Supporting Arts Education through PTA’s School of Excellence Program

National PTA believes that all students deserve the opportunity to take part in high-quality arts programming. Through the National PTA School of Excellence program, PTAs can support this effort by making a commitment to enhancing and improving arts education access and programming in their school and community.

National PTA’s Schools of Excellence have a history supporting the arts in their school communities, with the 2022-2024 Schools of Excellence making their own mark on this important work.

Eden Gardens Magnet Elementary, Louisiana

Using the School of Excellence program to identify opportunities for continued development, the Eden Gardens PTA School of Excellence Team focused their Excellence Action plan on ways to reignite the National PTA’s Reflections program in their school, driving inclusivity in arts education and supporting student talent. With a new focus on improved program promotion, the PTA used various communication methods, including social media, newsletters, and flyers, to promote the program.

Standing out as best practice in their work, Eden Gardens PTA focused on an alignment between Reflections and an existing student leadership development program to gain school support. Recognizing implicit connections between the programs, the Excellence Team used their improved communication strategies to explain the common goal of helping students and families achieve student success in all areas of their lives.

The PTA used Reflections to elevate the creativity of Eden Gardens students, celebrating and recognizing their artistic talent. This gave students positive reinforcement that their artistic talents are essential to their growth and development into future leaders.

Eden Gardens PTA hopes to continue intertwining Reflections into the school’s academic programming and noted that the School of Excellence program offered a great a way to structure and advance the PTA’s goal of recognizing student creativity as one of their many strengths.

Bransford Elementary School PTA, Texas

To advance and support the arts in their community, Bransford Elementary PTA focused on enhancing family-driven arts programing and opportunities for students in every grade level. By supporting campus-wide arts initiatives, the Bransford Elementary PTA efforts would reach as many students as possible.

Bransford Elementary PTA’s Reflections program was highly successful and had a wide reach in their community. The PTA received 15 Reflections submissions, seven of which were recognized at the district level, and three went to the state competition! From across the district, their elementary campus had the most submissions recognized at the state-level showcase. The PTA also supported school-based arts programming, like the Orff Ensemble, which went on to be one of only two elementary schools to perform at the state-level music convention.

Additionally, Bransford Elementary PTA supported the schoolwide musical, with the Excellence Team pointing to the musical as part of their arts integration programming. The musical, which was open to every child, boasted 182 participants, which is nearly half of their student population. With so many ways to be involved in the musical, the PTA encouraged family engagement. From building sets, sewing costumes, volunteering time or donating financial resources, the musical programming brought together families who were all willing to contribute towards building students’ artistic success.

Recognizing the impact their focus on arts integration has had on family engagement and student success, the PTA intends to continue their work on promoting and supporting the arts, utilizing the $48,000 they raise through fundraisers to continue arts integration into the school’s curriculum. Ultimately, Bransford Elementary PTA is confident that their investment in enhancing and funding the arts will serve to build even more comprehensive arts programs for the students in their community.

Desert Willow Elementary School, Arizona

The Desert Willow Elementary PTA collaborated closely with their administrator to support and enhance the arts through the PTA Reflections program. Along with hosting and promoting Reflections, the PTA coordinated supporting events and opportunities that further integrated the arts into their school and larger community.

The PTA worked with teachers to encourage their inclusion of Reflections art projects in their classrooms that focused on the program theme “Show Your Voice!” This increased student participation in Reflections. By making Reflections and the arts part of everyday school life, the PTA ensured that all students had the resources and time to create art and, most importantly, have their creations celebrated and exhibited through their PTA Reflections Night Celebration. 

The Reflections Celebration had further benefits of enhancing the PTA’s community partnerships and relationships. The event was highly musical, with performances from a local high school jazz band and a local symphony. The most highly praised musical component was a “musical instrument petting zoo” where a locally owned music store allowed students to try out different instruments. The “petting zoo” had a line from the beginning to the end of the event!

