PTA Meetings: A Compare and Contrast A Parent-Teacher Association, or PTA, is a part of many schools across the country. As a child, all of the schools I attended had PTAs, but I never really heard anything about what they were doing. I decided to few two PTA meetings, each from a different school, in an attempt to understand what both the structure and function of the organization and its meetings. I decided to view both the Longmeadow PTA, which is associated with Longmeadow Public Schools in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and the Timberview PTA, which is associated with Timberview Middle School in Keller, Texas. These two meetings were quite different from one another, both in structure and in their strengths and weaknesses.
Structure: The Longmeadow PTA meeting was structured around one central issue presented by the Superintendent of Longmeadow Public Schools, Marie Doyle. When the meeting began, they dove right into the issue without any frills or formalities to get through before they could start. The issue they discussed was the structure of the kindergarten program for the 2014-2015 school year. The school system had recently conducted a survey of parents of soon-to-be kindergarteners to see if they would prefer full- or half-day kindergarten. During this meeting, the Ms. Doyle shared the results. Parents overwhelmingly wanted full-day kindergarten, but the school system still planned to offer two sections of half-day kindergarten. After explaining how the kindergarten classes would be split between the three schools in their system, Ms. Doyle revealed the tuition cost. For full day kindergarten, it was going to cost parents $3000, which is about half of the cost for kindergarten to be offered, while the general fund of the school system will pay for the rest of the cost. After that, Ms. Doyle discussed some logistical issues of pick-up and drop-off and reminded parents of the deadlines for enrollment. After that, the floor was opened up to the parents so they could ask questions and voice concerns. Quite a few parents asked questions, bringing up points that included both class size and school choice. Some examples of questions include queries as to which schools would host the half-day program, when the registration deadline would be, and the future of kindergarten for future years. This was the last section of the meeting, and Ms. Doyle closed the meeting with some positive words, thanking the parents for attending and telling them they were welcome to call her office with any further questions.The Timberview PTA meeting was run quite differently than the Longmeadow meeting. It started with who I assume was the president of the PTA calling the meeting to order. The other officers then gave quick reports. The treasurer said how much money the PTA had. The membership chair discussed the membership drive and explained that there was a competition between the grades to see which one could get the highest parent enrollment in the PTA. She also shared that there was full staff membership, which is an incredibly impressive accomplishment! When she was finished, the fundraising chair discussed the most recent fundraising campaign, which included selling sweatshirts, and reminded parents to save their boxtops for their students. When they were finished, the principal came up to give the “Principal’s Report.” She discussed what would happen during the rest of the evening, shared information about the upcoming school play, and told parents to check out the weekly newsletter and Facebook page for more information about upcoming events. The president then announced the date of the next meeting, and then officially adjourned the meeting.Next, a group of students called PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Skills) came up to discuss Rachel’s Challenge. They showed a video that explained that it was a bullying prevention program, and they told parents that they had been fundraising to bring this program to their school. They needed to raise $3600, and they already had $3000! They asked for donations from the parents and thanked them for their time.Finally, a group of students in a band called Zero Gravity played a couple of songs for the parents. Their music is available for purchase on iTunes. They asked for donations, and offered a CD of their music when parents donated $10 or more.Members’ Roles and Responsibilities: The Longmeadow PTA meeting was run by the superintendent of the school district. Most of the responsibilities fell on her. This included sharing information with the parents, fielding questions, and keeping the meeting running smoothly. Just as important, though, was the role of the parents at this particular meeting. Most of the meeting was spent with the parents voicing their questions and concerns. Without this interaction between the superintendent and the parents, this would not have been nearly as successful of a meeting. In addition to these two important roles, there were also some behind the scenes roles, including technical support. Someone had to make the presentation and make sure that the sound system in the room was working in order for this meeting to be a success.
The Timberview PTA meeting was run by a committee that was made up of a president, treasurer, membership chair, and fundraising chair. The duties were more evenly shared, but it was the president’s job to keep the meeting on task. The parents did not have much of a role in the meeting itself. Strengths and Weaknesses: The biggest strength of the Longmeadow PTA meeting was the involvement of the parents. It offered a chance for parents to seek clarification and voice concerns while having the full attention of the superintendent of the school system. Additionally, the superintendent did a good job communicating the information to the parents in an understandable manner. The biggest weakness at this meeting was twofold; there was not a lot of involvement from teachers, except for behind the scenes, and there was only one topic discussed. Although I do think the superintendent was the right person to deliver this information, it would have been nice to hear input from some teachers. Also, I think it is beneficial to discuss more than one topic at meetings like this. Not all parents have a stake in what kind of kindergarten is offered, so I think it would be better to discuss at least two topics to give parents a better chance of finding something they are interested in. The biggest strength of the Timberview PTA meeting was the variety of topics discussed. They covered everything from membership to upcoming school events to fundraising. I was also impressed with how streamlined the meeting was. The biggest weakness of this meeting was the lack of parent involvement. There were no opportunities for parents to voice their questions and concerns, and it seemed like few issues that were relevant to parents were brought up. If I were a parent at that meeting, I would feel like I had no voice when it came to any of the issues at my school.Documents, Handouts, and Materials: There were no handouts mentioned during the Longmeadow PTA meeting, but there was a presentation that acted as a visual aid for the parents. Additionally, the superintendent mentioned multiple online sources where parents could go to find information on important school events and deadlines.
