A Message from President Heather Ippolito on National Family Engagement Month
Happy Family Engagement Month!
This is a special time for PTA since family engagement is at the heart of all we do. Each one of our local PTAs is doing this important work every day – and we at California State PTA thank you for it! You are hosting events that bring families to campus; you are engaging families in their students’ education through family literacy or math nights; and you are helping the families on your campus to see how they can make changes in their community through their voice and participation.
Remember that the PTA definition of “family” is a broad one. It basically includes all adult caregivers who interact with educational systems in support of their students.
These caregivers include biological, adoptive, and foster parents; expectant families; out-of-household parents; grandparents; legal and informal guardians; adult siblings; and other family members. So as you think about your family engagement work, remember to encompass ALL of these definitions at a minimum.
I also want to remind you of the difference between involvement and engagement as we work with families. Involvement was the buzzword about a decade ago, but it faded because involvement is passive. “Parent involvement” was something that schools would do TO families, such as notifying them, informing them, or even granting them permission to participate, instead of seeing parents as full partners with inherent rights and responsibilities to work WITH schools in order to achieve success for their students. It’s a kind of shift in mindset that acknowledges that there is expertise on both sides about what’s right for kids. We want to focus on the more active engagement of families to be a key part of their students’ education in the work we do.
In honor of all things family engagement, take some time this month to look at the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and see if there is anything your PTA can do to keep your school moving forward in these areas. Create a social media post celebrating all the families at your school for helping their students succeed. The research tells us, the number one factor in student success is a family member who is engaged in their school!
Remember that we are here to support EVERY student and family – today, tomorrow, together.
Heather Ippolito
California State PTA President
A Message from President-Elect, Will Sanford on Engaging with your PTA’s School Administration
Principals are people just like you and me. They just happen to have a job that requires great skill and the ability to lead a variety of groups (teachers, support staff, children and youth, families, volunteers and community members). They are responsible to their school district’s administration to follow all the complex rules and regulations, manage a budget, and deal with staffing issues. They support your school community, often almost 24/7. Have you thanked your principals? Have you recognized them when they have done something outstanding for your community or when they have taken the heat for the actions of others or policies they are required to implement?
PTA’s mission is to positively impact the lives of all children and families. To fulfill our mission, we must build trust, communicate in positive, solution-oriented ways, and take shared responsibility for promoting positive learning opportunities. As PTA leaders, we must be willing to help build bridges, show others how to build relationships and trust and take the time to say thank you to the individual(s) who are charged with leading the learning at our schools. The time to build relationships is before you need them. In times when a crisis or challenge arises, you have a connection as people with the same goal to positively impact the lives of the children and families of your school community. Remember, building relationships is not a one and done activity; it takes effort over time. The impact and benefits can last a lifetime.
Will Sanford
California State PTA President-Elect