The celebration also fostered family engagement with an emphasis on bringing the arts to school and back home. Through a collaborative art project, students and families created a peace sign display that hung in the school cafeteria for many weeks as a reminder of the event and its impact on the community. To further the family engagement at home, students were given art kits that included supplies for additional art projects, as well as a musical shaker to experiment with rhythm and music.

By the end of the school year, Desert Willow Elementary PTA saw an increase in positive responses to the School of Excellence program survey, and they credit the outcomes to their highly impactful arts programming. The results highlighted how the arts integration programming increased the PTA’s role as a central figure in their community and as a partner to local community groups and businesses. The PTA emphasized this greater sense of community as one of the most valuable takeaways and plans to continue their focus on the arts.

Moving forward, the PTA intends to explore ways to solve transportation issues for after school music clubs, continue with the Reflections program for a second year, fix the school’s broken kiln and look into scholarships for after school drama and art programs.

Advancing in the Arts in Your Community

These spotlights are only a fraction of the immense work accomplished by Schools of Excellence and their investment in the arts. If you’re interested in advancing the arts in your community, check out all the available resources from National PTA at PTA.org/ArtsEd. Then, take it up a notch by getting your own PTA involved with the School of Excellence program! You can use your ideas and passion for the arts, as well as National PTA programs like PTA Reflections, to achieve the designation and gain recognition for the work your PTA does to bring the arts to your school! Local PTAs can enroll at PTA.org/Excellence until October 15.

Celebrating Arts & Humanities through the School of Excellence

National PTA and the School of Excellence program recognize that schools and PTAs can take an active role in supporting of arts education. Throughout the country, arts education programming is being slashed, leaving all students, artists or not, without a creative outlet to explore their own experiences and identities.

Understanding this, some of our School of Excellence participants take up the mantle of supporting the arts in their school communities no matter how difficult. In honor of their hard work and Arts & Humanities month, let us explore how some of the 2019-2021 School of Excellence designees used the arts to enhance their family-school partnerships.

Centerville Elementary PTA, Utah           

Centerville Elementary PTA’s School of Excellence team, in collaboration with a group of parent advocates, chose to focus on increasing student access to the arts. Centerville Elementary PTA’s work demonstrates not only a dedication to the arts, but a dedication to their community. Their work in supporting the arts was in direct response to several parents who advocated for students to have an art program at Centerville Elementary.

The Excellence Team set to work early in the year, meeting to share ideas, set priorities, and discuss available resources. Their first task was to create a choir program. The Excellence team sent out an interest survey and received a huge response in favor of the choir program.  Close to 100 students joined the choir program (approximately ¼ of the student population) and had a phenomenal experience. The program truly brought to life the idea of family-engagement, with several parents volunteering with the program including the choir teacher, a parent who is also a highly qualified choral instructor. The choir put on a very well attended concert at the end of the school year that brought many parents and families that typically did not attend school events.

 

In truth, family engagement was incorporated into all the work Centerville Elementary PTA did. The PTA relied on their parent volunteers to weave arts education throughout the school. For example, one volunteer recognized the waste of a classroom set of ukuleles that had been left sitting in a storage room at the school. The parent coordinated Monday morning ukulele classes. The classes held an array of participants from the principal to the custodian to a technology specialist. The parent volunteer taught these school leaders to play the ukulele in hopes that they would then be able to bring the instrument to students in the school. And they did just that during the school talent show on the last day of school.

Grafton Village Elementary School PTA, Virginia

Grafton Village Elementary School PTA also focused on supporting the arts in their school community. Their work, in fact, likely could not have been as successful if it were not for their work with community members. Recognizing a lack of art supplies, the Excellence Team and PTA partnered with a local organization to run a successful art fundraiser. With assistance from the school art teacher, students created visual art pieces that could be transformed into a variety of keepsake items that parents could purchase. The funds raised through this went directly to the art teacher at Grafton Village Elementary School which allowed her to purchase more art supplies like clay, paint, and markers for her classroom. Recognizing that not all parents could choose to purchase the keepsakes, the art teacher allowed all students to take their original pieces home so all students could feel a part of the fundraiser.

