Working to Engage Parents in Education

Over the past two decades there has been a growing awareness of the importance of parental involvement in education. The new No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation promotes parent participation in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most significant change is an increase in the number of ways in which parents may, under certain conditions, choose the public school their child will attend. NCLB also requires schools to provide information to parents about the educational backgrounds of each of their children's teachers. Because of these requirements in the NCLB legislation, school districts and educators are looking for innovative methods to expand parental involvement programs and provide parents with the information required under NCLB.

Parents are also searching for ways to become more engaged in the educational process. One result is the expansion of existing school-parent organizations and the creation of new parent groups with an educational focus. However, it may be confusing for busy parents with limited time available for volunteer efforts to decide which group or organization may be the most helpful in addressing their educational concerns.

Organizations such as the National PTA have a long history of supporting parent-teacher partnerships at the local and national level. In 1997 the PTA released Standards for Parental Involvement. The standards have been adopted by many schools and organizations across the country. Increased efforts from traditional parent-school organizations and emerging parent or citizen groups are developing parent involvement strategies to address a host of concerns about educational quality. The following article provides more information about both the traditional and new parent organizations that focus on educational growth and development.

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) started in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers (NCM). It brought together educational and philanthropic leaders to advocate improvements in education and public health and the formation of a juvenile court system that would not prosecute and incarcerate children as adults. By the early 1900s, NCM had expanded to include fathers and teachers. In 1924 NCM also started its own child welfare publication and adopted a new name, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. The organization later became known as the National PTA. Currently the PTA may be the most widely recognized organization, at the local, state, and national levels, engaged in activities to encourage parents and teachers to collaborate to improve public education and child welfare.

In some communities, the PTA (or PTSA for Parent Teacher Student Association) supports the local school district and its teachers and advocates for educational change within the community. In other communities, the PTA may be identified with a monthly "mothers' meeting" and school fundraisers. The nature of the local PTA group varies depending on the goals of the local leadership and the national organization.

In recent years, some parents have become frustrated with their local PTA when the group has focused primarily on tasks such as fundraising for school projects or for activities that the parents believed had little relevance to improving educational outcomes in the community. It is important for concerned parents to remember that the local PTAs are part of a national organization. National PTA is available to provide technical assistance to local organizations to get the organization "back on track" with the goals of improving education and child welfare. Contact the National PTA for more information at the following address:

National PTA
330 N. Wabash Ave.
Suite 2100
Chicago, IL 60611
Telephone: 312-670-6782
Toll-free: 800-307-4PTA (4782)
Fax: 312-670-6783
Internet: http://www.pta.org

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a generic term that encompasses many other parent-teacher groups that choose to remain independent of the PTA. Often they are single-school groups that are concerned primarily with issues relevant to their own schools and communities. They are often not interested in the national lobbying efforts of the National PTA. The PTO provides a variety of supports and services at an expense that may be additional to the group membership rate. PTO, Inc., has a Web site with resources and information, including tips for starting your own "family night." The National PTO Network is a new initiative sponsored by PTO, Inc., and outlines how groups can purchase a number of additional benefits, including in-depth guidebooks, trade show/sharing opportunities, and group insurance packages. Groups that have opted to affiliate with the national PTO often do so because of disagreements they have with the National PTA's lobbying agenda and to keep all of their membership dues in the local community. Contact PTO, Inc., for more information at the following address:

PTO, Inc.
200 Stonewall Blvd.
Suite 6A
Wrentham, MA 02093
Telephone: 508-384-0394
Toll-free: 800-644-3561

Some volunteer and parent groups are not affiliated with the PTA or PTO, but they have a membership base and focus on education issues. Some of these newer organizations have been created by parents who believe that their children have been disenfranchised from the educational process. Other parents have created their own organizations in order to focus on a few local child welfare or education concerns. Sometimes these local advocacy groups disband after a problem has been resolved or when the energetic leadership leaves the group. For example, Fred Millar, an activist in a Washington, DC-area parent group called Concerned Parents of Arlington, said that the group originally started in the early 1990s to address concerns about equal opportunity for Black children in the Arlington, Virginia, area. Millar said that the group has been a catalyst for school improvement, and he believes that now, given current educational needs in the Arlington area, parent volunteer efforts may be better used by starting a new group called Parents' Right to Know. The new group would insure that parents have access to information about Arlington schools that may affect their child's academic success, including their school's policies, climate, and academic performance when compared to other schools (personal communication, Fred Millar, November 19, 2002). Another example is the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), which focuses on educational opportunities for Black students. This group found broad interest beyond the local level in its goals and plans to expand to a regional or national level (http://www.baeo.org).

