1. BEING AN EFFECTIVE PTA ADVOCATE
Presented by Evie Hudak
Colorado PTA Public Policy Director

2. Mission of PTA
To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
PTA began speaking out on behalf of children 120 years ago. Check out the National PTA’s video: “PTA Advocacy: A Legacy in Leadership”
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3. Purposes of PTA
To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, places of worship, and throughout the community.
To raise the standards of home life.
To advocate for laws that further the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth.
To promote the collaboration and engagement of families and educators in the education of children and youth.
To engage the public in united efforts to secure the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of all children and youth.
To advocate for fiscal responsibility regarding public tax dollars in public education funding.

4. PTA – Working together for children
National PTA Milestones
Child labor laws
Hot lunch programs
Juvenile Justice system
Mandatory immunization
TV content ratings
Parent involvement provisions in No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Parent involvement provisions in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Colorado PTA Milestones
School voucher lawsuit
Dwyer lawsuit (adequacy)
Amendment 23
School Trust Lands advocacy
School Crossing Guard Liability Immunity
Parent involvement legislation:
1971 – 1st Accountability Act
1988 – School Finance Act
2009 – Parent Involvement in Education Act
2013 – Increasing Parent Engagement in Public Schools Act

5. What is “advocacy”? Actively supporting a cause, idea, or policy.
Achieving social change by:
Speaking out on behalf of other people.
Providing policymakers with information that will result in their action.
Educating people affected by a problem to help them be aware of their own power to create a solution.

6. What you need to know about policy-making for effective advocacy
WHERE is policy made?
WHAT forms does policy take?
WHO are involved in policy-making?
HOW does policy get made?
WHEN are key times to be aware of?
WHY can some policy decisions be changed easily and some not?

7. Tips on advocacy with policy-makers
Determine the best method of contact – phone call, letter, in- person meeting, or testimony at a public hearing.
Pick the right time to contact individual policy-makers; be sensitive to their schedule.
Have a good example, a personal story, or a story that is emotionally compelling.
Know the facts about the issue so you can answer questions – or know who can provide the answers.

8. PTA – Advocacy begins with a Local Unit Advocacy Liaison
A “liaison” is someone who is a channel of communication between groups of people. Every local unit should have an Advocacy Liaison (formerly called “Legislative Chair/Representative”). The name of this person should be submitted to COPTA on the Officers List.

9. What does a PTA Local Unit Advocacy Liaison do?
The Basics:
Serve as a link between your local PTA unit and the state PTA.
Take an active interest in programs and policies at your school and in your district.
Familiarize yourself with the 6 National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.
Focus on Standard 4 - Speaking Up for Every Child & Standard 5 - Sharing Power

10. What else can an Advocacy Liaison do?
Take an active interest in key issues affecting children and youth.
Be an informed voter.
Know who your legislators are at the state and national levels and who represents you at the city and county levels – and pay attention to how they vote.
Attend meetings of the PTA Legislative Committee and annual Legislative Conference.
Attend school board meetings and/or be aware of district policies.
Attend meetings of the District Accountability Committee.

11. PTA – Advocacy at the state level happens in the Legislative Committee
Networking - of information on state and national legislative issues and PTA's positions, and making this information available to the local units.
Advocating - on PTA's positions to our members, state and federal legislators, and the general public.
Advising - the COPTA Board of Directors about positions to be taken on issues not covered by national or state platforms and resolutions.
Collaborating - with like-minded organizations for the purpose of advocacy on issues of importance to PTA.

12. Who are members of the PTA Legislative Committee?
PTA members appointed by the Public Policy Director with the approval of the PTA President. (Every effort is made to include at least 3 people from each of the PTA Regions.)
Includes any of the following:
Any PTA member who attends regularly and participates actively.
Region Directors and Council Presidents and/or their Legislative Chairs.
The Colorado PTA Federal Legislative Chair.

13. Join us for meetings of the PTA Legislative Committee
The 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month January through May (during the legislative session). Then on the 2nd Monday of each month the rest of the year. [Check schedule; meetings are often canceled in May, July, and December.]
Visit under the “Advocacy” menu for the Legislative Committee page.

14. PTA advocacy through School Accountability Committees
Each PTA unit should have a liaison to the School Accountability Committee (SAC).
State law requires that SACs have at least three parents as members, plus one from the school’s PTA (if there is one). Parents should represent the demographics of the school.
The Chair or Co-Chair must be a parent.

15. How PTA gets its positions on issues
Resolutions
Position Statements
Legislative Priorities
Legislative Platform
(See the Legislative Program handout.)

16. PTA’s Legislative Priorities for 2018
1. Educational quality and equity:
a. School finance
b. Parent/family engagement
c. Early childhood
d. Diversity, Inclusivity, and Civil Rights/Social Justice
Health and safety:
a. Mental health & suicide prevention

17. ESSA – Every Student Suceeds Act
National PTA advocated for ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) to be reauthorized and changed from the version in NCLB (No Child Left Behind) – the result is ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act).
ESSA still requires testing in English Language Arts, Math, and Science, but states can use their own accountability systems (no more AYP requirements).
ESSA requires parental engagement in the development and implementation of state and district plans – to take effect this school year, after the state plan is approved by the U.S. Dept. of Education. (CO’s has not been approved yet.)
A top PTA priority in ESSA is the Statewide Parent Engagement Centers, a grant program which has not been funded by Congress (yet).
NPTA’s ESSA resources:

18. National PTA Advocacy
Join the National PTA’s “PTA Takes Action Network” – sign up at under “Advocacy.”
…and respond to PTA Action Alerts.

19. How PTA is impacting the school funding crisis
Working in partnership with Great Education Colorado,
Co-sponsor of the Great Futures Summit – held annually.
Member of the newly launched Colorado Education Network, working to change the insufficient and inequitable school finance system by proposing a ballot issue in 2018.

20. Working in partnership on other important issues for 2018
School Lunch Coalition – to ensure that there is no “lunch shaming” and that all eligible students have access to free (or reduced-price) school lunches.
Suicide Prevention Coalition – to reduce youth suicide and increase awareness of strategies to prevent it.
Equity in Early Childhood Coalition – to prevent suspensions and expulsions of children in early childhood through 2nd grade.
Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence – to support efforts to protect children and youth from gun violence.