In another example of community engagement, the PTA partnered with a local boy scout troop and had an Eagle Scout candidate build shelves in the art room for his Eagle Scout project.  The PTA paid for all shelving supplies, while the Eagle Scout candidate provided all the labor and construction. The end result was a beautiful set of shelves to display and dry student’s artwork.

Finally, the Grafton Village Excellence Team partnered with middle and high school students and parents to host a very successful talent show. Student and parent volunteers came to the after-school rehearsals and helped prepare talent show participants so they could shine in the final performance. During the night of the show, volunteers helped to welcome families, hand out programs, serve refreshments, and take photos so participants could remember the night. The final talent show, and all the support from volunteers, highlighted the deep commitment Grafton Village Elementary had not only for supporting the arts, but also further integrating their PTA into the school and local community.

Four Corners PTA, WI   

Four Corners PTA’s greatest accomplishment in strengthening family-school partnerships was the creation of a series of unique art focused activities that helped deepen the PTA and community’s connection to the arts. Four Corners PTA began by hosting a Create Art Night, a new activity for school, with the goal of inviting students and their families to school to create holiday gifts. The event was free to attend and included dinner which severed well over 100 people from the school community.

Four Corners PTA and the school music teacher also partnered with Little Opera of the North to give students the opportunity to perform in an opera. All of the students in the school, Pre-K through fifth grade, watched the final afternoon performance. Parents, families and community members were invited and enjoyed watching the students perform as well. The opera show was a first for many and provided the community with a new way to experience the arts. This was not the only event Four Corners PTA hosted that brought together their community through the arts. One of the art teachers at Four Corners volunteered to lead a Cookies and Canvas night at school for students and family members. Moms, Dads, Aunts and Grandmas followed step-by-step instructions provided by the teachers to create beautiful take home paintings.

The PTA also sponsored events just for the student community. The Spring Fever Family Dance Party was hosted by volunteer parents, including a local DJ and a dance instructor. Between the DJ and the instructor, students learned dances and were helped to feel more comfortable on the dance floor. The PTA also sponsored a weeklong Artist in Residency program as part of their interactive learning initiative. Working with two puppet artists from ArtStart, all grade levels made puppets and participated in a puppet performance piece. The event concluded with an evening puppet show for families that included a free dinner.

The Excellence Team at Four Corners PTA truly saw the benefits of their investment. Their focus in family engagement changed the school community by increasing student, teacher, family and community participation in the family-oriented art events that we held. The PTA saw an increase in membership, volunteers and attendance at school events. Through their focus on community and the arts, more people in the community know and understand the PTA’s mission “to make every child’s potential a reality.”

These are just a few of the School of Excellence designees who made huge strides in embedding arts education into their school communities. If you’re interested in advancing the arts in your community check out all the available resources from the hosts of Arts & Humanities and our partners at Americans for the Arts here. You can also read and download our ArtsEd Guide which provides useful ways for PTAs to explore the arts and incorporate them into their school programming.

And don’t forget to get involved with the School of Excellence program! You can use your work to advance the arts to become a School of Excellence and gain recognition for the work your PTA does to bring transformative family engagement and the arts to your school! Enroll here by October 15 and support the arts in your community!


By: Ellie Miller, Reflections Specialist

 

Meet the 2019 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Winner

This summer, National PTA honored Mark Twain Elementary PTA in Lawndale, California with the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award for Outstanding Family-School Partnership. This award is given to top National PTA School of Excellence designees for demonstrating outstanding success in engaging families in student success and school improvements.

Mark Twain Elementary PTA proved again and again to be incredibly deserving of the designation and this award. Their work throughout the School of Excellence program truly highlighted the positive impacts that can be achieved with hard work and dedication to strengthening family-school partnership.

Mark Twain Elementary PTA began their work in the summer by forming an Excellence Team composed of PTA members, the principal and student support services staff, district communications staff, and bilingual speakers. The PTA was extremely intentional in creating a team that aligned with the school community as well as the district office.

This intentional team-building proved vital in the end. Working with the principal gave the team an important advocate who assisted throughout the School of Excellence program process, while the bilingual speakers, who represented the English language learners (35% of the student population), allowed the Excellence Team to embed Inclusiveness, one of Four I’s of Transformative Family Engagement, into the program planning.

After selecting their Excellence Team and sending out National PTA’s Baseline Survey, Mark Twain Elementary PTA began analyzing the results and setting goals. The team was determined to approach the survey results critically and to use the information gathered to develop a plan that would create tangible change in their community – a critical step to success in the School of Excellence program. While every program participant must survey their community, Mark Twain Elementary PTA made sure to use the survey as a tool to embed one of the Four I’s – Individualized – into their program. By tailoring their program to the survey results, the Excellence Team ensured that their work would benefit their school community thoroughly and intentionally.

The Baseline Survey results indicated that their school community was generally pleased, but that there was a need to focus on improving education and do more with college and career readiness. With generally positive results revealed, Mark Twain Elementary PTA built their action plan around making things better rather than starting from scratch. Using the survey results, they learned what was already working, where families were already showing up and how families were interacting with one another. For example, the Excellence Team noticed that 49% of their survey responses were received by paper. To the team, this showed a community willing to give feedback but one that may benefit from a refreshed and more efficient communication strategy.

As the survey revealed to the Excellence Team that college and career readiness was an area for improvement in their community, Mark Twain Elementary PTA launched their first PTA College and Career Readiness Month. As a first step, the PTA invited parents and caregivers to read books and speak about their careers. With a female-heavy volunteer base, the PTA was pleased that four new dads joined this effort and promised they would return again next year. This increase in male volunteer support was just another example of Mark Twain Elementary PTA embedding inclusion into their School of Excellence program.

The new PTA College and Career Readiness Month also coincided with Spirit Week. Mark Twain Elementary PTA partnered with student support services who helped students write their future career plans on miniature squares. The color-coded squares then created a muraled billboard that aligned current grade levels to a high school graduation year. Many students said this was the first time they thought about their graduation. It was small moments like these – students discussing graduation for the first time or father’s volunteering where they previously had not – that showed the Excellence Team that their work was not falling short. Rather they were, in fact, creating real, positive and long-lasting change.

To close out College and Career Readiness Month, Mark Twain Elementary PTA rebranded one of their biggest traditions to JOG-A-THON 2019: Run Toward Your Future. During the run students wore college gear or clothing that expressed their desired career path. The color-coded mural also made an appearance to remind students about their educational goal and beyond.

While all these events were going on, the PTA made sure to send home bilingual communication about district PSAT workshops, local resources and experiences including STEM Nights and science festivals as well as college scholarships. This ensured that even families and children not present at the events were receiving useful information and resources. They did this purposefully with Inclusion and the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships of “Welcoming all Families” and “Communicating Effectively” in mind. In the end, the thoughtfulness and success led to the declaration that College and Career Readiness Month would be an annual event. Making the event annual allowed Mark Twain Elementary PTA to incorporate another of the vital Four I’s of Transformative Family Engagement – Integration.

At the end of the year, Mark Twain Elementary PTA’s hard work truly paid off. Through the deployment of National PTA’s Final Survey, the PTA saw 11% increase in the number of surveys submitted and a 100% increase in the ‘always’ rating in their survey responses. The PTA also moved the needle in every category and made significant leaps relative to Welcoming All Families (‘always’ up 5%-21%), Supporting Student Success (‘always’ up 5%-18%), Communicating Effectively (‘always’ up 8%-16%), and Speaking Up for Every Child (‘always’ up 6%-17%). Most importantly, the PTA witnessed their highest levels of engagement ever – with more thankful families, increased event attendance, and new volunteers.

Mark Twain Elementary PTA ended the year with much pride in their work and showed they were truly committed to making a positive change in their school community. Before even earning the designation, much less the top honor, the PTA leaders decided that, regardless of their School of Excellence designation, they were going to celebrate their year because they had accomplished so much. The Excellence Team even noted that they accomplished only small portion of all their goals and that they would continue to use the School of Excellence program to drive positive change in their school and community.

