National PTA President-Elect Talks to County PTA Members about Boosting Parent Engagement

Representatives from various Anne Arundel County Parent-Teacher Associations meet regularly, but the Nov. 3 meeting was unusual as it was attended by Otha Thornton, president-elect of the national PTA.

Thornton, a retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. who has worked with the White House Communications Agency and performed service in Iraq, worked extensively on improvements to Meade Senior High School as president of that school's PTSA. His efforts helped boost parent involvement and improved quality of life for students.

The primary topic of discussion at the event was boosting parent engagement. Representatives from a variety of county PTAs, including School, Annapolis High School, South River High School and Old Mill High School were on hand to share ideas and discussion for getting parents involved with their PTAs.

"It's very critical to have events like this, because it's key to get ideas to make things better at a high school level," said Thornton. "Parents tend to step back during high school, but we ask that they step up. The kids still need them there. It's very important that we get parents more engaged."

"It's important to get parents together to talk about what works," said Ray Leone, president of the Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs and the South River High School Parent-Teacher Organization. "At high school, parents have to compete with so many things, like sports boosters, bands, they're pulled in a thousand different directions."

"We have to compete with sports, bands and clubs," said Debi Konczos with the Chesapeake High School PTA. "We've actually decided to partner with one of the clubs, InterACT, to do Wreaths Across America and place wreaths on the gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. It's a win-win situation for everybody—the kids get involved in the community, they're doing community service and they'll also benefit because the money we'll get from our fundraising goes to scholarships. They're going to benefit all the way around."

Pam Bukowski with the PTSA agreed that parent involvement was a significant issue.

"Typically for meetings, unless there's an issue someone is invested in, they're not really well attended," said Bukowski. "It used to be if we could just get one more person than our executive board then we're doing well. It's not a lack of willingness, it's just that everybody is so stretched that you just sort of pick and choose."

"We want to refocus our energy so we have ideas for parents to get involved with the school," said Lisa Shore with the Old Mill High School PTSA. "Once parents value students' education and they see that you model that, they become more engaged as students in their education. They see that you care."

The event included several breakout sessions to discuss the issues at hand, including parent engagement, fundraising and organizing effective programs. Thornton spoke about parent engagement and the importance of PTAs to schools and students.

"If you want to build an effective PTA in high school, here are some things to think about," said Thornton. "From a PTA perspective, we have five core values. The first is collaboration. You have to be willing to listen to people and talk to them. Commitment is another. So is inclusiveness—you need to accept people rather than just tolerating them. Next is accountability. Finally, there's integrity."

Suggestions that arose from the meeting included connecting with alumni associations, working with other school organizations and clubs and making requests for help from parents more personal and direct.