How PTAs Can Better Support Urban Families
Every Child in Focus
How PTAs Can Better Support Urban Families National PTA’s Every Child in Focus is centered on strengthening family engagement in schools by celebrating important cultural distinctions and achievements, while highlighting solutions to potential educational issues. This October, we turn our focus to urban families and the unique challenges they face in supporting student success. Based on National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships, let’s explore ways PTAs can welcome and support urban families in the school community.
Standard 1: Welcoming All Families into the School Community
Standard 2: Communicating Effectively
• Structure volunteer • Survey families and opportunities so students to learn families can about their issues participate both and concerns. Share on- and off-site. your plan to address those concerns. • Ask a variety of parents to take • Create a PTA turns greeting message board. parents and Highlight events at students as they school and in the arrive each day. community, and share what parents can do to help their children at home.
Standard 3: Supporting Student Success • Host forums and meetings to discuss school performance and share school progress. Explain standardized test results.
Standard 4: Speaking Up for Every Child
Standard 5: Sharing Power
Standard 6: Collaborating with Community
• Develop a tip sheet • Provide • Work with that explains how opportunities community the local school for families to organizations to and district operate learn about and make families aware and how to raise participate in of their resources, questions about schoolwide such as tutoring or programs and decision making. afterschool policies. programs. • Survey families • Share information about the most • Provide opportuniwith families about • Spotlight a convenient times ties for families to district level community-based and locations for interact with school leadership and how organization in a events. If the school staff and leadership families can attend newsletter or is not in a safe area, in ways that will and participate website to make consider a different support their in school board families aware of venue. advocacy efforts. meetings. their resources.
How PTAs Can Better Support Urban Families National PTA’s Every Child in Focus is centered on strengthening family engagement in schools by celebrating important cultural distinctions and achievements, while highlighting solutions to potential educational issues. This October, we turn our focus to urban families and the unique challenges they face in supporting student success. Based on National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships, let’s explore ways PTAs can welcome and support urban families in the school community.
Standard 1: Welcoming All Families into the School Community
Standard 2: Communicating Effectively
• Structure volunteer • Survey families and opportunities so students to learn families can about their issues participate both and concerns. Share on- and off-site. your plan to address those concerns. • Ask a variety of parents to take • Create a PTA turns greeting message board. parents and Highlight events at students as they school and in the arrive each day. community, and share what parents can do to help their children at home.
Standard 3: Supporting Student Success • Host forums and meetings to discuss school performance and share school progress. Explain standardized test results.
Standard 4: Speaking Up for Every Child
Standard 5: Sharing Power
Standard 6: Collaborating with Community
• Develop a tip sheet • Provide • Work with that explains how opportunities community the local school for families to organizations to and district operate learn about and make families aware and how to raise participate in of their resources, questions about schoolwide such as tutoring or programs and decision making. afterschool policies. programs. • Survey families • Share information about the most • Provide opportuniwith families about • Spotlight a convenient times ties for families to district level community-based and locations for interact with school leadership and how organization in a events. If the school staff and leadership families can attend newsletter or is not in a safe area, in ways that will and participate website to make consider a different support their in school board families aware of venue. advocacy efforts. meetings. their resources.