You too can see amazing changes in your school community with hard work and support from the School of Excellence program. Learn more about the program at PTA.org/Excellence and make sure to enroll by October 1 to secure your spot on the path to excellence.


Ellie Miller is a programs specialist for National PTA.

Arts Enhancement Grant Awards Local PTAs

National PTA’s Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant awards two local PTAs $1,000 in matching funds for student-centered programs that increase access to high quality arts learning experiences and new pathways for students to participate in National PTA’s Reflections program

Last year, through the Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant application, PTAs shared their plans to deliver high-quality arts education activities in the literary, media, visual and/or performing arts.

We were so excited to select Anderson Mill Elementary PTA in Texas and Reese Road Elementary School PTA in Georgia to receive the award in 2019, and we were even more impressed with the fantastic work the two PTAs did with the grant funding. Check out their stories below!

Reese Road PTA – Columbus, Ga.

In November, Reese Road PTA hosted a Fine Arts Extravaganza, a free event for their whole community. The event was supported visiting artists, high school volunteers and employees from the local library and museum.

It was an incredible success, with over 300 people in attendance! Families were able to explore the arts together throughout the school, with an exhibit displaying student artwork in the gym and a snack station in the school café. At the many stations hosted throughout the evening, attendees were able to make buttons, necklaces, keychains, origami and illuminated sculptures. Attendees were able to work with their families at the stations to experiment with new creative processes and mediums.

Katrina Long, Reese Road Principal said, “All of the smiles made me happy! The students, teachers, parents and grandparents were so excited to play with the different media and see all of the beautiful artwork that the students worked so hard to create!

The event also highlighted STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) programming in the Reese Road’s curriculum. Event participants were able to get hands-on understanding of how students apply art and creativity to their learning process. This gave parents and guardians insight into their student’s school, alongside the students, while also emphasizing the importance of arts in education.

Reese Road PTA leaders also made sure to encourage student participation in the Look Within Reflections program and hope to see some of their submissions win on the state and national level. As a Title I school with a diverse school population, many of whom receive free and reduced lunches, Reese Road Elementary School PTA was able to use the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant to truly bring the arts into education.

Anderson Mill Elementary PTA – Austin, Texas

In order to thoroughly incorporate arts education into their school, Anderson Mill Elementary PTA chose to host several events and activities throughout the school year. Melissa George, Anderson Mill Elementary PTA President explained, “Our activities and events are spread throughout the entire school year in order to cover all of the art categories celebrated in the Reflections program. For many, seeing or hearing the word ‘art’ usually brings to mind the visual arts—people forget that there is so much more, and it has been exciting to have this opportunity to help expand awareness and knowledge in these areas.”

Using the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant as support, the Anderson Mill Elementary PTA partnered with school personnel to develop art education programming that would bring the school’s diverse community together, while exposing students and community members to the arts. Thus far, Anderson Mill PTA has hosted three events that incorporated arts education into the programming—the Multicultural Celebration, the Fall Family Art Night, and the Fall Carnival.

Leadership pointed to the Multicultural Celebration as their most successful event yet. At the celebration, students were exposed to the unique cultures in their community and were able to explore the many artistic sides of those cultures. Families were asked to share cultural dances and artwork from home to display and educate the community. The celebration event also had cultural arts stations that allowed students to make their own take-away artwork. Stations included henna art, Chinese calligraphy, papel picado, Dias de los Muertos masks and more. The event was so well-attended that the PTA plans to host a similar event in the spring.

Anderson Mill PTA believes their work to implement the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant has boosted awareness of the PTA and helped strengthen relationships with diverse communities. With a high percentage of low-income families and English language learners, their work made families more aware of the PTA and the services they provide to their community. Through their hard work and the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant, Anderson Mill PTA was able to bring families and students together in a unique and impactful way.

Congratulations, once again, to Reese Road PTA and Anderson Mill Elementary PTA! You can learn more about the Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant at PTA.org/ArtsEd.

