October is College Changes Everything Month

Today’s guest post comes from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), highlighting College Changes Everything Month in October, new changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and expanded financial aid eligibility for some students. High school PTAs and PTSAs can work with school guidance counselors to host FAFSA completion nights. October is … Continue reading October is College Changes Everything Month

6 Steps to Rebuild Your PTA’s Leadership

When schools closed in the spring of 2020 to fight the spread of COVID-19, many PTAs ran into difficulties. Closed schools meant shifting to virtual PTA meetings, and PTAs with spring officer elections often struggled with running virtual elections. When school started back up in the fall of 2020, many schools were still online-only or … Continue reading 6 Steps to Rebuild Your PTA’s Leadership

Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Illinois PTA has highlighted Safe2Help Illinois when it was first announced in 2020 and covered the new 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline (an alternative to the 800 number) in our Weekend Update newsletter. As part of its efforts for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute is sharing … Continue reading Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Team Up for Your Student’s Success

We’re big fans of Learning Heroes at Illinois PTA, not only for their fantastic family resources, but also for their enlightening research and commitment to meaningful family engagement. As the school year kicks off, Learning Heroes has launched their Ready to Team Up resources for families to help them partner with their child’s teacher for … Continue reading Team Up for Your Student’s Success

Parents 2022: Hidden in Plain Sight

Today’s guest post comes from Learning Heroes. We’ve highlighted their research and resources many times in the past. Their latest report, Parents 2022: Hidden in Plain Sight—A Way Forward for Equity-Centered Family Engagement, illustrates the opportunities for PTAs and schools to make significant progress on student success through meaningful family engagement. You can find the … Continue reading Parents 2022: Hidden in Plain Sight

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

PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 37.2 million people in the US lived in food-insecure households in 2018. The pandemic has served to highlight how many families are struggling with food insecurity and hunger. In 2020, National PTA created a four-part webinar series designed to engage PTAs and families on food insecurity and … Continue reading PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger