EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Education
|
||||
|
Each fall, parents around the country complete the back-to-school ritual of slipping checks into their PTA dues envelopes. Without much thought, they faithfully join the ubiquitous organization that their parents and grandparents supported for more than 100 years. Like apple pie and the Fourth of July, PTAs and public schools just go together. But if those parents have been reading their monthly newsletters closely or talked to their school's PTA president lately, they likely would have noticed changes in the humble PTA they thought they knew. Make no mistake - the PTA is much more than parents hosting bake sales and book fairs. The organization, now 6 million strong, packs a powerful lobbying punch when it comes to children's and educational issues. At the federal and state levels, PTA takes up topics ranging from free lunches for underprivileged children to child safety laws to funding for after-school programs. And, at the local level, units are playing an unprecedented role in supplementing funding that has disappeared from schools as states face budget woes. Although PTA has quietly pursued its agenda over the years, it's now doing a better job of communicating its successes. The organization is also transforming other ways it does business, including hiring its first professional CEO in October, restructuring its board of directors to be more efficient, and launching an awareness campaign featuring television commercials and a new slogan. And, it's looking beyond membership dues (the national organization sees about $1.75 per member) to corporate sponsors and grants for funding. "We're doing a much better job of making people aware of what PTA does outside of the schools," says Jan Domene of Anaheim, the secretary/treasurer for National PTA. "We are child advocates, we are all volunteers and we work really hard to do things for kids. But we need to tell people what we do. There are so many things over the years that PTA has been involved in." That includes lobbying for the bike helmet and child restraint seat laws in California to working on free and reduced-price lunch programs at the federal level to launching a public relations campaign to help parents understand why their children needed polio vaccinations. And the PTA's to-do list continues to grow as the needs of schools and children change. Domene, an Anaheim resident who is one of only 3 elected members around the country serving at the National PTA level, says a recent poll of members showed most volunteers are asked to raise money to cover basic needs at schools, such as cleaning supplies or busing costs. A new face "This is not the old PTA that was only there as kind of an adviser, where the school respected the PTA and asked their opinion," says Domene. "We're down in the trenches and are doing things we never expected to do. If things get better, we can change our focus and go more into enrichment and cultural programs. If things stay the way they are now, we'll be advocating for extra funding and helping fund things. We do anything we have to. A lot of people will say, `You're everywhere, you guys need to prioritize.' But I say, `You tell me what part of a child we don't take care of. And you tell me what child don't we take care of.'" For nearly 3 decades, Domene has pursued the PTA's goal of benefiting schoolchildren. She first started at Thomas Edison Elementary School in Anaheim as the "Hamburger Chairman" when her daughter was a kindergartener. Since the school didn't serve hot lunches at that time, the PTA would bring in McDonald's burgers for the students once a week. Domene was charged with picking up large thermal containers of burgers and transporting them back to campus. Today, she flies around the country speaking about PTA's mission to parents, educators, community leaders and lawmakers. She spoke to thousands of California PTA volunteers at the statewide conference in Long Beach in May and just attended the National PTA Convention in Anaheim at the end of June. Domene isn't the only one racking up frequent flyer miles. The pursuit of improving educational environments for all children has increasingly taken PTA activists off campuses so they can work closely with other community organizations and legislators, giving PTA greater reach and impact. Dolores Winchell, president of the Saddleback Valley Council PTA (www.svpta.org), says the group's focus must be on advocacy, not fundraising at the local level. By holding legislators accountable and making sure parents' voices are heard on important educational issues, PTA is able to improve the school system for all children. And, as school budgets tighten and PTAs are increasingly asked to raise money, the role of advocacy becomes even more important because it prompts change systemwide. Filling gaps "We are getting education funding cut every time we turn around," Winchell says. "It's very typical for a principal to look to the PTA and say, `Can you fill in the gaps?' That's not what PTA is about. PTA is about advocacy and PTA is about all children." Whether parents help out out by volunteering for a phone bank during a local bond election, flying up to Sacramento to help lobby for changes to legislation, or simply sending an e-mail to a lawmaker voicing their opinion on an educational matter, actions make a difference, she says. While getting parents more involved is a key mission for PTAs across the country, advocacy is only a part of that goal. Parents have a range of opportunities, from volunteering for one hour at a school event to keeping a membership list updated on their home computer to simply putting into action some of the parenting tips provided by education experts for PTA newsletters. The 6 ideals To promote the importance of its message and raise awareness of research studies supporting family participation, PTA created 6 national standards for parent involvement about 3 years ago. The standards, which are being revisited this year and may undergo some revisions, were adopted by 22 states. They also are used in teacher training programs around the country to educate tomorrow's instructors on the importance of involving families in their children's education. The point is, parents don't need to be the president of their PTA to make a difference. Winchell found her work with the PTA so rewarding and important that she stopped working on her human resources consulting business to concentrate on the PTA. But, she knows not everyone is able to do that. If you're interested in volunteering but aren't sure where to start, contact someone on the board of your school's PTA. Or, go to a meeting and let the board know how much time you are willing to volunteer and what skills you bring. The benefits are huge. Involved parents know how their children are doing at school both socially and academically, what the teacher is working on, what changes the principal is planning and what the hot issues are. And, they have an opportunity to give their feedback. "There are volunteer opportunities for every parent regardless of whether they work or stay at home," says Winchell, who notes that schools have dozens of positions ranging from organizing a family event to sending out emails from your home computer to volunteering at the lost-and-found for an hour a week. "You can do anything you want to do and as little or as much as you want to...You're only one person, but one person makes a difference." Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter. To reach her: leuer.ramus@sbcglobal.net. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