 

Student to Select National Art Program’s Theme

Every year, National PTA hosts an annual nationwide search for a new Reflections program theme! Students from across the country and in U.S. schools overseas are invited to submit their ideas for a new Reflections theme to their state PTA. State PTAs can then submit up to five finalists to National PTA.

A panel of National PTA volunteer leaders is responsible for selecting one child’s theme search submission to become the official Reflections program year theme, inspiring the creativity and imagination of thousands of students. In acknowledgement of their theme being selected, our student winners receive national recognition, as well as $100 from National PTA.

Our panel of judges examines the theme submissions based on several criteria, including clarity and applicability to all arts categories. Since the themes are selected two years in advance, judges also examine how relevant each theme submission will be in the future. Most importantly, themes are judged on their uniqueness. With over 50 themes from previous Reflections cycles, we want to make sure upcoming themes are original and unlike past program themes.

Check out this amazing list of past Reflections themes!

The theme for this year, ‘Look Within,’ was submitted by Enashele Campbell, a Kindergartner from H. Guy Child Elementary PTA in Ogden, UT. Thanks, Enashele, for inspiring this year’s amazing program theme and logo!

The theme for 2020-2021 program will be ‘I Matter Because…’. This theme was submitted by Rylee Stier, a 1st Grader from Burney Elementary School in Burney, California. We can’t wait to see all of the incredible artwork inspired by this theme next year.

In acknowledgement of their theme being selected, our student winners receive $100 from National PTA and national recognition.

One student will select the 2021-2022 program theme – Will they be from your state? Visit your State Reflections Program page to find out if your state is participating in the theme search!

 


Ellie Miller, Programs & Partnerships Specialist at National PTA.

Excellence in Action: 2019’s Top 3 National PTA Schools of Excellence

Each year, the top three National PTA Schools of Excellence are selected to receive the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Awards for demonstrating outstanding success in engaging families in student success and school improvements. These awards are selected by a team of Past National PTA Presidents and are the highest honor National PTA offers for success in family engagement.

The 2019 National PTA Phoebe Apperson Hearst recipients are: Mark Twain Elementary PTA (California) who received the top Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award, Norman Rockwell PTA (Washington) who received a Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit and Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA (Florida) who also received a Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit.

In addition to national recognition, thanks to the generous support of the Hearst Foundation, the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Family-School Partnership Awardee receives a $2,000 grant for their school and the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Merit Awardees each receive $500 grants for their schools.

We are so pleased to share with you just a snapshot of the fantastic work our 2019 National PTA Phoebe Apperson Hearst recipients put into building and growing family-school partnerships in their communities.

Mark Twain Elementary PTA, California

We were so impressed by the efforts of our 2019 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award winner. Mark Twain Elementary School PTA began their School of Excellence journey with a vision to become a stable organization that leads in engaging with and meeting the needs of all families. The PTA focused on several goals early in their planning process and used these goals to build an organized approach to family-school engagement.

  • Improve leadership and member training, planning and organization
  • Refresh traditional PTA programs and add new ideas
  • Expand funding sources and eliminate inefficient activities
  • Increase school and community engagement

With these in mind, the PTA created an Excellence Team including PTA members, the principal, student support services staff, district communications staff and bilingual speakers. With their team set, the Excellence Team planned to combine refreshed traditions and new activities to best serve their current families.

One example of this combination was Mark Twain Elementary School PTA’s re-themed tradition: JOG-A-THON 2019: Run Toward Your Future. Students wore college gear or a shirt expressing their desired career path. Students were invited to help create a muraled billboard with miniature squares depicting their future career plans.

Mark Twain Elementary School PTA also launched several new events and programs, including their first-ever PTA College and Career Readiness Month in March with a combined Read Across America/Career Day. During the latter, the PTA invited parents to both read books and speak about their careers. In the usually female-heavy volunteer base, four new dads showed up and declared they would return next year.

