invitation emails into their preferred languages. Meanwhile, automated reminders helped reduce no-shows and confusion.
- Rachel’s note: “We have many Spanish-speaking families and approximately 50 languages districtwide. We translate invites and remind staff to use language settings.”
- Action step: Turn on auto-reminders for parent-teacher conference sign-ups and make sure to include clear “where/when/how” details in all invitations.
Tip 3: Make parent-teacher conferences easy for staff, too
Because ParentSquare was already available districtwide, Belton teachers didn’t need extra training or additional tools to schedule parent-teacher conferences. All they needed to do was log into their ParentSquare accounts, create time slots, and let the system do the rest.
Rachel explained that this was a major shift:
“Teachers just sent [invitations] out, families picked a time, and reminders went out automatically. There was no keeping track of anything.”
Tip 4: Share resources to help families prepare for conferences
Posts are at the heart of communication on the ParentSquare platform. Conference invitations go out as ParentSquare posts that include appointment sign-up slots, so families can both see necessary details and take action in one trusted place.
At Belton ISD, teachers and campuses also created posts to remind families about specific documents or forms to bring to conferences, including household income forms and address verification documents.
Why it matters: Parents arrived to conferences prepared, schools were able to collect critical paperwork, and the process felt seamless to teachers because it streamlined the conference process into the same ParentSquare workflow.
Tip 5: Follow up and measure success
To build on the district’s success with parent-conference sign-ups so far, Rachel’s team is exploring ways to pull reports on conference attendance and parent participation. This will help Belton ISD better understand engagement and plan improvements.
She also highlighted how ParentSquare helps keep data accurate, including allowing parents to correct issues with their emails or phone numbers, so families receive the right invites and reminders every time.
Parent-teacher conferences don’t have to be stressful
With the right tools, conferences can run smoothly for staff and families alike. We’re grateful to Belton ISD for sharing how their district was able to use ParentSquare to simplify scheduling, reduce no-shows, and keep families engaged.
Ready to streamline conference scheduling and communication? Schedule a ParentSquare demo today.
Quick FAQ: Parent-teacher conferences
How can schools reduce parent-teacher conference no-shows?
Use a communication platform like ParentSquare to send automated, multilingual reminders and include clear “when/where/how” details. Sharing posts with instructions in advance like which forms to bring to the conference, helps families arrive ready and reduces confusion and missed appointments.
What’s the easiest way to schedule parent-teacher conferences?
ParentSquare’s built-in conference sign-ups let teachers set time slots, families self-select, and the system handles confirmations and reminders—no spreadsheets, paper forms, or manual follow-up necessary.
How can schools prepare families before conferences?
Share conference details in a ParentSquare post with the sign-up attached. Include any required forms or documents, like household income forms or address verification, so families know what to bring.