Ed100 Advocacy Flyer

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Sure, California’s education system is big and complex.

Think that’s gonna stop parent and student leaders from speaking out?

Think again. We got this.

To have credibility and influence, it helps to know your stuff.

Ed100.org explains the system plainly, one clear lesson at a time.

Understand California’s education system and take a seat at the table, where you belong.

Join hundreds of others who have become Ed100 graduates.

✓ Short lessons are clearly written in English and Spanish.
✓ Each lesson takes a few minutes to read. Each quiz you pass earns a chance to win $1,000 for your school.
✓ Complete all of the lessons to join hundreds of others who have earned their Ed100 graduate certificate.
✓ Just go to Ed100.org and sign up. It works great on your phone.
✓ Ed100 is used in over 2,000 school communities.

Yes, it’s free.

Sign up now at Ed100.org

Student Leaders Academy June 21-23 ed100.org/academy

Use Ed100.org to develop informed advocates

Will your school be represented at the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders?

It will be held July 20-23. Every high school should be represented. Will yours? Go to ed100.org/academy

Celebrate Success!

At your meeting each month, congratulate new graduates, take a picture with their Ed100 graduate certificate, and share it on Instagram.

Have some fun

Search online for the “Ed100 Toolbox.” You’ll find videos you can use in your meetings, discussion guides, and a trivia game you can use for an icebreaker.

Win the May 26, ‘21 drawing!!

Use the drawing to lend a sense of urgency. Your school could win! Each lesson quiz you pass earns a ticket.

Use the Discussion Guides

Each chapter of Ed100 includes a discussion guide in English and Spanish. Try it!

“I use Ed100 to keep up to date with education policies in a way that helps me explain the issues clearly to others.”

Shereen Walter
Director of Legislation, California State PTA

 

California State PTA’s Equity Agenda

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Why focus on EQUITY?

California State PTA believes that all children deserve a quality education regardless of the community in which they live, the color of their skin, their language, their gender identity, or their immigration status.

But too many California students from underserved communities are deprived of an equal opportunity to learn.  At this year’s Legislation Conference, we explore how we can use our collective voices to influence legislation and the state budget to improve equity, access, and
opportunity for all of California’s children.

Advocacy Agenda for Equity

  • Poverty, Income, and Racial Inequality: The effects of discrimination, past and present, perpetuate today’s
    economic inequalities, destabilizing family security at its most basic level. PTA seeks legislation to address poverty, and the income and racial inequities that affect millions
    of California families.
  • Early Learning: PTA supports quality childcare, pre-school and early learning for all children.
  • Health and Welfare: Physical, social, emotional, and mental health needs must be met before students can thrive. PTA supports school and community programs that protect the health and welfare of all children and families, including community schools, school-based health services, counseling, nutrition, and other support services.
  • Education Funding: California’s school finance system must provide stable, sustainable,
    equitable, and adequate funding to meet the diverse needs of all our students, including before and after-school programs, summer school, and distance learning.
  • Teaching: PTA supports the recruitment and development of an educator workforce that is
    reflective of the student population, and that all students have qualified and effective teachers
    delivering a full curriculum.
  • Curriculum: PTA believes that all students deserve an education that prepares them for successful entry into society, college, and the work force. All students should be taught a full curriculum including the arts, P.E., and civics that provides them with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to thrive and become engaged members of society. Instruction should be personalized, culturally relevant, and responsive.  Coursework must address racism and bias to counteract the institutional and structural biases and related traumas that often drive inequitable outcomes for students.

Report on Legislator Visits

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PTA TEAM MEMBERS:                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

REPRESENTING (Name of PTA District, Council or Unit):                                                                                                                         

 

LEGISLATOR PRESENT
(Y/N)
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT MESSAGE(S)
DELIVERED
LEGISLATOR & STAFF COMMENTS
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

Legislator Visit Organizer

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Date/time of appointment:                                                                       (gather with your group 10 minutes in advance)

Meeting location / Room # / Link:                                                                                                                           

LEGISLATOR

¤ Assembly Member  ¤ Senator

Legislator’s Name:  __________________________________________________________________________________

District #________    Area(s) served:  ____________________________________________________________________

Party:  Republican / Democrat / _______________

Committees:  _______________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

STAFF

Remember to collect business cards if meeting in person.

