Why Don’t Parents Join PTAs Any More?

Parents attend Open House at the beginning of the year; The fall Parent/Teacher Conferences; Winter & Spring Concerts; and various sporting events throughout the year;

…yet when it comes to the one historical organization that is focused on overall education and school environments, the PTA seems to be the last group parents are standing up for these days. 

And don’t get hung up on the name – whether it’s PTA, PTO, a booster group or parent group, the overall attendance and memberships of these organizations seems to be declining.  There are a few strong ones out there, and fundraising always seems to be front and center in discussions at most meetings – yet the advocacy, sharing valuable business information and holding our district and state leaders accountable through these types of groups with strong membership seems to be lacking.  Yet, parents can have the strongest voice in educational discussions.

Is it just the economic times?  No – because volunteering at a school is a great way to support your child’s development, show all children by adults simply being there that education is important and at the same time build your resume between jobs opportunities or investigate different career paths.  Plus, it’s an easy effort that has amazing rewards and insight as to the world of children today.  So you would think that there would be more parents in schools – it’s not happening in the way it should.

Are parents too busy and stressed out to join?  May be but I think No – it’s putting down a little bit of money and adding your name to their membership list.  What YOU DO WITH IT after that, is up to you. You don’t necessarily have to show up all the time for meetings and fundraising requests, But by simply adding your name to a list, you show to the school, the district and our communities that parents are adding their clout and have a network, that if needed, can act.

As children and teens get older,  are parents no longer the primary influence on them?  No – parents and teachers working together, all be it, behind the scenes sometimes, can have a huge impact on a variety of children and young people.  Those they know and those they don’t, by standing up for education, strong community values and working together to solve problems.  At times there is so much emphasis on 0 to 5 yrs of age that the fact that it takes most children 18+ years to reach adulthood seems to fade away.  As a parent, I guide my child’s development until the day I die.  (I know my 92 year old grandmother still has influence over my dad at the age of 65+.)

Is there too much “bickering” in meetings and/or are the personalities too “annoying”?   Some might think that there is some truth in this one, but it is not any different than our working environments.  We all need to get along and to find the strengths in each other and work to the greater good – right, isn’t that what we try to tell our kids a lot of the time.  Yet, when parents have the opportunity to impact change, we don’t want to be bothered? 

Every year, new leaders, new mixes of parents, new classes and new administrative teams are formed in the district and in each school.  Every year is new and fresh.  And every year, new and different parents can lead a parent group, an educational discussion and/or classroom fundraiser.  Those personalities only stay in their positions because we let them. 

I don’t know what’s happened in past years with the “politics” of different PTA groups and frankly I’m looking forward at today’s leaders, their visions, their actions and building a better education system as quickly as possible in very challenging times.  I’ll use whatever resources I can find to improve our educational services for all kids.

So take up my challenge and join your local PTA / Parent group today and get educational advocacy on the forefront.  And it’s not too expensive – memberships run from about $5 to maybe $20 or more depending upon the parents’ focus.  It’s a cup of coffee, change collected for about a week from the car & couch seats and/or whatever comes out of pockets in the laundry.  What does it get you?  A growing voice in our children’s educational life, the ability to find like-minded parents and another way to try to stay informed as to the dynamic school settings across our district.

DCAS Note:  On August 19, 2010, Delaware joined in this state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Offices (CCSSO).  Today only 6 U.S. states have not yet formally adopted these educational goals.

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. 

Look for more information from the DE PTA on this topic in the coming months.  Plus, as parents, we need to make sure the DCAS Assessment now aligns with these new standards through the types of questions being asked and the back-end reporting to both teachers and parents for a national perspective.