National Standards for Family-School Partnerships Standard 4- Speaking Up For Every Child
June 16, 2023
by Colleen Hervey, Family Engagement Commissioner “Every Child, One Voice.” That is the foundation for the work of PTA. Parents want what’s best for their children but may not always have the knowledge, means, or opportunity to provide that. This is w …
Read moreTips for Making Sure Family Engagement Includes the Whole Family
June 9, 2023
by Kathleen Fay, Family Engagement Commission Consultant Research shows that students succeed better when the entire family plays an active role at school. That includes joining and being active in PTA. Today’s PTA leaders know that more and more men w …
Read moreCommunity Service and Your PTA
November 18, 2022
by Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kelly Mattinson Volunteering in your local community can be fulfilling. Think about all the things we do to make our community, ours. How can PTAs and PTSAs encourage children and families to be good citizen …
Read moreSupport For Adult Mental Health – Part 2
November 11, 2022
by Colleen Hervey, CA State PTA Family Engagement Commissioner, Derby Pattengill, CA State PTA Health and Community Concerns Vice-President, and Justine Fischer, Community Director for CalHope Schools Initiative Partnership As parents and/or caregivers …
Read moreSupport For Mental Health: The CalHOPE Schools Initiative
November 4, 2022
Adults who care for kids want what’s best for them, whether they’re in the role of parent, caregiver, teacher, or something else. What’s best includes providing young people with care that helps them to be happy, healthy, loved, nourished, protected, e …
Read moreLearn, Share, Grow: Strategies that Work at Secondary Schools
October 21, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Connecting with secondary-school students and their families is just as important as when they were in elementary school. But sometimes the programs that were successful when the students were littl …
Read morePTAs help students stand up and stand out
October 14, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kelly Mattinson For students hoping to attend highly competitive colleges and universities, the application process can be daunting. That’s especially true for students with a good grade …
Read moreWhat do families need? The chance to be heard.
October 7, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kathleen Fay Families want to be heard by their school community. PTA leaders can help make that happen by hosting listening sessions to provide families with an authentic opportunity to …
Read moreCollege Essay Writing
September 30, 2022
by California State PTA Vice President for Family Engagement, Heather Ippolito As many families with high school students know, fall is not just the beginning of the school year. For a high school senior planning to continue their education at a four-y …
Read moreAttendance & Why It Matters
September 23, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commissioner, Shannon Jaeger As we start off another school year, we know that local PTA leaders are excited to see students returning and eager to welcome parents and students alike to the school campus and al …
Read moreKnowing your family’s rights: Students have rights, too
September 16, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kathleen Fay As events and programs for the new school year get underway, your PTA will be more successful and your plans will go more smoothly if your leaders have a solid understanding …
Read moreLearn, Share Grow: Ideas for Family/Caregiver Elementary School Events
September 9, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Elementary school is many families’ first interaction with the school system. When your PTA finds ways to engage families early in the year it can have lasting impacts on your campus, your PTA, and t …
Read moreKnowing your family’s rights helps to protect them
September 2, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant, Kathleen Fay Decades of research back up what we know and value: Family involvement is the real key to our kids’ success. California State PTA wants to make sure you know your family’s ri …
Read moreLearn, Share, Grow: Ideas for Creating Successful Family Events
August 26, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Creating family-oriented events, and making sure every family feels welcome, is a great way to strengthen the engagement of families with school and their kids’ education. More than 100 participant …
Read moreExplaining the “WHY” for Family Engagement
August 12, 2022
By California State PTA Vice President for Family Engagement, Heather Ippolito, and California State PTA Family Engagement Consultant, Kathleen Fay Experienced PTA leaders know that effective family engagement is key to student success. Yet, it can be …
Read moreSummer Break Learning and Activities for Families
June 3, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission California PTA leaders’ top recommendations for summer break learning activities and adventures you can discover together with your child. Check out the Resource Library- The California State PTA’s …
Read moreCalifornia PTA Program Grant Helps Dunsmore Elementary Present Anti-Racism Series
May 27, 2022
By Colleen Hervey, Family Engagement Commission Member and Chair of Scholarship and Grants Committee This week, we’re highlighting Dunsmore Elementary School PTA which received a $2,000 Parent Education program grant from California State PTA in fall 2 …
Read moreHow you can have a voice in developing your school district’s LCAP
