While we generally focus on resources from National PTA and Illinois PTA here on One Voice Illinois (it is the Illinois PTA blog, after all), we have occasionally highlighted resources from other state PTAs. While other states might have laws or requirements that are different from those here in Illinois, many PTA resources on leadership, … Continue reading Get Some Extra Credit from Texas PTA
Understanding TIFs
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts have long been opposed by Illinois PTA, with our legislation platform supporting changes to the TIF law since 2009. But Illinois PTA has not made making changes to the TIF law an advocacy priority in the past for a variety of reasons: There hasn’t been any significant legislation in the … Continue reading Understanding TIFs
Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Illinois PTA Convention
The 2023 Illinois PTA Convention is coming up on Thursday, April 20 (7pm-9pm) and Saturday, April 22 (9am-2pm). Here are the top five reasons you should attend. It’s online. No need to travel, and if you don’t turn on your camera, no one will know you’re having a bad hair day. Plus, it’s only $15.00/person … Continue reading Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Illinois PTA Convention
Social Media and Teen Brains
Last week, Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the role that social media plays in children’s mental health. His 22-page testimony is incredibly informative, and National Public Radio (NPR) has ten key points that families should know. Read the full article for … Continue reading Social Media and Teen Brains
Plan Now for Screen-Free Week 2023
Screen-Free Week this year is May 1-7, 2023. The week is planned to give children and families time to do things together, play, go outside, and engage in other activities rather than staring at a screen. Your PTA can offer programs during Screen-Free Week to give families an activity-filled night during the week. The Screen-Free … Continue reading Plan Now for Screen-Free Week 2023
Spreading Some Love on Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, Illinois PTA would like to spread a little love around. We love our local PTAs and PTA Councils. You all are where so much of what PTA is happens, and we couldn’t do this without all of you. We love being on this journey with all of you by our side. We … Continue reading Spreading Some Love on Valentine’s Day
Take Your Family to School Week 2023
National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week is designed to help families become more engaged in their child’s education and foster connections between families, teachers, and administrators. Take Your Family to School Week is held the week of PTA’s founding on February 17, 1897. This year, Take Your Family to School Week will be … Continue reading Take Your Family to School Week 2023
What You Need to Know About the Proposed Illinois PTA Dues Increase
The Illinois PTA State Board of Directors has proposed a $0.50 dues increase starting July 1, 2023. Delegates to the Illinois PTA Convention will vote on the proposal as part of the business of convention on April 20, 2023. Here’s what PTAs need to know about the proposed dues increase. Why a Dues Increase? The … Continue reading What You Need to Know About the Proposed Illinois PTA Dues Increase
Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
Last week, our country celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amid all the social media posts mentioning the I Have a Dream speech and sharing other memorable quotes, we can lose sight of the challenge Dr. King put before everyone to do the hard work for peace and justice every day, … Continue reading Living Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy
5 Keys to Running a Successful Nominating Committee
Many PTAs elect their nominating committee at their January general membership meeting. Electing the nominating committee is one of items that must be done at a general membership meeting (along with accepting the audit report, adopting and amending the budget, adopting the bylaws, and electing officers). If you’ve just been elected to your PTA’s nominating … Continue reading 5 Keys to Running a Successful Nominating Committee
Tweaking Your PTA’s Course in the New Year
New Year’s is a time of fresh starts for a lot of people, but for PTAs, it’s the middle of the year. Your PTA doesn’t need a fresh start, but perhaps you could use a few minor “course corrections.” Here are three such changes your PTA should be considering now. Membership Your PTA got off … Continue reading Tweaking Your PTA’s Course in the New Year
Improve Your PTA’s Family Engagement in the New Year
Family engagement is critical to student success, and it plays a big role in your PTA’s success as well. National PTA has rolled out several new resources to help your PTA step up its family engagement efforts. National PTA recently released the latest update of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Accompanying the release was … Continue reading Improve Your PTA’s Family Engagement in the New Year
10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Tutor
As kids have headed back to the classroom from remote learning during the pandemic, it has become clear that many students have not been able to keep up with their grade level. Some school districts around the country are helping kids get back on track with extra tutoring, and some families are choosing to do … Continue reading 10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Tutor
An SEL Primer for PTAs
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been in the news a lot the past year, often criticized alongside Critical Race Theory (CRT). And like CRT, SEL is often misrepresented by those critics in terms of what it actually is. Should SEL become an issue in your school district’s school board elections in the spring, here is … Continue reading An SEL Primer for PTAs
PTAs and Contracts
Every year, PTAs enter into a variety of contracts. Whether it is a contract with a fundraising company for a fundraiser, with a bounce house supplier for a fun fair, or a local artist to conduct a workshop at a PTA event, the PTA is entering into a legal agreement and needs to be aware … Continue reading PTAs and Contracts
The New Update of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships were groundbreaking when they were first debuted. That families should be included in the conversations around their children’s education sounds like common sense today, but 20 years ago, the idea that families and schools should work together for student success was a novel idea. Now, National PTA has released … Continue reading The New Update of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
How the Illinois Report Card Can Help Your PTA or PTA Council
The Illinois Report Card, a comprehensive look at all public schools in Illinois, comes out every year near the end of October. This year’s report card shows a record high school graduation rate (led primarily by increases for students of color), student growth outperforming pre-pandemic levels, and Illinois’s teacher workforce defying national trends by adding … Continue reading How the Illinois Report Card Can Help Your PTA or PTA Council
Get Ready to Advocate
PTAs do a lot for kids, from providing programs to support learning, to engaging families in their children’s education, to raising funds to support their work and improve the lives of children. But PTAs make their biggest difference when they advocate, because through advocacy, PTAs affect the lives not just of the children who show … Continue reading Get Ready to Advocate
Support Your Families with PTA Programs
As more and more data comes in, it is increasingly clear that many students fell behind during the first year of the pandemic. One way to help students begin to catch up academically is through out-of-school learning opportunities. A recent report by Bellwether shows that families often find barriers to participation in these learning opportunities. … Continue reading Support Your Families with PTA Programs
6 Ways to Make Homework Time Productive
Regardless of your child’s age, they will have homework at some point during the school year. Whether it is finishing work from the school day, handling worksheets assigned to do at home, or tackling a big project that can’t be done in a single night, learning to make homework time productive is an essential skill … Continue reading 6 Ways to Make Homework Time Productive
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