PTA In the U.S., PTAs are part of the
National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA), a non-profit organization based in
Alexandria, Virginia. Most public and private
elementary and
middle schools have either a PTA (public schools only), a
parent–teacher organization (PTO), or an equivalent local organization. These organizations also exist, although less frequently, at
high schools and
preschools. Every person who joins a local PTA automatically becomes a member of both the state's PTA and National PTA. PTA membership – including the number of affiliated units and of individual members – has been declining for several decades. Today, there are 54 PTA congresses: U.S. states, the
District of Columbia, the
U.S. Virgin Islands,
Puerto Rico and Europe (military families, through the
U.S. Department of Defense). There are 23,000 local organizations recognized by the National PTA in the United States.
Programs • The
Reflections Arts in Education Program is a preschool-12th grade national art contest program, often featuring school-wide displays at schools with PTAs. It was founded in 1969 by
Mary Lou Anderson.
Early history The National Parent Teacher Association was founded on 17 February 1897, in Washington, D.C., as the
National Congress of Mothers by
Alice McLellan Birney and
Phoebe Apperson Hearst at a meeting of over 2,000 parents, teachers, workers, and legislators. In 1908, the organization changed its name to the
National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Associations.. • In 1910, charter and board member, Mary Grinnell Mears, moved that "Founders Day be observed every February 17th of the year…" • In 1925, the association adopted the name the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. • In 1926, National PTA President Mrs. A. H. Reeve helped set up the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers to function in the District of Columbia and states where separate schools for the races were maintained, so that African-American children might have PTA service. On 7 May, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers was formed. • In 1966, the National PTA registered the terms PTA and Parent-Teacher Association as service marks with the U.S. government. • In 1970, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers (National PTA) and the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT)—founded by
Selena Sloan Butler in Atlanta, Ga.—merged to serve all children.
Advocacy The
National Congress of Mothers, now known as the
National Parent Teacher Association, became a grassroots organization that influenced the local, state, and national levels. Pamphlets written on how to organize "parents' auxiliaries" in public schools and offer suggestions on formation and meeting were distributed. Collections of loaned materials on child-development and parenting skills were made available to parents. The PTA has helped institute countless changes, from the institution of school lunch and inoculation programs to the institution of child labor laws to the promotion of transportation safety, sex education, and tobacco and alcohol education. '''National PTA's Annual Public Policy''' National PTA's annual public policy agenda outlines policy priorities and recommendations for Congress. The priorities are selected based on the timeliness of issue, opportunities for National PTA to provide leadership and expertise to Congress, alignment to National PTA's mission and resolution and ability to achieve a meaningful policy change that will produce positive results for children and their families Examples include: • Creation of kindergarten classes •
Child labor laws • Public health service • Hot and healthy lunch programs •
Juvenile justice system • Mandatory immunization • Arts in Education • School Safety •
Special Education • Education Funding • Early Childhood Education • Elementary and Secondary Education • Child nutrition
Our Children magazine The first issue of National Parent Teacher Association's
Our Children magazine, then named
The National Congress of Mothers Magazine was printed in November 1906. The purpose of the magazine was to voice the National PTA's ambitions and to spread the word of its work and mission. The magazine's title was changed in December 1909 to
Child Welfare as this was the organization's main concern at the time. By the 1930s, the magazine then featured longer articles by leading experts in fields such as education, health and child welfare. Starting in September 1934, the magazine received another makeover where it was published in an oversized format and renamed as the National Parent-Teacher, "to more definitely associate the publication with the parent–teacher movement." More changes came in 1961 with another new name—
The PTA Magazine—under the editorial leadership of Eva Grant. She led the magazine to its period of widest influence and greatest circulation from 1939 to 1972. During that time, the magazine featured prominent regular contributors such as
J. Edgar Hoover and
Margaret Mead. In 1975, The PTA Magazine was replaced by PTA Today, publication that evolved from the former National PTA Bulletin and initially appeared in tabloid form for its first three years. Eventually,
PTA Today returned to a typical magazine format that was circulated mostly to local PTA units and kept them abreast of National PTA events and programs and provided parenting information. The final major makeover took place in September 1995 when it was made more colorful and became
Our Children in line with the founders' theme of the first convention that "All Children Are Our Children". In recent years,
Our Children was published bi-monthly, five times per year and distributed to local and state PTA presidents, state PTA board members, state office personnel and a limited number of paid subscribers. In fall 2015,
Our Children moved to a digital online format geared towards parents. It is now a monthly online publication, with one print edition distribution in the spring.
National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers The
National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers was founded by
Selena Sloan Butler in 1926. Butler's work began as a statewide association in Georgia, modeled closely after the all-white PTA. Just as the National Congress of Mothers, the NCCPT fought for equal opportunities for all students, regardless of race. The organization eventually grew large enough to put out a publication discussing their concerns and goals as an organization. A similar organization was founded specifically for colored parents in teachers in Topeka, Kansas, called the
Topeka Council of Colored Parents and Teachers (TCCPT), which fought the integration of schools following the
Brown v. Board of Education decision. Colored parents and teachers in Topeka fought for the right of equal opportunities not only for their students but also for teachers.
Parent teacher organization A
parent teacher organization (
PTO) is a formal organization that consists of parents, teachers, and school staff. The organization's goals may vary from organization to organization but the core goals include parent volunteerism, teacher and student encouragement, community involvement, and student and family welfare. It is not affiliated with the national Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) or Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA). The PTA is a national association of millions of members and thousands of local units that provides leadership training and staff support.
Goals and/or mission statement Individual organizations typically establish goals and/or a mission statement. Here is a sample PTO Mission Statement from the New Franklin School PTO:
for PTO board A PTO generally consists of a board. These members may include a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. They may also include various specialty positions, such as hospitality, or programs. The board typically governs the PTO by creating and voting on meeting dates, general meeting programs, etc.
PTO versus PTA A PTO is not the same as a parent–teacher association (PTA). They are similar in that both promote parent participation, but the PTA takes a more active role in developing programs, advocacy, and training. PTA operates at the school building, district, state and national levels and works on policy to better support children. Local PTA units set their own goals and missions, but they also join together to advocate and partner as a larger group. PTA is membership based and uses money from dues to offer staff support and grants and to develop national programs, such as their Reflections arts in education program and their Standards for Family-School Partnerships implementation guide. A PTO is unaffiliated, local and does not pay dues to a national umbrella organization.
Activities PTOs encourage parent, teacher, and community involvement by providing programs that facilitate various activities, including bicycle safety, drug awareness, energy conservation, reading programs, science programs, math programs, and pedestrian safety. PTO parents get involved by supporting their students, teachers and staff. Parents can volunteer to be room parents to assist with class parties or field trips. They can help set up at a carnival or health fair. They can help teachers and staff by making copies for the class. Teachers and staff may become involved by helping to plan events that encourage the education of the students. These may include workshops, tutoring or special family nights (math, science, reading). The students reap the benefits by the involvement and support of all the adults involved in the PTO. The PTO supports the educational goals of the school, thus extending those goals to the students.
Notable members •
Kate M. Ainey, member •
Saidie Orr Dunbar, Member •
Mary Hughes, Active •
Miriam Van Waters, active == See also ==