What Do Parents Want from Principals and Teachers

Abstract

A s a former principal, I cannot recall a single day in thai office when I did not meet with at least four or five parents or help a teacher prepare to meet with a parent Many of those interactions were pleasant, even delightful, but plenty were not My fellow principals and I would often spend considerable amounts of pro fessional development time with spon taneous recitations of the latest un pleasantness with a parent or group of parents. We principals and teach ers all tried to help each other cope with parental demands by developing skills in focusing the conference on the issue (Fisher and Ury 1981) or through judicious repetition of the ap propriate and clearly stated school or district policy (Canter and Canter 1976) Yet nearly all of us walked away from many of the conferences won dering, do parents want? Just what dp parents want from prin cipals and teachers? What do they say when we ask them'