National PTA News Update
Special Issue of Our Children: Improving Graduation Rates
Dropping out is often the result of a long process of disengagement that may begin even before a child enters school, with certain risk factors building and compounding over time. The tragedy of 1.3 million dropouts per year is real, and PTA wants to help you do something about it.
The December 2010-January 2011 issue of Our Children is all about improving graduation rates and taps some of the top experts in the field with advice on how to reduce the flow of kids leaving school without a diploma. Articles will include
"Family Engagement: An Essential Strategy for Increasing Graduation Rates" by Jay Smink, DEd, National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University
"Will Your Kindergartner Drop Out of High School?" by Ken Seeley, EdD, National Center for School Engagement
"Build Positive Relationships for High School Success" by Alex Carter and Tim Healey, The Insider's Guide for High School Students: A Handbook for the Ninth Grade Year
"Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options: What Families Need to Know" by Mindy Larson, Institute for Educational Leadership; Curtis Richards, and Joan Wills, Center for Workforce Development, Institute for Educational Leadership
Other articles by National PTA's in-house experts include
"Keep Youth on Track with Positive Discipline" by Lela Spielberg and Elizabeth Rorick, National PTA public policy specialists
"Help Families Form Attachments to Your School and PTA" by Dee Jones and Carla Niño, National PTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Look for this special Our Children in December, copy articles, and share them with your families. Together we can see that all children graduate on time and are ready to begin successful lives.
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Get Ready for Leg Con!
The 2011 National PTA Legislative Conference, which will be held March 9-11, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia, will offer a variety of federal policy workshops to educate members on advocacy, PTA legislative priorities, and the latest happenings in Congress. Registration information will be posted on PTA.org in January 2011. Conference attendees will also participate in "Hill Day," during which they will spend a day on Capitol Hill meeting with their Congressional members.
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E-Newsletter Provides Quick-Read Parenting Advice
Are you looking for quick tips on helping your child in school or keeping your kids healthy? Then sign up forPTA Parent, a monthly newsletter delivered to your inbox. The e-newsletter is designed and written to be read quickly because we know your time is valuable.
Articles are relevant to today's parents and focus on ways they can help their child and be involved in his or her education. Most articles link to expanded versions on PTA.org for more information. These stories are for all parents (or even grandparents), not just PTA members.
Recent stories have included:
Tips for evaluating your child's classroom
Test preparation advice for your student
Parent-teacher communication tips
Monthly safety tips from Consumer Reports
Suggest that your school's families sign up for this free newsletter, or sign up yourself. Go to PTA.org/E-NewsCentral to subscribe.
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PTA.org Provides Resources for Local Leaders
The National PTA website hosts a number of resources valuable to local PTA leaders. Explore the "Local Leadership Resources" in the "Running a PTA" section for downloadable tools and other advice for running a unit.
Some resources:
How-to guide for effective fundraising
Seven steps for organizing volunteers
PTA bylaws and overview and tip sheet