Volunteer school-parent groups serve not only as helpful resources for information related to NCLB but also as ongoing support systems for local schools, children, and families. Many groups expand their services to provide school supplies, clothing, or food for needy children and their families.

Other examples of volunteer parent groups that are not affiliated with the PTA or PTO include the following:

The Asian American Parent Association (AAPA) was formed in 1991 by group of concerned parents. AAPA works primarily with California's Cupertino and Fremont school districts to increase opportunities for children of Asian descent. The group has four initiatives: establishing dialog between the two districts, developing parent awareness programs, promoting student training and leadership, and encouraging community involvement. Contact AAPA for more information at the following address:

AAPA
P.O. Box 700663
San Jose, CA 95170-0663
Email: info@aapa.net
Internet: http://aapa.net/

The ASPIRA Association promotes the empowerment of the Puerto Rican and Latino community by developing and nurturing the leadership, intellectual, and cultural potential of its youth so that they may fully contribute their skills and dedication. The ASPIRA Parents for Educational Excellence program was developed to train parents to become more effective educational advocates for their children. Contact ASPIRA for more information at the following address:

ASPIRA
1444 Eye St., NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202-835-3600
Fax: 202-835-3613
Email: info@aspira.org
Internet: http://www.aspira.org

The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) is a national, nonpartisan member organization whose mission is to actively support parental choice, empower families, and increase educational options for Black children. It was formed in 2000 following a symposium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about educational opportunities for Black children. BAEO has quickly grown to national recognition and recently received a grant from the federal government to aid in the dissemination of information related to NCLB and reaching Black families. Contact BAEO for more information at the following address:

Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)
501 C St., NE
Suite 3
Washington, DC 20002
Telephone: 202-544-9870
Fax: 202-544-7680
Internet: http://www.baeo.org

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 by a multiracial group of activists. The NAACP has worked at both the national and local levels to support social justice and equal opportunities for people of color for almost a century. The education department strives to empower local communities while focusing on three primary goals: preventing racial discrimination in educational programs and services, advancing educational excellence, and promoting an equal opportunity education agenda. Contact NAACP for more information at the following address:

NAACP
4805 Mt. Hope Dr.
Baltimore, MD 21215
Toll-free: 877-NAACP-98
Internet: http://www.naacp.org/work/education/education.shtml

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) was established in 1968 to help reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. NCLR works toward this goal by supporting organizations that serve Hispanic communities and by applying a Hispanic perspective in research, policy, and advocacy. NCLR's work in education is carried out at a policy and programmatic level, and NCLR has recently been mobilizing support for the development of more charter schools that focus on education for Latinos. Contact NCLR for more information at the following address:

National Council of La Raza
1111 19th St., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: 202-785-1670
Internet: http://www.nclr.org/

The PACER Center was founded in 1977 by parents of children with disabilities for the purpose of helping parents and families facing similar challenges. Today the PACER Center philosophy is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with disabilities and their families based on the concept of parents helping parents. The PACER Center uses programs such as Parents Helping Parents, the Early Childhood Project, and the American Indian Parent Network. Contact the PACER Center for more information at the following address:

PACER Center
8161 Normandale Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55437
Telephone: 952-838-9000
TTY: 952-838-0190
Email: pacer@pacer.org
Internet: http://www.pacer.org

For More Information

Starting a Parent Volunteer Group in Your School
http://www.kde.state.ky.us/comm/pubinfo/parents/docs/volgroup.asp
[NPIN Editor's note (6-17-03): This url is no longer active]

Developing an Action Team
http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/certification/actionteam.asp

New Year's Involvement Resolutions
http://www.ptotoday.com/0801involvement.html

Self-Help/Support Groups: What They Are, Benefits to Parents and Family, How to Join One, How to Start One
http://npin.org/pnews/1999/pnew399/spot399.html

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