The survey results Mark Twain Elementary School PTA eventually collected reflect just how much work went into achieving excellence. 100% of the year-end survey questions reflected an increase in the ‘always’ rating and 95% of questions showed ‘always’ selected greater than 50% of the time. The PTA even saw an 11% increase in the number of surveys submitted at year-end!

Norman Rockwell PTA, Washington

Norman Rockwell PTA, one of our two 2019 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit winners, highlighted communication as the key to their success in the School of Excellence program.

The PTA’s emphasis on communication provided a deeper understanding of school programs, educated parents on transitioning students between grade levels and created more consistent communication to reach families where they were.

After a positive response to new, multi-lingual ‘Welcome’ signs, the Norman Rockwell PTA knew they needed to capitalize on their momentum towards consistent communication. To do so, the PTA decided to foster their partnership with the principal’s ‘Coffee with Mr. Clark’, a monthly meeting for families to discuss important topics with the principal in an open, casual Q & A format.

The PTA found this format was especially useful as it made it easy for families to be heard, while also allowing parents and the principal to work towards a common understanding. Their work to foster this partnership paid off and ‘Coffee with Mr. Clark’ reached at least 50 parents. Norman Rockwell PTA hopes to double attendance next year.

Norman Rockwell PTA’s focus on communication did not stop with coffee, however. The PTA also worked to involve parents in planning for students transitioning between grade levels. Using National PTA’s Parent’s Guides to Student Success, the Beagle Bugle, Norman Rockwell PTA’s weekly newsletter, featured one grade level for two weeks and linked parents to an overview of key topics children learn in their English literacy and math classrooms. Each article presented activities for families to do at home to ensure students meet core expectations and support academic standards. The PTA went one step further and, before publishing the content, met with teacher groups to review the content and ensure their grade level met the outlined standards.

The concentrated effort Norman Rockwell PTA placed on communication did not go unnoticed in their state. Due to the PTAs efforts, the Washington PTA awarded Norman Rockwell PTA the Silver Award of Excellence for Outstanding Communication Strategy, an award that recognizes local PTAs for their use of multiple forms of communication.

Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA, Florida

Our second 2019 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit winner, Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA in Florida, decided to focus on improving the education of their students by engaging more families during their School of Excellence program year. To accomplish this, Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA hosted events and programs that helped families to get to know and relate with one another both in and out of school.

One successful program was Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA involvement in the National PTA Reflections art program. The PTA had a total of 52 entries in visual arts and literature and have two became district level Reflections winners.

To further acknowledge the Reflections participants, Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA hosted an awards ceremony and invited parents to attend and recognize their children, as well as other participants. Following the Reflections competition, Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA hosted an art show for all second through fifth grade students. Parents were able to walk through a gallery filled with many colorful masterpieces and talk amongst each other.

Additionally, the PTA hosted a family night at the local ice arena for families to come together and socialize, as well as a family night with the Miami Heat basketball team, which included a performance by the Jane S. Roberts K8 Center band students before the game.

The impact of these events was reflected in end of the year survey results, which showed a 26% increase in responses relating to encouraging families to volunteer, showing respect to all families, listening to families concerns and establishing policies to recognize diversity.

Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA also worked to strengthen their school’s presence in the community. The PTA reached out to a few organizations to begin building partnerships. At the first PTSA meeting, the PTA invited a financial planner to give a presentation to families in attendance. Additionally, in the school’s main office, the PTA put together a parent resource center that provided families with valuable information from various organizations in the community. In partnership with the Student Council, the school and PTA also gave back to the local community with a food and toy drive. The PTA’s work to improve community relations was show in end of the year survey data which reflected an average increase of 17% as it relates to community partnerships and resources.

By the end of the School of Excellence program, Jane S. Roberts K8 Center significantly improved their family-school partnerships, made their school community more welcoming and inclusive, increased participation in PTA events and fostered more productive conversations with families. The School of Excellence program allowed Jane S. Roberts K8 Center PTSA to remain aligned with the PTA’s mission to make every student’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering their families and the local community.

Congratulations once again to these amazing PTAs and to all of our 2019-2021 National PTA Schools of Excellence. The work that these PTAs accomplished shows just how much impact a dedicated PTA, school and community can have in just a year’s time.

