Education Commission
The Mission of the Utah PTA Education Commission is:
- To become knowledgeable about the issues which affect the education of students in the state of Utah.
- To take positive action to further the purposes of PTA in promoting the welfare of children and youth at home and at school.
- To promote programs which benefit and strengthen education through parental involvement.
Most of all, the mission and the purpose of this handbook is to help you be successful as the Education Commissioner in your school PTA!
The first public school opened in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 and public education is as important today as it was in the beginning of our nation. It is the means by which values, citizenship, literacy, and numeracy are transmitted from one generation to another. Education is also the number one predictor of a child’s future prosperity.
Studies have proven over and over that students with engaged families will have more success in life. They will earn higher grades and test scores. They are more likely to enroll in higher level academic programs. They are promoted on time and earn more credits. They adapt better to school and attend more regularly. Students with engaged families are also more likely to have better social skills and behaviors and to graduate and go on to post-secondary opportunities.
As you work to engage families in the education of their students, there are a few pieces to remember in effective family-school partnerships. Programs, activities, and opportunities need to include the following:
Relational – Get to know your parents and teachers. People matter.
Interactive/Collaborative – Do it together. Learn from each other. Families and communities have knowledge to share.
Developmental – Build capacity in your families, don’t just provide a service. Help your families grow.
Linked to Learning – Connect your PTA activities to learning. Give parents tools to support student learning at home. (Learn to Change the World, Karen Mapp)
This handbook includes sources of information on education issues.
You can be an advocate of quality education in public schools and professional development of educators, voicing the positive impact they have on the children and youth in your community.
This website includes a section on resolutions that deal with education issues. These will be helpful in understanding how PTA interacts with public policy makers.
Parental involvement in a pro-active manner can enrich the partnership of learning between the home, the school, and the community. By working on issues that are important to your child’s education, you will be supporting, building, and enriching the education of all the children in your community.
This handbook has ideas for programs that may fit your school’s needs. It also has resources that may be helpful to you in carrying out the activities you decide to provide. You shouldn’t try to do everything described here – work with your administrator, teachers, and parents to determine the needs of your students and then move forward with opportunities that will make a difference.
Grab a pencil and work your way down the checklist:
- Gather materials; for example, this Education section of the website, the program section of the Utah PTA president Handbook, and records from the prior Education Commissioner.
- Become familiar with National PTA resources at www.pta.org — click on “Run Your PTA.”
- Attend leadership training at the annual Utah PTA Leadership Convention.
- E-learning courses can be found at www.pta.org.
- Organize your commission or committee. Don’t try to do this alone. Working with friends and neighbors makes your work easier and more fun. Discuss with your commission members the information from this handbook and especially the steps on this page.
- Develop relationships and trust among the administrators, teachers, parents, and students.
- Work with your PTA board of directors to develop a survey/needs assessment to determine the needs of your PTA membership, parents, teachers, and students.
- Use the results of the survey/needs assessment to identify the subjects which are most concern to your PTA board, parents, teachers, and students.
- Learn about the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships at www.pta.org and how to implement them in your school.
- Determine which of these areas of focus or subjects or standards are already being addressed in your School Improvement Plan and decide how PTA can help.
- Choose two or three areas of focus for your school’s Education Commission.
- Based on these areas of focus, clearly define SMART goals and objectives you would like to establish for your commission. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)
- Refer to the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships to build the family engagement in your school.
- Include school administrators in your planning. They can help you learn which policies govern your areas of focus. Is it a local, district, state, or federal issue? Obtain copies of relevant laws or policies, if necessary, and keep them on file for future reference.
- Decide what programs and activities will help meet your goals and objectives and make sure they are “linked to learning”.
- Develop an action plan for your programs and activities and share the workload by delegating to others interested in making positive changes.
- Budget for these activities and submit your budget to the budget committee for inclusion in the overall PTA budget.
- Keep records of the programs and activities so that you can evaluate their effectiveness and move forward with the goals and objectives.
- Update (or create) a procedure book for the Education Commission. These records will be valuable to the Education Commissioner who follows you.
- Express gratitude frequently to those who assist you!
What's Happening in Education in Utah?
It's summer break!
We all celebrate the end of another school year, while some of us worry that our kids will fall victim to the famed “summer slide”, i.e. the lost knowledge that students experience following a long fun summer break. There are many virtues in having fun over the summer, and we’d like to offer parents ideas for keeping your kids engaged, learning, while enjoying the summer.
First, take advantage of the great options offered right here in Utah.
Libraries across our state, from counties (Grand, Salt Lake, Summit, Washington), and cities (Salt Lake, Payson, and many others are there for our kids (and adults) with various reading summer programs. Go visit your local library or one further away from your home or stop by in one during your family roadtrip. Have your kids browse the shelves for great stories and immerse themselves in books. See of your library offers games to check out, art and science projects to do at home.
Families can also login to the Utah’s Online library from anywhere (username=online/password=information will populate automatically).
Book and Movie Combo! Our very own Utah Education Network is providing the program LitFlix, where you can read the book and watch the corresponding movie. The program started in early May, and offers a new movie every Friday, a great thing to do as a family.
If kids must spend time in front of a screen – have them discover amazing places and animals with national geographic kids. For adventurers and art lovers, travel domestically and internationally and enjoy world class museums and discover World Heritage sites or explore the most amazing destinations all from the comfort of your home with Google Arts an Culture. Complement this with actual hands-on drawing and art projects at home.
Check out this article on great resources and ideas.
For more resources, contact your local school district: they often have a wealth of options that would be too long to list here.
Above all, make sure that kids spend time playing and their siblings and friends. Free play, especially in early years, is an essential part of learning. Have a great summer!
State School Board Elections! The Utah State Board of Education board is electing seven of its fifteen board members in November. There were 2 primaries, for state school board district 4 and 11 (newly redrawn districts, not the current ones). You can check the results here.
Utah PTA, as a member of the Public Education Debate Coalition, is organizing State Board online Debates to keep parents and voters informed. All debates are posted on the Hinckley Institute of Politics Youtube channel.
Local School Board Elections! Also underway. Contact your local PTA to see where "Meet the Candidates" Event are organized in your area.
Updating our Resolutions.... During the legislative break, we will review our resolutions and see what needs to be updated. Our next big event is our Leadership Convention in May. PTA Leaders, join us for fantastic workshops and discussion.
You may contact me at any time if you have any questions regarding public education in Utah.
Scroll down below to discover our resources and check us out regularly as we update our content.