September 9, 2015
Call for Letters of Interest
National PTA is seeking candidates to stand for election in June 2016 for the following national leadership positions:
- Eight (8) member representatives for the National PTA Board of Directors (2016-2018 term)
- Three (3) members for the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (2016-2019 term)
National PTA may also need individuals who are interested in serving on national committees. National committee members serve two-year terms (currently 2015-17). Applicants for committees will be contacted for consideration only if vacancies exist.
Completed Letter of Interest Documents must be e-mailed to LeadershipDevelopment@PTA.org by Thurs., Oct. 1 no later than 11:59 p.m. (in your time zone). Faxes will not be accepted.
Continuous Improvements to Child Nutrition
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is in the process of being reauthorized this month. This bill is designed to improve child nutrition in schools and communities throughout the country. The House and Senate are discussing provisions that would give schools more leeway in the type of foods they are able to serve students. Parents are becoming more involved in nutrition issues in schools, which ensures that families and schools work together to improve child nutrition.
As part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, schools are required to comply with nutrition guidelines for school lunches and snacks. National PTA issued an implementation guide to support local PTAs in abiding by these new requirements.
Other resources can also be found on our website including tips on financing healthier food options, creating healthy food policies, educating and engaging students and strategies for school cafeterias.
Report Shows Education is Most Important Topic Among States
The 50 State Project by CQ Roll Call asked reporters from around the country to list the most pressing and important issues impacting the states they report on. In many cases, education is the number one issue that reporters and lawmakers are discussing. Check out the report to see what your state leaders and media feel is most important in your state.
How Developmentally Appropriate is Common Core?
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Student Achievement Partners has released two reports addressing concerns from the early childhood community about the developmental appropriateness of the Common Core Kindergarten ELA/Literacy Standards. What the Common Core Standards Say (and Don’t Say) about Kindergarten defines key terms in the standards, explains exactly what is expected of kindergarten students and how those expectations were determined.
The Myth-Fact document addresses the most persistent myths about the kindergarten ELA/Literacy standards.
New Instructional Materials for Common Core
Achieve the Core is launching Aligned, a blog dedicated to the conversation about Common Core-aligned instructional materials. The blog features perspectives from state and district leaders engaged in the work, information on tools and training resources and insights from content experts.
In the News
Aug. 28, 2015
Aug. 28, 2015
Aug. 21, 2015
On the Blog
New Poll Shows Little Appetite for Vouchers but a Craving for Resources
On the Blog
Aug. 28, 2015
Advocate of the Month
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National PTA’s Advocate of the Month for September is Lana Ajemian, the immediate past president for New York State PTA and current member of the National PTA legislative committee.
Lana was instrumental in New York State PTA’s advocacy efforts in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization this summer.
She met with Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) to discuss the reauthorization of ESEA, unaccompanied minors, and the need for protecting kids, families and communities from substance abuse.
Gallup Poll Shows Mixed Attitudes Towards Public Education
Recently, the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools was released. The poll found that public school parents believe there is too much emphasis on standardized testing and not enough funding for public schools. They also are not supportive of school vouchers.
The public’s attitude is mixed on Common Core State Standards, but other recent polls suggest that could be because many are confusing the standards for curriculum, implementation methods, or how they are tied to accountability systems. Read National PTA’s reaction to the poll.
What's Next in Congress
Budget: There will be a continuing resolution by Sept. 30, followed by an overall budget deal. A continuing resolution continues appropriations at the same levels as the current fiscal year for a set amount of time. However, Congress might do a series of continuing resolutions instead of a major budget agreement.
ESEA Conference: Conferees are expected to be appointed in September or October to reach a final agreement on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act-No Child Left Behind. The bill will then need to pass both houses of Congress again before going to the president for his approval.
Watch Think it Up Live! Friday, Sept. 11 8/7c
National PTA is proud to support the Think It Up education awareness campaign and encourage you to watch the star-studded, live TV special Fri. Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT, which will air on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.
See education success stories and celebrities including Kristen Bell, Stephen Colbert, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Ryan Seacrest and Jessica Williams.
Think It Up will shine an important spotlight on the needs of students and teachers across America, encourage ongoing support for education and generate excitement for learning.
During the telecast, the Entertainment Industry Foundation will announce a new crowdfunding platform to fund student projects. Through the platform, students and teachers can post projects they are passionate about and people nationwide can help make their projects a reality.
Share this campaign with your PTA and schools, and urge students and teachers to participate in the campaign by submitting their projects on ThinkItUp.org.
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