My dd's 9 yo (current 4th grader) school does student led conferences. I've learned that if I have something more important to discuss I schedule a separate conference, which they recommend.
I honestly didn't like them at first, I viewed them as a complete waste of time and didn't feel they were beneficial. But then I saw how much my dd enjoyed showing me her work, their work on the walls, how the classroom is organized and functions (there is a portion of the conference where she gives a tour of the classroom) and I changed my opinion. It gives my dd a sense of pride and she enjoys it. I think it also gives them a more active and responsible role in their learning.
Same experience here. We've had them since our kids were in early elementary (across several different schools). At first I felt they were ridiculous and frustrating - for *me* - I was going into the conference expecting to have a talk between parent and teacher and an opportunity for me to ask for things to happen in the classroom. That really isn't what the student-led conference is about - it's an opportunity for your child to reflect on their work and show you what they've done, which work they've enjoyed, what they would do differently or hope to do more of etc.
I do believe that over time, being involved in their conferences and having the experience of learning how to put together a portfolio and then presenting it to their parents, combined with the self-reflection on their work, was a genuinely good thing for my kids. I'd also add that while there were some comments above about how it takes responsibility/work/burden/etc off the teacher, that never seemed to be the case in our conferences. The student was "leading" but the teacher was still involved *ahead* of the conferences in helping students learn how to think through what they'd worked on, choose which pieces they wanted to share, and think critically about how to present the work. The teachers were also definitely a part of the conference - if I had a question about anything that either my child showed me or talked about or anything else related to school, I could ask it. If my child stumbled or got lost or wasn't sure what to say next, the teacher was their to guide them.
One other note - conferences are *short* - even if you are going into a traditional parent-teacher conference, there is rarely (here) time to talk about anything meaningful in depth or past the cookie-cutter report on your child. And your conference is only one conference out of many the teacher has to get through and check the box off for. Any time I've had something "more" or "different" I've needed to ask for or talk to a teacher about, the most direct and effective way to accomplish it was to schedule a meeting with the teacher outside of conference days.
So, fwiw, I wouldn't be worried about the conferences. OTOH, if I had an issue I wanted to address with the teacher, I wouldn't wait for the conference, I'd ask for a meeting with the teacher. Depending on what I wanted to discuss and the age/personality of my child, I'd either ask the child be included or ask for a separate meeting that was parent/teacher only.
Best wishes,
polarbear
