The Indiana PTA Legislative Program has three components:
· Priority Issues are broad statements on issues relating to children and education. These statements may be of current or future legislative interest or need. Priority issues are broad in scope to provide the basis for position statements. Local units, councils, committees of the board of managers and the state legislation committee may submit suggested additions, deletions or changes.
· Continuing Concerns are former priority issues that have been addressed or resolved by state or federal action. These statements remain as continuing concerns in the event additional action needs to be taken at a later date. Priority issues are moved to continuing concerns by recommendation of the state legislation committee to the State Board of Managers.
· Position Statements focus on a specific issue that comes to the attention of the State Board of Managers between conventions. The state legislation committee formulates a statement that is presented to the State Board of Managers after being well researched and documented. If approved by the Board of Managers, it will be presented to the next convention for delegate vote.
Local units and councils may submit suggested additions, deletions, or changes to Priority Issues to the State Board of Managers by following the procedures outlined in the November mailing to presidents. Any proposed changes must pertain to the education, health, and welfare of children and youth, be statewide in scope, and be in accordance with National PTA Objects and basic policies. Proposals must be accompanied by background information and rationale, and must be postmarked or hand delivered to the State Office by January 25 of each year.
From the outset, PTA has championed the importance of equal opportunity for all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, and addressed associated problems of child labor, childhood diseases, and a judicial system more concerned with punishment than with rehabilitation of juveniles. In the 1920s, PTA supported the establishment of a new association, the National Congress of Colored Parents
and Teachers, to provide PTA services in states that maintained separate schools by ethnicity. PTA provided training and literature to the newly established association so that all parents could be advocates for their children. The organizations continued to work collaboratively until the groups formally merged in 1970.
PTA continues to advocate for all children to have the opportunity to grow and achieve through education. To that end, PTA will advocate for adequate funding for schools and for family-focused, strength-based interventions to combat chronic absenteeism, truancy, and juvenile delinquency. Bolstered by research to back up the recommendations, the 2010 Public Policy Agenda focuses on three key priorities:
Family Engagement in Education
PTA looks forward to the opportunity to strengthen parent involvement and family engagement in the upcoming reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA-NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Opportunity and Equity for All Children
PTA will advance its opportunity and equity platform with the implementation of state advocacy efforts for the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), and federal appropriations to support student achievement and family engagement.
Child Nutrition Act
In 2010, PTA will advocate to improve child health and wellness through the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.
Together, state PTAs and PIRCs form powerful partnerships that advocate for and advance effective family engagement policies and best practices in their states to raise student achievement. A model partnerships between state PTAs and PIRCs that provide statewide leadership on the implementation of the parental involvement provisions within ESEA-NCLB and execute innovative strategies for engaging all families in the education of children is important to student success. These strategies have increased opportunities for parental involvement in many states.
Read the Model Partnerships Brief
This higlight features Indiana’s Model Partnership between PIRC and PTA
INDIANA – PIRC and PTA
Partner on Statewide Parent Leadership Academies
The Indiana PIRC and PTA have a long-standing partnership and are currently in their eighth year of hosting Parent Leadership Academies for ten schools from the northern, central, and southern regions of the state. The leadership academies train school teams of two school staff and three parent leaders in strategies that maximize parent and family engagement and communication in schools. The initiative is supported by six regional coordinators, with two placed in each of the three regions. Regional coordinators work with principals, teachers, school improvement teams, and local PTA units to support implementation efforts. The Parent Leadership Academy runs over the course of the school year, with the first semester focused on analyzing school data, reviewing and developing school improvement plans, and developing an initiative based on PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. During the second semester, school teams convene to present their plans to the community and receive feedback and recommendations on the plans.
The Indiana PTA leadership participates in the community review panels and also serves as regional coordinators and trainers. The Academy culminates in a celebration, and the teams have an opportunity to hear from national experts, including Dr. Karen Mapp of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The success of the Parent Leadership Academies spawned “Voices in Action,” an initiative that targets Latino families for whom English is a new language. Voices in Action assists families in navigating the school system, increases family involvement in supporting students’ study of core subject areas in each grade, and educates families on how federal, state, and local education laws affect their families and children. Families attend two workshops that last two and a half hours each. The initiative provides childcare, transportation, and dinner to maximize participation. Last year, five communities across the state implemented Voices in Action. Families participating in Voices in Action also signed up for “Three for Me,” a PTA program designed to connect all families to their children’s schools and provide resources to strengthen home-school-community partnerships.