May 20, 2022
by Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant At this time of year, California school districts can demonstrate their commitment to family engagement in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP). National PTA …
Read moreFamily Engagement is an Education Priority for California
May 5, 2022
By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant Springtime brings warmer weather, a week off, and preparations for the future. As school districts tackle budget planning to get ready for the next school year, families are …
Read moreApply now: California’s Parent Advisory Council
April 22, 2022
By California State PTA Family Engagement Commission The California Department of Education is looking for parents and guardians of public-school students in Pre-K through 12th grade from a variety of communities throughout California, to serve on the …
Read moreSummary of the CAAASA Conference
April 13, 2022
by Family Engagement Commission The California State PTA is proud to partner with the California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA) to support its statewide professional development summit titled: An Equitable A …
Read more8 Tips for Families with Young Children
April 8, 2022
By California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Did you know that during the first three years of life, brain development is especially rapid, with more than 700 neural connections created each second? This means that more is learned — at a faster …
Read moreFamily Engagement Opportunities at the 2022 Convention
April 1, 2022
By California State PTA Family Engagement Commission The Family Engagement Commission is excited to meet you at our upcoming state convention on April 29-May 1 in Ontario! We have been planning workshops to help you take your PTA family engagement to t …
Read moreCelebrating Arts in Education Month at Home
March 24, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission and Arts Committee March is Arts in Education month. Here are some resources and tips to help you celebrate: Here are five reasons to make art a part of your family time: Art is something that all …
Read moreInterview: Ways to Include and Engage the Men in Your PTA
February 25, 2022
Byline: LaQuisha Anderson, Family Engagement Commissioner The California State PTA Family Engagement Commission sat down with PTA dad Murali Vasudevan to discuss his experience serving in the PTA at his daughter’s schools, ABC Council PTA, and Thirty-T …
Read moreKeeping Family School Partnerships Strong as COVID Challenges Continue
February 18, 2022
by By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant When families are involved in their children’s education they have better outcomes and when families and schools are partners all children do better. That’s the findings …
Read moreA High School Counselor Shares Tips for Families to Help Preparing Their Child for College or Career
February 8, 2022
By: Family Engagement Commission A high school counselor shares tips on how families and counselors can work together for success after high school. February 7-11 is National School Counseling Week. Kimberly Goller, a counselor at Canyon High School i …
Read moreNational School Counseling Week is February 7-11
February 4, 2022
By: Family Engagement Commission There are many people on a school campus that families should become acquainted with — one key person is the school counselor. The week of February 7th is National School Counseling Week. To help families understand mor …
Read moreBuilding Relationships Starts With Trust
January 21, 2022
by California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Relationships are at the core of high-quality family engagement. As a PTA leader, you must take the time to build trusting, authentic relationships with families on your campus before they buy into a …
Read moreFamily Engagement is a Shared Responsibility
January 14, 2022
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement , California State PTA Whose job is it to create partnerships between families and the schools that serve them? That question has driven the work of Dr. Karen Mapp, a Harvard professor and a con …
Read moreFamily-School Partnership Standard #6: Collaborating With Community
January 7, 2022
By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant The PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships offer best practices for increasing authentic family engagement in our schools. The sixth standard, Collaborating wi …
Read moreHow Your PTA Can Engage Even the Busiest Working Parents
December 17, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement To be as inclusive as possible, every PTA needs to provide opportunities for all parents and families to be involved. So far on the blog we’ve given you some ideas for engaging middle school fa …
Read moreFamily-School Partnership Standard #5: Sharing Power
December 9, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement When families and schools work together as equal partners in decision-making, students succeed. Parents/caregivers, students, school staff, and administrators should partner to develop programs, …
Read moreFamily Engagement Strategies for Middle School
December 3, 2021
By: Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement During elementary school connecting with your child’s school and teacher can be relatively straightforward and our kids generally welcome our involvement. However, the hands-on approach of fami …
Read moreCelebrate International Men’s Day By Getting Men Involved at School
