Last year, Illinois passed a law requiring the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to develop a comprehensive state literacy plan. The plan was developed through the summer and fall of last year before being adopted in January. ISBE now has resources available to help you and your PTA or PTA Council both understand and … Continue reading Your Guide to Transforming Literacy in Illinois
3 Steps to Take If Your PTA Can’t Fill an Officer Position
It’s PTA election season, but what does your PTA do when your nominating committee can’t find someone to run for an office? Here are three steps to take. Start with your bylaws. Your PTA bylaws spell out how electing officers takes place. They spell out how long a term is and how many terms a … Continue reading 3 Steps to Take If Your PTA Can’t Fill an Officer Position
May is Mental Health Month
Mental Health America has been supporting mental health since creating Mental Health Month in 1949. This year’s theme is Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World, and they have created a free toolkit full of resources you can use to educate, support, and advocate for mental health in your community. The chaos of … Continue reading May is Mental Health Month
Get Ready for Teacher Appreciation Week
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 6-10, and National PTA has resources you can share with your members and use as a PTA to send the message that “Teachers Are Shining Stars!” National PTA’s Thank a Teacher toolkit has everything you need as a PTA to celebrate your school’s teachers. In the toolkit, you’ll … Continue reading Get Ready for Teacher Appreciation Week
Accommodating Special Needs at Your PTA Events
We’ve often said that one of the best things about being a PTA versus other parent organizations is that you are never alone in this. Not only do you have resources from Illinois PTA and National PTA, but other state PTAs as well. Late last year, we published an article on ways your PTA could … Continue reading Accommodating Special Needs at Your PTA Events
Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
Today’s guest post comes from Madeline Bennett, MS, the Food System and Nutrition Policy Analyst at Balanced, which is part of the Plant-Based School Lunch Collaborative. She advocates at the federal level for regulatory and legislative initiatives that improve school nutrition for all. Today, she shares how families can access plant-based school meals made available … Continue reading Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
We’ve highlighted the programs in PTA Connected from National PTA before. Now, in partnership with AT&T, National PTA has a new PTA Connected program called Ready, Tech, Go! The program is aimed at families trying to decide when their child is ready for technology of their own, known as screen readiness. As with all the … Continue reading New National PTA Connected Program Ready, Tech, Go!
How to Safely Watch the 2024 Solar Eclipse
Just under seven years ago, a total solar eclipse crossed over southern Illinois. Now, on Monday, April 8, 2024, another total solar eclipse will pass over southern Illinois. Unlike the 2017 eclipse that moved northwest to southeast, the 2024 eclipse will move from southwest to northeast, bringing the path of totality closer to northern Illinois. … Continue reading How to Safely Watch the 2024 Solar Eclipse
March is National Reading Month
March is National Reading Month in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd. Reading is the foundation of student success, and developing a love of reading can unlock a world of adventures to last a lifetime. Your PTA can help families support children’s literacy and love of reading by hosting a Family Reading Experience … Continue reading March is National Reading Month
5 Nominating Committee Problems (and How to Fix Them)
The nominating committee is an essential part of a successful PTA. The committee’s charge is to slate one person for each officer position at least 30 days before the election. However, nominating committees often run into problems in completing this seemingly simple task. Here are five problems that nominating committees most commonly have and how … Continue reading 5 Nominating Committee Problems (and How to Fix Them)
National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships Video Series
National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships are the basis for effective family engagement. And effective family engagement is critical to student success, as a recent study demonstrated that schools with better family engagement practices had students that did better after returning to school from remote learning during the pandemic. National PTA has recently released a … Continue reading National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships Video Series
White House Takes Action on Safe Gun Storage
Illinois PTA adopted a resolution on Safe Gun Storage at the 2021 convention. A slightly-modified version of that resolution was submitted jointly by Illinois PTA and Michigan PTA and was adopted at the 2023 National PTA Convention. Last month, President Biden signed an executive order implementing several actions to promote safe gun storage in order … Continue reading White House Takes Action on Safe Gun Storage
Busting 5 PTA Membership Myths
Membership is one of the basic parts of PTA, but there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about it. Here are five common PTA membership myths busted. Myth #1: Membership campaigns are only at the start of the school year. Busted: Sure, most of your members will join PTA at the start of the … Continue reading Busting 5 PTA Membership Myths
Show Your PTA Volunteers Some Love This Valentine’s Day
PTA runs on volunteers, from the person helping out at the book fair all the way up to the National PTA President. One way to build your PTA’s volunteer base and strengthen your PTA as a whole is to support your volunteers. Here are some ways you and your PTA can make sure your volunteers … Continue reading Show Your PTA Volunteers Some Love This Valentine’s Day
Helping Your Kid Make Decisions
Our children are born needing us to make every decision for them, and by the time they leave home, we hope that they are able to make all their decisions themselves (maybe with some occasional asked-for advice from Mom and Dad). Moving them along that path is often a challenge for parents. The Child Mind … Continue reading Helping Your Kid Make Decisions
Family Engagement and the Pandemic
As PTAs, family engagement is fundamental. Recent research from our friends at Learning Heroes uncovered yet another way that family engagement has made a difference in student success. Data has shown that the disruptions to schools from the pandemic had an effect on student performance. The study, the first of three on the topic, looks … Continue reading Family Engagement and the Pandemic
Time for Take Your Family to School Week
National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week is February 11-17, 2024. The week celebrates the founding of PTA on February 17, 1987 and is designed to engage families in their children’s schools and build partnerships with teachers and administrators. The time to start planning how your PTA will celebrate Take Your Family to School … Continue reading Time for Take Your Family to School Week
New Report on Gun Death in Illinois
In 2021, Illinois PTA Convention delegates adopted a resolution on safe gun storage. Since then, we have advocated for safe gun storage laws in Illinois and educated members on firearms issues. A new report by One Aim Illinois called Gun Death in Illinois looks at the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) … Continue reading New Report on Gun Death in Illinois
Learning New Ways to PTA
National PTA has been using PTA as a verb for a couple of years now, emphasizing the idea that PTA is taking action for your child’s and every child’s success. National PTA has also been sharing reports on how grant recipients and other PTAs have been implementing the PTA mission through programs and other activities. … Continue reading Learning New Ways to PTA
How to Work with Your Child’s Teacher
With the winter break from school coming up, the school year is at a rough halfway point. It’s a good time to assess how your child is doing and to work with your child’s teacher regarding areas where your child is struggling. The Child Mind Institute has recently updated an article on how to work … Continue reading How to Work with Your Child’s Teacher
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