The Indiana PIRC also focuses on early childhood programs and college readiness in
middle and high schools. The early childhood initiative partners with “Parents as Teachers,” an early education model built on the foundation of family engagement. The PIRC emphasizes in the ways in which PTA involvement can assist parents with their children’s transition from early childhood into kindergarten and elementary school. The college readiness program trains 15 parent liaisons from Indianapolis Public Schools, a district that has experienced high dropout rates. Parent liaisons participate in five day-long trainings throughout the year, culminating in a graduation attended by the schools’ principals, social workers, counselors, and parents. The parent liaisons are required to facilitate two workshops and conduct ten home visits each month to promote family engagement in middle and high schools.
5 Key Benefits of Partnership:
• PTA’s presence in Indiana’s schools allows the PIRC to reach more families and access resources developed by a premier national association with expertise on family engagement in education.
• PTA members have access to the Parent Leadership
Academies, and some PTA members who have graduated from the academy are now
providing training and regional coordination.
• PIRC’s initiatives targeting Latino families, early childhood programs, high schools, and middle schools provide opportunities for PTA to connect to more families and encourage PTA membership among diverse communities.
DID YOU KNOW…
The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was founded in 1897 and is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the United States. PTA has a long history of advancing the interests of children. Below are just a few of the national issues PTA has addressed since its founding:
o 1900s—Child labor laws and the juvenile justice system
o 1910s—Kindergarten
o 1920s—Health checks for children
o 1930s—Child nutrition and traffic safety
o 1940s—Federal school lunch program
o 1950s—Salk polio vaccine field trials
o 1960s—Arts education and smoking prevention
o 1970s—Television violence and programming
o 1980s—HIV/AIDS education
o 1990s—Television ratings and parent involvement in education
o 2000s—School wellness policies
Today, PTA continues to speak up on issues and legislation that affect the education, health, and well-being of our children. The 2010 NPTA Public Policy Agenda focuses on three priorities:
o Family engagement in education
o Opportunity and equity for all children
o Child health
YOU CAN HELP INDIANA PTA BECOME THE TAKE ACTION CHAMPION!! It is as EASY as 1 – 2- 3!
1. SIGN UP for the Take Action Challenge (if you aren’t already)!
2. RESPOND to EVERY Action Alert sent to you! Just log on HERE and contact your legislators using either the pre-written letters or write one of your own! (Be sure to save/print a copy of your letter for applying for Indiana PTA Awards!)
3. ASK your PTA membership to Take Action, too! Forward Action Alerts to your neighbors, friends, and anyone else that cares about the well-being of students and the state of our educational system! You can also have your members complete this Take Action Form and return it to the Indiana PTA leaders in your region.
Want to know more? Download this Take Action Tool-Kit or select from the FAQ’s below!
National PTA Advocacy Toolkit (PDF) – To help child advocates speak up for the health and well-being of all children, National PTA has created an online advocacy toolkit.
Grassroots Advocacy Manual (PDF) – These tips from the National PTA can be used at the local, state, or national level.
Advocate for Arts Education in Indiana Schools. Click here to read a letter from US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.
FAQs
Q: Who is eligible to take part in the PTA Takes Action Challenge?
A: All members and all PTAs (local, council, district, region, and state) are encouraged to participate in the challenge—and are needed to reach our goals. Only state PTAs, however, are in the running to be named the National Challenge Champion. Local units should check with their state PTA for state participation incentives.
Q: What are the judging criteria for the challenge
A: The National Challenge Champion will be the state PTA with the highest percentage increase in action alert responses. Action alert response numbers (as of September 28, 2010) will serve as the baseline against which increases will be measured. (See the chart titled “PTA Takes Action Network Membership and Activity by State, 2009–2010”—on pages 15-17. —for your state’s figures. Action alert response is measured by e-mails sent to Congress using the PTA Takes Action Center (http://capwiz.com/npta2/home/).
Q: How long will the PTA Takes Action Challenge run?
A: The challenge starts October 1, 2010, and ends May 1, 2011.
Q: When do we find out which state is the National Challenge Champion?
A: The champion, as well as the second and third place finishers, will be announced in the June 2, 2011, issue of the PTA Take Action Update e-newsletter. National PTA will notify the champion state PTA beforehand by phone.
Q: How do I find how my state is doing in the challenge?
A: National PTA will provide regular reports on action alert responses for all states to Federal Legislative Chairs and State Presidents.
Q: The state PTA sends action alerts on state-level policy and legislation. Will responses to those action alerts count toward the PTA Takes Action Challenge?
A: No, only action alerts that come from National PTA on federal policy and legislation are part of this challenge. In addition, you must respond to the action alerts through the PTA Takes Action Center for it to count toward the challenge. National PTA collects action alert activity data through the PTA Takes Action Center (powered by Capwiz).
Q: Where can I learn more about the PTA Takes Action Challenge?
A: Review the PTA Takes Action Challenge Toolkit. There is a toolkit for state PTAs and one for local units. If you still have questions, contact the National PTA Policy at (800) 307-4782 or tknight@pta.org and include “Challenge in the subject header.
