The most important role of any parent group is "Family Engagement"... getting families involved in school and bringing them together to build a sense of community.
Family Engagement activities are unique to every school but generally include fun family events, school spirit activities or traditions and even teacher appreciation, because building a collaborative environment between staff and parents is key to building a strong community.
Actively engaging families in a positive fun way is also a great way to build your base of volunteers!
The National PTA site provides comprehensive toolkits that help build family engagement and support families through educational events, health & safety programs and diversity & inclusion awareness.
We have provided you with links to some of the more popular programs in our drop down menu.
Why Parent Involvement Matters
Research shows that family engagement promotes student success. Students with involved parents are more likely to earn higher grades, pass their classes, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and go on to post-secondary education. Family Engagement in children’s education allows kids to perform better in school, and navigate more easily some of the challenges of growing up, such as bullying. The PTA feels so strongly about the important role Family Engagement plays in a successful school climate that they ask every PTA to follow the 3-to-1 rule. For every 1 fundraising activity, there should be at least 3 non-fundraising projects aimed at helping parents or children or others advocating for school improvements.
National Standards for Family School Partnerships
Strong family, school, and community partnerships not only increase student success, they also create higher teacher morale and generate more parent involvement. Learn more about PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.
Standard 1—Welcoming All Families into the School Community. Families are active participants in the life of the school and feel welcomed, valued and connected to each other, to school staff and to what students are learning and doing in class.
Standard 2—Communicating Effectively. Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.
Standard 3—Supporting Student Success. Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development, both at home and at school, and they have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively. Consider sharing the Parents’ Guides to Student Success with your families.
Standard 4—Speaking up for Every Child. Families are empowered to be advocates for all children to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.
Standard 5—Sharing Power. Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence and create policies, practices and programs.
Standard 6—Collaborating With Community. Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services and civic participation.