Last spring as the pandemic began to spread and schools shut down, how school districts communicated their plans with families was critical. National PTA partnered with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to investigate how schools engaged families and teachers in both school closing and reopening plans and to see what lessons could be learned … Continue reading Creating Meaningful Engagement Between Schools, Teachers, and Families
7 Tips for Effective PTA Social Media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools a PTA can use to spread its message, but only if it is used effectively. Creating an effective social media presence for your PTA can help you gain members, recruit volunteers, and promote your PTA to potential partners and sponsors. Here are 7 tips to help … Continue reading 7 Tips for Effective PTA Social Media
How Do You Tell Your PTA’s Story?
At this year’s National PTA Convention, Illinois PTA President Brian Minsker was speaking with PTA members from Tennessee about their efforts in raising the age for juvenile courts there. He shared the Illinois PTA report on Young Adults Involved in the Justice Systemwith them. One of them asked him to join their PTA, which he … Continue reading How Do You Tell Your PTA’s Story?
Learning to Say No
Saying no ought to be pretty easy. As parents, we tell our kids no all the time. But as PTA volunteers, chances are you have trouble saying no when someone asks you to do something. At a PTA training, the trainer asked the group what was the one characteristic that linked everyone at the training. … Continue reading Learning to Say No
New Resources from National PTA
One of the advantages of being a PTA is having both a state and a national organization to help provide resources and tools to make your job as a PTA leader easier. National PTA has recently released two new resources to help you recruit new membersand to show your appreciation to teachers. New Membership Resources … Continue reading New Resources from National PTA
Thanking Your Volunteers
The holidays are a time for reflection and gratitude. It’s also the midpoint of the school year, which makes it a good time as a PTA leader to take a bit of time to think about what you’ve accomplished so far and what lies ahead. A good part of your PTA’s success depends on your … Continue reading Thanking Your Volunteers
Top 10 Tips for Middle School PTA Success
Middle school is different from elementary school for kids—they’re changing classrooms, managing a locker, and meeting new people from other elementary schools. It’s different for parents as well. New activities like band or sports may pull parents who have been involved in PTA at the elementary level away at the middle school level. Here are … Continue reading Top 10 Tips for Middle School PTA Success
ISBE Unveils New Friendlier Website
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provides a wealth of information for families, teachers, administrators, and community members on their website. However, finding the information you were looking for used to involve navigating an extremely complicated series of menus and links, backing up from dead ends, and sometimes futile searches. However, right before the … Continue reading ISBE Unveils New Friendlier Website
4 New Year’s Resolutions for PTA Leaders
The start of a new calendar year is about the midpoint of the PTA year. Your PTA may have been less active during the holiday season when so many other events are going on at school and in life. Now that the new year is beginning, it is a good time to reflect on what … Continue reading 4 New Year’s Resolutions for PTA Leaders
Illinois PTA Clarifies Position on Chartering Scout Units
The Illinois PTA does not allow PTAs to charter Scouting units, including Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Venturing Crews. This has been a PTA position since 1990. The reasons for this prohibition are as follows. PTA insurance specifically excludes Scouting units. This means that your PTA’s insurance will not cover any Scouting-related claims … Continue reading Illinois PTA Clarifies Position on Chartering Scout Units
Moving Beyond “How Was School Today?”
It’s a practically a ritual in most households, “How was school today?” While your kindergartner might share a lot in answering that question, as they get older, as teacher communication gets rarer, and as more things happen at school that we need to know about, the answer tends to get shorter—much shorter—“Fine.” Elena Aguilar, a … Continue reading Moving Beyond “How Was School Today?”
4 Things Not to Do When Dealing with an Angry Volunteer
From the National PTA president down to the local unit, PTA is a volunteer association. PTA can’t do what it does without volunteers, and Illinois PTA has shared information on: Getting more volunteers Overcoming objections Making the most of your volunteers Recognizing your volunteers Most of the time, PTA volunteers are happy to share their … Continue reading 4 Things Not to Do When Dealing with an Angry Volunteer
Strikes and PTA
While K-12 education has been funded by the state throughout the ongoing budget crisis, uncertainty over future funding levels and potential changes to the school funding formula have made it difficult for school districts to plan their future spending. This uncertainty has made negotiating new contracts more difficult for districts. As a result, unions are … Continue reading Strikes and PTA
Illinois PTA Launches PTA Essentials Video Series
Illinois PTA offers free training, both in person and online, but realizes that not everyone’s schedule aligns with training opportunities. Today, Illinois PTA launches its PTA Essentials video series with two financial help videos on its YouTube channel: Handling PTA Funds The PTA Audit PTA Essentials is a series of short videos that provide critical … Continue reading Illinois PTA Launches PTA Essentials Video Series
Turn Your PTA into a Social Media Powerhouse
Social media is the place for PTAs and other organizations to engage their members. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or some other platform, social media lets PTAs keep their members informed about events, share information, and connect in ways that printed newsletters in backpacks never could. Now, Skills Platform and several nonprofit social media … Continue reading Turn Your PTA into a Social Media Powerhouse
New PTA Election Guides Help PTA’s One Voice Be Heard—Add Yours
Election Day is November 8th, and given the state’s budget crisis, your school district may have a referendum on the ballot. Your PTA may also want to ask candidates about their positions on education or other issues affecting children. Illinois PTA has covered the do’s and don’ts of elections for PTAs, and now National PTA … Continue reading New PTA Election Guides Help PTA’s One Voice Be Heard—Add Yours
Master the Art of the PTA Meeting
We’ve all attended them—PTA meetings that seem to drag on forever, don’t get anything done, and leave you dreading the next meeting. Poorly-run meetings can drive away potential PTA volunteers and leaders. If you’re a new PTA president, or even an experienced one, here are some tips to help you master the art of the … Continue reading Master the Art of the PTA Meeting
News from National Convention—Partnering with Educators and School Administrators
One critical component of running a successful PTA is working well with the teachers and administrators in your school building. A workshop at the 2016 National PTA Convention in Orlando focused on what those teachers and administrators want when working with their PTA. The panel discussion was moderated by Deb Strauss, National PTA Vice President … Continue reading News from National Convention—Partnering with Educators and School Administrators
Create a Welcome Packet to Bring New Families into Your PTA
As the school year comes to a close, many PTA leaders look forward to an opportunity to put their feet up and relax until school starts in the fall. However, there is one thing that PTA leaders should be planning now to make their PTA more successful in the coming year—planning on how to welcome … Continue reading Create a Welcome Packet to Bring New Families into Your PTA
News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Membership Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement
Illinois PTA understands there are challenges to PTAs in recruiting and retaining members. We believe we can best address these challenges by communicating with you, the local unit members, in finding out what works for your PTA and what doesn’t. Through online conference events and convention networking workshops, we have discovered some of the challenges … Continue reading News from the Illinois PTA Convention—Membership Recruitment, Retention, and Engagement
One Voice Illinois 