What Have I Done? Surviving Your First Few Months as PTA President

Last year’s PTA president said it was an easy job, just run a few meetings, so you said yes and got elected. But now they’ve dropped off this big box of PTA files and sped away like they had robbed a bank, and maybe you’re beginning to wonder what you’ve gotten yourself in for. Don’t … Continue reading What Have I Done? Surviving Your First Few Months as PTA President

Improving School-Family Communication and Engagement

One of the key focuses of effective family engagement is communication, so important that communicating effectively is the second of National PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. The University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research has just released a research brief on the lessons learned during remote schooling about how to improve school-family communication. The … Continue reading Improving School-Family Communication and Engagement

Building Meaningful Family Engagement At Your School

Illinois PTA has focused on creating meaningful family engagement for years, as truly engaged families can make a significant difference in student success. National PTA recognizes its importance, too, having launched The Center for Family Engagement four years ago. Now, a new report from our friends at Learning Heroes further supports what PTA has been … Continue reading Building Meaningful Family Engagement At Your School

Introducing the Family STEAM Book

The Illinois PTA Local Unit Advocacy Toolkit wasn’t the only thing making its debut at the Illinois PTA Convention and Advocacy Conference. Illinois PTA also released the Family STEAM Book, a collection of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) activities for K-5 students that families can do at home or PTAs can use for … Continue reading Introducing the Family STEAM Book

Programs for Healthy Kids

Illinois PTA has long been a fan of Action for Healthy Kids, and recently, they updated their website and resources, including translating many of the resources into Spanish. If your PTA is looking for program ideas, the updated website has plenty for you. The resources are now split into three areas: NourishEd (hunger and nutrition)EnergizEd … Continue reading Programs for Healthy Kids

What PTAs Need to Kow About the Illinois PTA Proposed Dues Increase

The Illinois PTA State Board of Directors has proposed a $0.75 dues increase starting July 1, 2022. Delegates to the Illinois PTA Convention in Springfield on March 29-30, 2022 will vote on the proposal as part of the business of convention. Here’s what PTAs need to know about the proposed dues increase. Why a Dues … Continue reading What PTAs Need to Kow About the Illinois PTA Proposed Dues Increase

9 Family Engagement Strategies for Middle School PTAs

Family engagement is a lot easier at the elementary school level: kids want their parents around and events and programs are easy to come by. That changes with middle school and children beginning to assert their independence. As Illinois PTA has pointed out in the past, middle school PTAs can find success by focusing more … Continue reading 9 Family Engagement Strategies for Middle School PTAs

Bullying Prevention Resources for Your PTA

The recent suicide of a 10-year-old autistic black student in Utah, along with reports that school officials did not act when alerted to the repeated bullying the child endured, has brought bullying back into the spotlight. If your PTA is interested in hosting a bullying prevention event or looking for materials to share with families, … Continue reading Bullying Prevention Resources for Your PTA

Reach for the Stars with Our New Membership Recognition Program!

Illinois PTA has a new membership recognition program to honor PTAs, PTA Councils, and Regions that grow and support PTA membership. The tiered program will recognize membership growth not just in the 2021-2022 school year, but is also structured for PTAs to build on their success year after year. Rewards Recognition will be awarded based … Continue reading Reach for the Stars with Our New Membership Recognition Program!