Why are you not active in your elementary school's parent organization?

[Anonymous]

1) Clique parents.
2) Huge egos.
3) The mighty $$$ rules.
Feels like a "private club". Who would **volunteer** to get abused??
(Charter school)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A NPR story on the radio featuring this article:

http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2014/12/16/54797/pasadena-schools-experiment-with-charlas-to-help-students-by-coaching-their-parents/

"“We found that most forms of parental involvement yield no benefit to children’s test scores or grades regardless of their racial or ethnic background or socioeconomic status.”
Robinson found traditional activities like attending PTA meetings didn’t help.
But he said a few things can make a difference.
“The list of what consistently works is pretty short. That would be expecting your child to go to college, regularly discussing activities that your child engages in at school and requesting a particular teacher for your child,” he said."

This is not surprising. Our school has a PTA funded program that doesn't appear to be audited or measured for performance in any way. Everyone loves to talk about our unique "XXXX" program but nobody can answer basics questions about how the program is measured for effectiveness and impact or why the PTA continues to fund it year after year. So we will keep paying $00 because everybody thinks the program is so great and some of us are wondering why we don't consider other programs.

I think you and other posters are confused about the study cited in the NPR study.

There are two different propositions here:

1) the attendance of low-income parents at PTA meetings does not improve the test scores of the children of those parents. Other involvements are more effective for engaging these parents, for example the "charlas" discussed in the article.

2) PTA-funded programming is ineffective at raising the test scores of children or meaningfully contribuing to their education.

The study established (1). It didn't say anything about (2), and we know that (2) is false because for example, PTAs can fund these types of charlas and also tutoring, enrichment, classroom aides, and many things that help students.

If the PTA showed the numbed of parent hours invested, the amount of money raised, the costs for fundraisers, the profits, the decision-making process for how funds are spent, and where
the money goes....that would help encourage participation. Rather than guilt-tripping parents, or bullying them as labeling them as freeloaders....how about each PTA make a persuasive case such as a start-up would. Or even BBB transparency standards. http://www.bbb.org/council/news-events/news-releases/20131/09/meeting-bbb-charity-standards-associated-with-greater-fundraising-results/

You want shareholders without demonstrating what the shareholders are getting for the investment.

For the PTAs in town that are raising significant sums of money, most of this is online. But you want to see a log of hours volunteered, seriously???

Why are you making these demands on fellow parents who are just as busy as you are, with jobs and kids? Comparing it to a for-profit company, seriously?

FYI I am not guilt-tripping or calling anyone a freeloader, in this thread or IRL.

[Anonymous]

If the PTA showed the numbed of parent hours invested, the amount of money raised, the costs for fundraisers, the profits, the decision-making process for how funds are spent, and where
the money goes....that would help encourage participation. Rather than guilt-tripping parents, or bullying them as labeling them as freeloaders....how about each PTA make a persuasive case such as a start-up would. Or even BBB transparency standards. http://www.bbb.org/council/news-events/news-releases/20131/09/meeting-bbb-charity-standards-associated-with-greater-fundraising-results/

You want shareholders without demonstrating what the shareholders are getting for the investment.

x1 million!!

For the PTAs in town that are raising significant sums of money, most of this is online. But you want to see a log of hours volunteered, seriously??? Why are you making these demands on fellow parents who are just as busy as you are, with jobs and kids? Comparing it to a for-profit company, seriously? FYI I am not guilt-tripping or calling anyone a freeloader, in this thread or IRL.

Actually I think comparing it to a nonprofit would be fine. Like the PP who said the PTA sold baked goods at less than cost, is the ROI on the events worth it? Are the items being purchased with PTA funds worth it? I served on a PTA that had $$ sit in the bank & asked all those Qs. Like, what are you raising more $$ for if you have $$ in the bank? The treasurer pointed out that Natl PTA regs say you have to spend $$ in that school year *on the kids whose parents donated $$* but our PTA wanted a "cash reserve." That's anecdotal but the point is well taken that more financial transparency might motivate ppl. Not just, give to make our kids' school BETTER. But what, exactly, am I giving to fund?

