Principal and PTA Excited!

I emailed our policy brief and a letter highlighting the importance of multicultural education and the creation of strong relationships between parents and teachers through the PTA to my principal, Head of PTA, and PTA treasurer. All three were very enthusiastic about our recommendations for increasing teacher and family involvement in the PTA, in anticipation that it will lead to increased multicultural awareness in our school community. My principal invited me to propose our increase staff PTA attendance goals to the whole staff at a staff meeting, and it was relatively warmly received. Many teachers had suggestions of how to increase their involvement, such as rotating schedules of participating teachers or changing the time of the PTA meetings. The PTA leaders also invited me to speak about my ideas at the next PTA meeting in May. I am very encouraged by the enthusiastic response, and look forward to working diligently over the summer and through the next school year to ensure that increase PTA participation really does lead to more quality multicultural education programs taking place within my school's classrooms.

Just ask.

Just Ask!

The No. 1 reason people state they are not PTA members

is that they have never been asked.

The only wrong way to ask people to join

is not to ask at all!

via

Events and Free Food are the KEY!

In an effort to figure out ways to get the most families involved, I emailed a reading specialist at a very diverse school in Fairfax County, Virginia. I asked her to speak to parent involvement in her school's PTA, the how to get parents involved, and how to communicate with everyone (not just English and Spanish speaking parents). This was her response:

"Our PTA is not very big – as the second language parents are often hesitant to participate. When we do want a lot of parent participation in an event, we offer free food or giveaways. We always have a Spanish translator at events (usually a teacher or aide from the school) and letters are sent home in multiple languages. The other languages are left to their own. The programs I run, like the clothing give-away, book swaps and holiday toy drive, are run by teachers/staff for the benefit of the community, but the community is not involved in the working part."

Though the reading specialist is not boasting a particularly large PTA, I really like some of the ideas about free food and giveways, book swaps, give aways, toy drives, etc. I hate to say it, but these things motivate people. I would love if every parent was able to come to every meeting. But that is not realistic. I know how people feel at the end of the workday. They want to get home and get on with their lives. I myself have only been to a handful of meetings. To get them into the routine of going, they are going to need something to motivate them. This was the same feedback that I got from the former PTA president at my school.

What do you think? Would you come for a free hot dinner? What about a new book for your child?

Parent Interview: "PTA should be the bridge organization for the teachers and parents."

1. Have you been to a PTA meeting?

-Yes, I have been to one meeting this academic school year.

2. Do you know what the PTA is and does at our school?

-I know what the PTA does, but not exactly sure what the goals are for our campus.

3. Shirley Igo, the former PTA president claims, "Now more than ever, PTA has to be an organization that not only welcomes, but also embraces diversity." Do you feel this is true of the PTA at our school?

-Too hard to tell at the one PTA meeting I attended. It appeared more like a committee meeting.

4. What would you like to see happen with the PTA at our school?

-I would like to see the PTA be the bridge organization for the school administrators, teachers, and parents. I think it is very important that the parent community come together on a regular basis to meet and discuss the school. It appears that other school events seem to take the place of the PTA, which makes the PTA seem less relevant. Perhaps some of these events could be coordinated as co-PTA events so that there is much greater participation. During community dinners, perhaps the parents could eat separately from the students so that they can meet. Most of the communication I receive from the PTA centers on fundraising, and I am unclear on what its purpose is. I would like a forum where I could talk to the teachers and administrators about the school and things going on in the school.

**I feel that this parent has captured the essence of our vision for the role of the PTA organization in a school. We want to see an increase in parents and teachers in the PTA so that they begin a dialogue about ways to enrich the multicultural education in the school.**

Interview with PTA Vice President

I met with the PTA Vice President at my school this week. She was SO excited to talk with me about ways to improve PTA membership and attendance at PTA events. She had even prepared by giving me an article called "Building Partnerships with Families of All Cultures" which simply states the benefits of family involvement and tips for involving families in their child's education.

Some of her ideas:
*Breakfast meetings with parents and teachers
*Invite parents into the classroom to share a talent or a skill they may have
*Have "family day" either for your classroom or school. Invite parents to bring a favorite dish to share.
*Tie into existing school events--training on how to use the online portal to view student grades
*Have a Dance/Family night to involve students and parents
*Invite parents to come to existing events like Field Day to volunteer
*Create t-shirts with class "goals" on the back--so parents can see the type of goals the school has for their child

We talked about how families are essential to developing multi-cultural education she really had a great point---how can we expect kids to be comfortable in their schools and classrooms if their parents aren't even comfortable coming into the school and interacting with staff? She made the point that the family/school relationship is very necessary for children to also feel comfortable.

Devil's Advocate

I interviewed someone I know who works as an educational consultant. He has written books on the state of education in the United States and calls for a new way of educating our youth--with an emphasis on critical thinking. I showed him the link to our blog and asked him to tell me what he thought about the issue.

“PTA general sessions can suffer from certain of shortcomings if not handled right – for instance:

· Rushing by the teacher, who wants to dispatch the session, because he/she is either too busy or is uncomfortable facing parents

· Parents who raise a topic of very narrow interest (even “rathole” the conversation about their kid in particular) during a session of common interest

· Superficial feedback by teachers so preoccupied with child’s self-esteem that educational outcomes are glossed over

In that context, one-on-one parental sessions can be far more specific, and address multiculturalism if parents are exposed to how their child reacts to others’ points of views and behaviors, and is tuned to the misconceptions and biases that the parents themselves bring about. It will thus help parents to understand that their attitudes/behaviors/values get imprinted on their children, unconsciously not just deliberately.”

Interesting to see how PTA meetings may be a way to open the door to communication with parents, but one-on-one meetings are still one of the best ways to gain information about students and their families.

Safety Concerns

This parent would like to see the PTA help enforce policies at school that ensure all students' safety.

"I have only attended one PTA meeting at this school--so I am not very informed on what the PTA does. I have not attended enough meetings to know if our PTA embraces diversity."

In response to "What would you like to see in the PTA at our school?" She responded:

"As a parent that has had several safety issues at this school, I would like for them to try to reinforce the importance of the staff following all rules when it comes to releasing our kids as far ask asking for ID and verifying that they person is who they say they are."