November 19, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement Involving men on school campuses and in school activities has lasting positive impacts on children. When fathers (or other male role models) are engaged in a child’s education, attendance incre …
Read moreHow to Engage High School Parents in PTA
November 12, 2021
By Kathleen Fay, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Consultant As kids get older, family involvement in school and in PTA tends to drop off – even as stakes grow higher. When high school PTA leaders make family engagement a central goal, …
Read moreTakeaways from the Family Engagement Summit (Part 2)
November 5, 2021
Byline: Heather Ippolito, California State PTA Vice President for Family Engagement At schools all over the country, educators and community members are working to build stronger connections between families and schools. We already shared some t …
Read moreFinding the Right College for your Student
October 28, 2021
By California State PTA Family Engagement Commission A Conversation with Kelly Mattinson, Family Engagement Commission Consultant Q. How does a student find the “perfect fit” college? In most cases it’s a family decision. The choice needs to fulfill th …
Read moreTakeaways from the Family Engagement Summit: Part 1
October 22, 2021
By California State PTA Family Engagement and Communication Commission What do focusing on equity, motivating and validating others, understanding learning goals, pivoting away from passive information, and bridging the digital divide have in common? …
Read moreFutureproof: A Book About Your Kids’ Futures (and Yours)
October 15, 2021
By California State PTA Family Engagement and Communication Commission Futureproof, written by technology writer Kevin Roose, offers new perspectives and interesting food for thought on matters that shape the relationship between families and sc …
Read moreFamily-School Partnership Standard #4: Speaking Up for Every Child
October 8, 2021
by Heather Ippolito, Vice President Family Engagement Commission The fourth PTA National Standard for Family-School Partnerships calls for empowering families to speak up and advocate for their child and other children to ensure that students are treat …
Read moreSunday is Gold Star Mother’s Day
September 24, 2021
by Heather Ippolito, Vice President Family Engagement Commission This Sunday, September 26th is Gold Star Mother’s Day. Gold Star Mother’s Day is designated as the last Sunday in September and is designed to honor mothers who have lost a son or daught …
Read moreBack to School Week September 13-17
September 10, 2021
by Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement This coming week National PTA celebrates Back to School Week. From September 13-17 they are hosting activities and encouraging school sites across the country to hold events to welcome students and their famil …
Read moreFamily-School Partnership Standard #3: Supporting Student Success
September 3, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, VP Family Engagement As we continue our series about the PTA National Family-School Partnership Standards we want to remind you that we have several blog posts around this topic: PTA National Standards for Family-School Partners …
Read moreEleven Ways to Draw a Crowd to Your PTA Meetings
August 13, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement PTA units are always asking our state leaders “How can we get more people to attend our association meetings and events?” The Leadership Services and Family Engagement commissions teamed up and …
Read moreFamily Engagement: A Hot Back-to-School Topic
August 6, 2021
As the summer ends, many workshops, webinars, and virtual conferences are preparing educational leaders, teachers, and parents for the return to school. Our Family Engagement Team has attended several of them. Here are some of the take-aways: We can …
Read moreStandard #1: Welcoming all families into the school community
July 30, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, VP for Family Engagement Earlier this month we introduced the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships on the blog. You can view that article by clicking here. Today we are going to dig a little deeper into the first …
Read moreInterview with Danni Kim, National PTA Family Engagement Whole Child Fellow
July 23, 2021
Earlier this month National PTA announced the names of four Family Engagement Fellows from across the United States. California State PTA is proud to announce that Danni Kim from Franklin Magnet PTA in First District was selected for this prestigious p …
Read moreFamily Engagement in the News
July 16, 2021
As we gear up to head back to school, our commission has been noticing a trend in the news — there has been a great deal of talk about Family Engagement! This is exciting for all of our PTA units, as this continues to show that the work you do every d …
Read moreIntroduction to the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
July 9, 2021
National PTA is focused on transformative family engagement which is defined as “a shared effort of families, schools, and community leaders to advance programs, practices, and policies that empower every parent to make their child’s potential a realit …
Read moreWhat is Family Engagement?
July 2, 2021
By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement In PTA we often talk about family engagement, but what does it really mean and why is it so very important? Family engagement with schools has many definitions: The US Department of Health a …
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