Meeting with:

¤ Chief of Staff:  ________________________________

¤ Staffer: ______________________________________  Title:_______________________________________

¤ Staffer: ______________________________________  Title:_______________________________________

¤ Staffer: ______________________________________  Title:_______________________________________

PTA Representatives

PTA Team Leader (will open meeting and introduce other PTA members):  _____________________________________________

PTA Note Taker (will take notes and complete the Leg Visit Report):  __________________________________________________

PTA Member Name Representing (city) Chief concerns/topics
   

1)

2)

   

1)

2)

   

1)

2)

   

1)

2)

   

1)

2)

   

1)

2)

 

Legislator Visit Talking Points

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MEET California State PTA:

  • PTA members in over 3,300 schools across the state
  • 160 volunteer advocates meeting with their legislators this week as part of our conference!

Choose 2 or 3 of these that are important to your community:

INTRODUCTION

  • PTA believes that all children deserve a quality education regardless of the community in which they live, the color of their skin, their language, their gender identity, or their immigration status.

POVERTY, INCOME AND RACIAL EQUITY

  • PTA is seeking legislation to address poverty, and the income and racial inequities that affect millions of California’s families.

HEALTH & WELFARE

  • PTA supports school and community programs that protect the health and welfare of children and families, and support items in the state budget including money for:
    • Community schools
    • School based health services
    • Counselors
    • School nutrition

EDUCATION

  • California’s school finance system must provide stable, adequate and equitable funding to meet the
    diverse needs of all our students, including before and after-school programs, summer school and
    distance learning.
  • We support the recruitment and development of an educator workforce that is reflective of the students
    at each school with qualified and effective teachers delivering a full curriculum that includes the arts,
    P.E., and civics.
  • All students deserve an education that prepares them for successful participation in society and entry
    into college and the work force.
  • Coursework must address racism and bias to counteract institutional and structural biases that often
    drive inequitable outcomes for students.

SCHOOL REOPENING

  • Schools should not open in person unless it is safe for students, staff and their families.
  • School districts must provide opportunities for input and feedback from parents before and during
    school reopening planning and implementation.
  • Parent and families should be provided with choice in determining whether their child returns to the
    classroom full or part time.

Six Practical Tips on How to Advocate With Your Legislator or Elected Official

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1. Establish your agenda and goals.

  • Know what subject you are going to address. Don’t overload with issues – stick to no more than two or three.
  • Decide what you would like to get out of the visit, ie. a commitment to vote for your issue, leadership on the issue, or you may decide the visit is simply informational.
  • Allow time for small talk at the outset, but not too much. Remember, it’s your visit.

2. Listen well.

  • Much of lobbying is listening, looking for indications of the elected official’s views, and finding opportunities to provide good information.
  • Listening can allow you the opportunity to find areas of common ground on an issue.
  • If you are meeting with a “silent type,” draw her/him out by asking questions.
  • If you are confronted with a “long-winded type.’ Look for openings to bring her/him back to the point.

3. Be prepared, but don’t feel that you need to be an expert.

  • Most elected officials are generalists, like many of us. Do your homework, but don’t feel that you need to know every little detail of an issue. Air personal feelings and experiences where appropriate. Relate the concerns of your friends and members of the community.
  • Know when to admit “I don’t know,” and offer to follow up with the information.
  • Be open to counter-arguments, but don’t get stuck on them. Don’t be argumentative or confrontational.

4. Don’t stay too long.

  • Try to get closure on your issue. If you hear what you had hoped for, express your thanks and leave. If you reach an impasse, thank the legislator, even if disappointed, and say so. End the meeting and continue the discussion at another time.

5. Remember you are there to build a relationship.

  • If the elected official is good on an issue you’ve been involved in or has supported your position in the past, be sure to acknowledge your appreciation during the course of the visit.
  • If the opposite is true, think of the phrase, “No permanent friends, no permanent enemies.” Someday, on some issue of importance to you, they may come through. In the meantime, your visit may prevent the official from being an active opponent of your issue.