Q: How many action alerts will National PTA send?
A: PTA sends action alerts only when it is critical for PTA members to contact Congress on important legislation or policies. Over the course of this challenge, Congress is expected to consider several pieces of legislation that fall under National PTA’s federal public policy priorities. Therefore, National PTA expects to send at least three alerts between October 1, 2010, and May 1, 2011. Your response is critical on each one. Check the PTA Takes Action Center for current action alerts.
Q: What does it take to respond to an action alert?
A: Responding to action alerts is easy and takes only a few minutes. Any action alert you receive will explain the issue and PTA’s position, and give instructions on how to respond. Those instructions will include a link to the PTA Take Action Center (powered by Capwiz), where a form letter will be available for you to edit and send to your members of Congress. Members of Congress are more likely to read your message if it contains personal information on how the issue affects you, your school, and your community.
Q: How do I find out who my members of Congress are?
A: The PTA Takes Action Network finds your members of Congress for you. The Capwiz program powering the network uses the mailing address you enter at the end of the form letter to determine who your members of Congress are, as well as your congressional district. When you hit send, the message will be directed to the correct individuals automatically. You can also look up your members of Congress under the “Elected Officials” tab of the PTA Takes Action Center.
Q: When sending a message in response to an action alert, why do I have to enter my address?
A: Entering your address into the PTA Takes Action Center links you to your members of Congress and your congressional district. Members of Congress only read mail from their constituents, so the PTA Takes Action Center (powered by Capwiz) does the work for you and tells you who your members of Congress are.
Q: Do my senators and representatives really read my e-mails and letters?
A: Members of Congress do read constituent e-mails and letters, and often reply with their legislative positions. Furthermore, the more constituent mail a senator or representative receives on any given issue, the more aware he or she is of the concerns and cares of the people in his/her district or state, and the more his or her position on the issue may be influenced.
Q: Why is PTA involved in federal legislation? What is the value of responding to action alerts?
A: PTA has a rich history of advocacy at the local, state, and federal level. Our nation’s greatest advances for youth, from universal kindergarten to a juvenile justice system that protects children from being locked up with adults, have come through the persistent efforts of PTA. In the past year, PTA members’ response to action alerts have resulted in increased funding for schools and have forced committees to advance priority legislation that had been stalled.
Q: Where can I find more information on PTA’s federal public policy priorities?
A: The annual PTA Public Policy Agenda, as well as executive summary, is available online at PTA.org/TakeAction. You may also contact the National PTA Policy at (800) 307-4782 or tknight@pta.org.
Q: If I sign up, will I be flooded with e-mails from PTA?
A: National PTA will not bombard you with unnecessary e-mails. Members of the PTA Takes Action Network receive the PTA Takes Action Update e-newsletter once a month, and action alerts only at crucial times when PTA members need to take action.
Q: Will my contact information be shared with other organizations or used for other e-newsletters?
A: Joining the PTA Takes Action Network subscribes you to only the PTA Takes Action Update and Action Alerts. Your information will not be shared with any outside parties, and you will not be subscribed to any other publications.
Q: Why do I have to sign up for the PTA Takes Action Network; doesn’t PTA already have my information through OMDR?
A: Member information within OMDR is not automatically transferred to the PTA Takes Action Network. In addition, OMDR often does not collect email addresses, an essential data point that Capwiz requires.
Q: How do I check whether I’m already a member of the PTA Takes Action Network?
A: If you are already a member of the PTA Takes Action Network and try to sign up again, the system will alert you that you are already a member. You will be given a chance to update your contact information to make sure you are receiving the e-newsletter and alerts. If you are already a member of the network, your account will not be considered part of the increase in network members, even if you update your information. However, you can still help your state win the challenge by responding to action alerts.
Q: I got an error message when I tried to sign up to the network; what should I do?
A: If you receive an error message, please refresh the page and try again. If you continue to have problems, please contact National PTA at (888) 428-5537 or tknight@pta.org..
Q: I signed up to the network, but I haven’t received any alerts or the PTA Takes Action Update newsletter; what should I do?
A: Unfortunately, some e-mail providers flag PTA Takes Action messages as spam or junk mail. Please check your junk mail box for messages, and add PublicPolicy@PTA.org to your safe senders list. If you continue to not receive messages, please contact National PTA Policy at (800) 307-4782 or tknight@pta.org.
Q: I’m having technical difficulties sending action alerts to my members of Congress; what should I do?
A: If you are receiving error messages, please contact National PTA Policy at (800) 307-4782 or tknight@pta.org.
Q: How can our state add the PTA Takes Action Center / Capwiz program to our state PTA website?
A: States can purchase the state affiliate Capwiz program at a discounted price. Contact the National PTA Policy at (800) 307-4782.