Like with the Longmeadow PTA meeting, there were no handouts given to the parents. However, there was a sign in sheet circulated at the beginning of the meeting. There was also a video shown during the meeting, which seemed to work well as an instructional tool. The principal also stressed the online options for finding information about important school information.Overall Value: Overall, the Longmeadow PTA seems like a valuable place to parents to voice their opinions and get their questions answered. I am not sure it provides as much direct interaction with teachers as some parents may like, but I do think it does what it sets out to do. This PTA seems well-run and successful in its attempt to bring parents into the decision making process when it comes to important school issues. Overall, the Timberview PTA seems to be lacking the interaction between parents and teachers that seems so vital to a successful PTA. Parents were not given a voice, which seems to defeat the purpose of the meetings. I do think this organization does a good job communicating information, but I think it has a long way to go before it will be a successful PTA. It did not seem like the parents felt at all cheated out of their meeting time with teachers, so I imagine this is something they have just gotten used to.Conclusion: After watching two different styles of PTA meetings, I can definitely say that, in order for an organization of this kind to be successful, parents need to be given a voice. Without the interaction between parents and teachers, PTA meetings are truly lacking. These meetings will be valuable to me as a teacher because I can learn what is most important to the parents of my students. It could also give me a platform to address issues with parents that pertain directly to my classroom. I think I could become involved with the PTA by helping with the structure of the meetings to make it beneficial to both teachers and parents. I would make sure that everyone was given a voice at the meeting, possibly by structuring it in a way that is similar to that of the Longmeadow PTA. I could also help make handouts in the style of an infographic to help communicate information to parents effectively. In addition to attending PTA meetings, I could also be in communication with the principal and the school board to help influence policy making. It sounds like the PTA has some pull when it come to policy, but it largely comes down to the principal of the individual schools. Being in constant communication with the principal would help keep me apprised of important decisions being made and allow me to weigh in with my two cents.
Structure: The Longmeadow PTA meeting was structured around one central issue presented by the Superintendent of Longmeadow Public Schools, Marie Doyle. When the meeting began, they dove right into the issue without any frills or formalities to get through before they could start. The issue they discussed was the structure of the kindergarten program for the 2014-2015 school year. The school system had recently conducted a survey of parents of soon-to-be kindergarteners to see if they would prefer full- or half-day kindergarten. During this meeting, the Ms. Doyle shared the results. Parents overwhelmingly wanted full-day kindergarten, but the school system still planned to offer two sections of half-day kindergarten. After explaining how the kindergarten classes would be split between the three schools in their system, Ms. Doyle revealed the tuition cost. For full day kindergarten, it was going to cost parents $3000, which is about half of the cost for kindergarten to be offered, while the general fund of the school system will pay for the rest of the cost. After that, Ms. Doyle discussed some logistical issues of pick-up and drop-off and reminded parents of the deadlines for enrollment. After that, the floor was opened up to the parents so they could ask questions and voice concerns. Quite a few parents asked questions, bringing up points that included both class size and school choice. Some examples of questions include queries as to which schools would host the half-day program, when the registration deadline would be, and the future of kindergarten for future years. This was the last section of the meeting, and Ms. Doyle closed the meeting with some positive words, thanking the parents for attending and telling them they were welcome to call her office with any further questions.The Timberview PTA meeting was run quite differently than the Longmeadow meeting. It started with who I assume was the president of the PTA calling the meeting to order. The other officers then gave quick reports. The treasurer said how much money the PTA had. The membership chair discussed the membership drive and explained that there was a competition between the grades to see which one could get the highest parent enrollment in the PTA. She also shared that there was full staff membership, which is an incredibly impressive accomplishment! When she was finished, the fundraising chair discussed the most recent fundraising campaign, which included selling sweatshirts, and reminded parents to save their boxtops for their students. When they were finished, the principal came up to give the “Principal’s Report.” She discussed what would happen during the rest of the evening, shared information about the upcoming school play, and told parents to check out the weekly newsletter and Facebook page for more information about upcoming events. The president then announced the date of the next meeting, and then officially adjourned the meeting.Next, a group of students called PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Skills) came up to discuss Rachel’s Challenge. They showed a video that explained that it was a bullying prevention program, and they told parents that they had been fundraising to bring this program to their school. They needed to raise $3600, and they already had $3000! They asked for donations from the parents and thanked them for their time.Finally, a group of students in a band called Zero Gravity played a couple of songs for the parents. Their music is available for purchase on iTunes. They asked for donations, and offered a CD of their music when parents donated $10 or more.Members’ Roles and Responsibilities: The Longmeadow PTA meeting was run by the superintendent of the school district. Most of the responsibilities fell on her. This included sharing information with the parents, fielding questions, and keeping the meeting running smoothly. Just as important, though, was the role of the parents at this particular meeting. Most of the meeting was spent with the parents voicing their questions and concerns. Without this interaction between the superintendent and the parents, this would not have been nearly as successful of a meeting. In addition to these two important roles, there were also some behind the scenes roles, including technical support. Someone had to make the presentation and make sure that the sound system in the room was working in order for this meeting to be a success.
