I've already weighed in on this much earlier in the thread, and don't really have anything new to add to the discussion, other than I agree with kelly and our family has found that student-led conferences have been a good experience for our kids on many levels. Like kelly, my guess from the posts here are that most people who are so dead-set against the concept haven't really been exposed to what a student-led conference is in practice.
I don't have time or desire to go through all the different points of view, but did want to address one thing:
I expect that some young kids would experience a level stress over having to lead a conference that wouldn't be outweighed by whatever benefits they might receive.
I can completely understand this concern, so please know I'm not singling you out Val - but I do want to share what has happened in our family, with two kids who have significant anxiety, for two different reasons.
Our ds is a kid who reacts to stressful situations with anxiety. He has an expressive language disorder that impacts his ability to put his thoughts together and express them verbally to other people. He has had to go through years of speech therapy for expressive language as well as years of support from home in learning how to express what he wants to say to others. His schools have included student-led conferences since kindergarten. Those first years of student-led conferences were extremely difficult for him - he didn't get many words out and he did stress out over the conferences - but through the years, by going through the process again and again he learned a valuable set of tools in how to advocate for himself, and he gained increasing self-confidence in talking to adults and teachers. He still struggled with this into early high school, but the conferences were a valuable tool in helping him find his voice.
I also have a completely neurotypical dd, no challenges, no fear of talking to adults, etc. - in most situations. OTOH, she becomes completely shy and full of anxiety at the mere thought of being "on stage" - so shy, for example, that even though she loves to dance she didn't take dance lessons until she was in middle school because she was so scared she'd have to perform in a recital. She took piano lessons in elementary from a teacher who firmly believed that every student should participate in an annual recital, just for parents, very small thing, and dd was so anxious over that recital that she worried about it for weeks. The teacher was adamant - she must do the recital because it will help her get over the fear of performing in front of others. It didn't - she froze, trembled, and cried silently so much that the teacher let her out of ever doing a recital again - the only student the teacher had ever let out of the recital obligation! Yet she's done fine with student-led conferences, and she has learned a lot about advocating and how to present herself from them. They have also reinforced with her the idea that she doesn't have to be scared, they are a place she can discuss her work with people she knows care about her (teachers and parents). And as she's grown and matured, I believe they are at least a small part of the supports that have helped her shed some of that shyness - she'll perform onstage now and enjoy it. She's not ready to be out front and a "star" but she's grown way past being so anxious she can't get up there.
There will always be some cases of kids or parents or teachers that one type of conference will or won't be perfect for... but we've truly seen good things come from the student-led conferences.
polarbear