[Anonymous]

I would like to thank every single parent volunteer at my child's school - Yu Ying. I think the volunteers are amazing. I'm personally happy to just write a check, but there are some ladies (and gentlemen) who put lots of time and effort into fund-raising and community-building and staff support, and I appreciate it. I'm sorry to read about some schools where it sounds like volunteering is some kind of strange competition, but that hasn't been my experience. A great community can really help build a great school.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read any comments, so I apologize if this has already been hashed over.

I don't get involved because I've found the leaders don't really want parents to get involved. They want people around to listen to them. They want people to donate and buy. They want a few people around to pick up chairs after a meeting. But they really don't want to delegate responsibility, put other people in charge or *really* get involved. So, I stopped.

[Anonymous]

+100000

[Anonymous]

Ex PTA president here. I think at some point board members should give up. Let there be no PTA and then you will see the a longer lines of concerned parents, mind you the same ones who refused to joined complaining about there being no PTA.

[Anonymous]

1) Social anxiety (does not take long if the other PTA members are overbearing or condescending)
2) I work FT, have kids, a DH and chores and am exhausted in the am and pm
3) Can't afford to donate a lot of money and if a project is floundering I cannot afford to pick up the slack for other parents financially. Literally. Like, if I wrote a check to the PTA this week it might bounce.
4) Terrible at fundraising

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ex PTA president here. I think at some point board members should give up. Let there be no PTA and then you will see the a longer lines of concerned parents, mind you the same ones who refused to joined complaining about there being no PTA.

You sound bitter. But be honest -- did you really include parents and their ideas? DC's pta pres just wants to boss around.

[Anonymous]

Our school PTA decided to put ALL the money it raises (1/3 million dollars!!!) to a stupid playground and I'm not going to raise money for that when my 5th grader didn't even get a math book or a real science curriculum. I'm involved in my child's class but the ES PTA does not care about my child. We need a separate PTA for MS -- then I would donate many hours.

[Anonymous]

I am involved now but considering quitting- the president wants us to just run errands for her and such, she does not listen to any ideas really. And there is not much influence on school matters and not much money to really change anything. I don't want pizza parties, I want an aide hired for my classroom. But that just won't happen.
However I am on the school board as well as a parent rep and it is much more rewarding. And less time consuming.
So next year I will donate, volunteer in class, and serve on the school board.

[Anonymous]

I'm not involved in the PTA because I burned out being on preschool boards. I'm happy to volunteer for specific activities - helping my child's teacher, working a shift at the book fair, bringing supplies to the school picnic, etc. - but I am not joining the board of a school organization again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school PTA decided to put ALL the money it raises (1/3 million dollars!!!) to a stupid playground and I'm not going to raise money for that when my 5th grader didn't even get a math book or a real science curriculum. I'm involved in my child's class but the ES PTA does not care about my child. We need a separate PTA for MS -- then I would donate many hours.

Hi CMI parent. At least you are being told what the money will be spent on so you can decide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am involved now but considering quitting- the president wants us to just run errands for her and such, she does not listen to any ideas really. And there is not much influence on school matters and not much money to really change anything. I don't want pizza parties, I want an aide hired for my classroom. But that just won't happen.
However I am on the school board as well as a parent rep and it is much more rewarding. And less time consuming.
So next year I will donate, volunteer in class, and serve on the school board.

X 1000! I was a room parent and it was just fund raising -- no classroom support. I want to be working where it matters. Now I don't have a title but I informally volunteer where it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school PTA decided to put ALL the money it raises (1/3 million dollars!!!) to a stupid playground and I'm not going to raise money for that when my 5th grader didn't even get a math book or a real science curriculum. I'm involved in my child's class but the ES PTA does not care about my child. We need a separate PTA for MS -- then I would donate many hours.

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