The Timberview PTA meeting was run by a committee that was made up of a president, treasurer, membership chair, and fundraising chair. The duties were more evenly shared, but it was the president’s job to keep the meeting on task. The parents did not have much of a role in the meeting itself. Strengths and Weaknesses: The biggest strength of the Longmeadow PTA meeting was the involvement of the parents. It offered a chance for parents to seek clarification and voice concerns while having the full attention of the superintendent of the school system. Additionally, the superintendent did a good job communicating the information to the parents in an understandable manner. The biggest weakness at this meeting was twofold; there was not a lot of involvement from teachers, except for behind the scenes, and there was only one topic discussed. Although I do think the superintendent was the right person to deliver this information, it would have been nice to hear input from some teachers. Also, I think it is beneficial to discuss more than one topic at meetings like this. Not all parents have a stake in what kind of kindergarten is offered, so I think it would be better to discuss at least two topics to give parents a better chance of finding something they are interested in. The biggest strength of the Timberview PTA meeting was the variety of topics discussed. They covered everything from membership to upcoming school events to fundraising. I was also impressed with how streamlined the meeting was. The biggest weakness of this meeting was the lack of parent involvement. There were no opportunities for parents to voice their questions and concerns, and it seemed like few issues that were relevant to parents were brought up. If I were a parent at that meeting, I would feel like I had no voice when it came to any of the issues at my school.Documents, Handouts, and Materials: There were no handouts mentioned during the Longmeadow PTA meeting, but there was a presentation that acted as a visual aid for the parents. Additionally, the superintendent mentioned multiple online sources where parents could go to find information on important school events and deadlines.
Like with the Longmeadow PTA meeting, there were no handouts given to the parents. However, there was a sign in sheet circulated at the beginning of the meeting. There was also a video shown during the meeting, which seemed to work well as an instructional tool. The principal also stressed the online options for finding information about important school information.Overall Value: Overall, the Longmeadow PTA seems like a valuable place to parents to voice their opinions and get their questions answered. I am not sure it provides as much direct interaction with teachers as some parents may like, but I do think it does what it sets out to do. This PTA seems well-run and successful in its attempt to bring parents into the decision making process when it comes to important school issues. Overall, the Timberview PTA seems to be lacking the interaction between parents and teachers that seems so vital to a successful PTA. Parents were not given a voice, which seems to defeat the purpose of the meetings. I do think this organization does a good job communicating information, but I think it has a long way to go before it will be a successful PTA. It did not seem like the parents felt at all cheated out of their meeting time with teachers, so I imagine this is something they have just gotten used to.Conclusion: After watching two different styles of PTA meetings, I can definitely say that, in order for an organization of this kind to be successful, parents need to be given a voice. Without the interaction between parents and teachers, PTA meetings are truly lacking. These meetings will be valuable to me as a teacher because I can learn what is most important to the parents of my students. It could also give me a platform to address issues with parents that pertain directly to my classroom. I think I could become involved with the PTA by helping with the structure of the meetings to make it beneficial to both teachers and parents. I would make sure that everyone was given a voice at the meeting, possibly by structuring it in a way that is similar to that of the Longmeadow PTA. I could also help make handouts in the style of an infographic to help communicate information to parents effectively. In addition to attending PTA meetings, I could also be in communication with the principal and the school board to help influence policy making. It sounds like the PTA has some pull when it come to policy, but it largely comes down to the principal of the individual schools. Being in constant communication with the principal would help keep me apprised of important decisions being made and allow me to weigh in with my two cents.
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