6. Follow-up is important.

  • Be sure to send a thank-you note after the visit. If commitments were made in the meeting, repeat your understanding of them. If staff members were present, write to them too. They can often be important allies.

E-Membership Webinar

Unit, Council and District leaders: California State PTA and representatives from TOTEM, our electronic membership system, hosted an informative webinar on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Click here to watch a recording of this webinar.

As the pandemic continues, e-membership is more relevant now than ever, with most PTA functions happening virtually – including signing up new members! TOTEM makes joining PTA quick, easy and accessible to parents and families.

Please take the time to watch this webinar and learn how you can leverage all the great online features offered by TOTEM to support and grow your PTA’s membership in 2021

CHHSA Releases Master Plan for Early Learning and Care: California For All Kids

The California Health and Human Services Agency has released the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care: California For All Kids.

The Plan will help the state better understand the crisis families, children and early learning and care providers are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies key policy goals to ensure that all California children can thrive physically, emotionally and educationally in their early years through access to high-quality early learning and care programs.

These goals include universal preschool, enhanced workforce development and equitable career pathways for educators and caregivers, and funding reforms to promote equitable access to high-quality early learning and care.

You can find get a quick overview of the plan and download the full report at https://californiaforallkids.chhs.ca.gov.

You can read the official press release here.

New English-to-Spanish Translation Feature on Website

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California State PTA is excited to announce that capta.org now offers English-to-Spanish translation*, using the Google Translate plug-in tool.

How to use it: Simply navigate to the page you want to translate, then click the “Translate” icon in the upper right corner and select “Spanish.” When the page automatically reloads, it will be all Spanish! No need to do this on every page you navigate to, but you can always toggle back to English if you’d like, using the same procedure.

We think this tool will make our website more accessible to the thousands of PTA members who primarily communicate in Spanish. Of course, Google Translate is not 100% perfect, but it comes pretty close!

Make sure you use the right web browser: The translation feature is only visible by navigating to capta.org using one of the following web browser versions:

  1. Microsoft Edge, Version 84.0.522.40
  2. Google Chrome, Version 84.0.4147.89
  3. Firefox, Version 7.8.0.2

* PDF documents on the website are not translated by this tool

Nueva función de traducción del inglés al español en el sitio web

La PTA del Estado de California se complace en anunciar que capta.org ahora ofrece traducción del inglés al español *, utilizando un sistema de Google Translate.

Cómo se usa: simplemente navega hasta la página que deseas traducir, luego haz clic en el ícono “Translate” en la esquina superior derecha y selecciona “Spanish”. Cuando la página se recargue automáticamente, ¡todo estará en español! No es necesario hacer esto en cada página a la que navega, pero siempre puede volver al inglés si lo desea, utilizando el mismo procedimiento.

Creemos que esta función hará que nuestro sitio web sea más accesible para aquellos de ustedes que se comunican principalmente en español. Por supuesto, Google Translate no es 100% perfecto, ¡pero se acerca bastante!

Asegúrese de usar el navegador web correcto: La función de traducción solo es visible al navegar a capta.org usando una de las siguientes versiones del navegador web:

  1. Microsoft Edge, versión 84.0.522.40
  2. Google Chrome, versión 84.0.4147.89
  3. Firefox, versión 7.8.0.2

* Esta funcion no traduce los documentos PDF del sitio web

Convention Attendees Can Now Download the App!

Stay up to date during Convention 2022 with information on: general meetings, workshops, exhibitors, convention surveys, games, and more!

Scan the QR code below to download the app.

General Instructions:

  • Click the link: https://event.crowdcompass.com/capta2022
  • You will be directed to install the CrowdCompass App
  • Search event California State PTA Convention 2022
  • Login: First name, Last name, Email
  • You will receive a verification code by text or email
  • Enter the verification code
  • Read and accept policies
  • Enter your Organization, Title, Picture and complete the download