Take the first step in becoming a nationally-recognized PTA School of Excellence by enrolling now through Oct. 1 at PTA.org/Excellence and visit PTA.org/Hearst for the full narratives our Phoebe Apperson Hearst Awardees.

Email Excellence@PTA.org with any questions.


Ellie Miller, Programs & Partnerships Specialist at National PTA.

Excellence in 3 Ways

We are so pleased to announce our newest class of National PTA Schools of Excellence. The amazing 2019-2021 designees consist of 326 amazing PTA leaders—a whopping 17% increase from last year!

The two-year School of Excellence designation celebrates PTA leadership and accomplishments in building strong, effective family-school partnerships! Through the year-long program process, each PTA examines how their community feels the school measures up to the research-based indicators of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Then the PTA members work in partnership with their school community and administrators to address areas for growth and create new ways for families to support student success.

Here are just a few examples of how the 2019-2021 National PTA Schools of Excellence worked to improve their schools and communities to achieve the designation.

Wiregrass Ranch High School PTSA, Florida

Wiregrass Ranch High School (WRHS) PTSA worked to increase student participation and engagement. Through a coordinated social media and outreach campaign, WRHS PTSA obtained a record number of student liaisons (18). The liaisons diligently attended PTSA Board meetings and managed the PTSA Twitter account. Their perspective and insight were invaluable!

The student engagement didn’t stop at the school walls, however. For the first time in the history of WRHS, the WRHS PTSA student liaisons attended the Florida PTA Legislative Conference in Tallahassee. At the conference student liaisons met with legislators to discuss changes in the law to benefit their education and communities.

Leroy Gordon Cooper PTA, New Jersey

Leroy Gordon Cooper PTA hosted an Art and Music festival to begin strengthening their Family-School Partnerships. At the event, parents, students, and special guests, including district administration, viewed musical performances and artwork created by Leroy Gordon Cooper students.

To get more families involved and bring awareness to the event, Leroy Gordon Cooper PTA held contests for the design of the event program and t-shirts. They also raised money during the event by auctioning off student artwork and hosting raffles and a bake sale. This allowed the PTA to give scholarships and funds directly to the art and music program at Leroy Gordon Cooper, showing the value of PTA!

  Barksdale Elementary PTA, Texas

As a part of their work with the School of Excellence program, Barksdale Elementary PTA focused on creating a welcoming culture and climate by helping their school community understand and respect cultural differences. To accomplish this, the PTA created a Cultural Diversity Night, where families volunteered to host tables that showcased their families’ culture.

Barksdale Elementary PTA realized that English was the second language spoken by most families they hoped to involve in the event. To resolve this, Barksdale Elementary PTA worked with an ESL specialist to translate the invitation into Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Hindi and Spanish. The invitation was then sent home with students in their family’s first language.

By the evening of our event, seventy families had volunteered to host a table, representing twenty-eight countries and six continents! Table host families dressed in customary attire, prepared traditional dishes, performed dances, provided crafts, and displayed artifacts and pictures. Families that did not host a table received a passport upon arrival, which was stamped after the student and their family had ‘explored’ the country’s display. This event was extremely well received, and enthusiastically praised by all that participated. There was a palpable sense of community and inclusion that carried over into the rest of their year!

Congratulations to these amazing PTAs and, once again, to all of our 2019-2021 National PTA School of Excellences. The work that these PTAs accomplished was specific to their unique schools’ needs. How will your PTA work as key decision-makers and action-takers in your school this year?

Take the first step in becoming a nationally-recognized PTA School of Excellence by enrolling now through Oct. 1 at PTA.org/Excellence. Email Excellence@PTA.org with any questions.


Ellie Miller is a Programs & Partnerships Specialist at National PTA.

Celebrating our 2018 Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grantees

As we open the 2019 Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant cycle, we are reminded of the many arts education projects that this grant opportunity has funded. Most recently, the Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant honored high quality arts learning programs at Harvest Hill PTA in California and Tiffany Park Elementary PTA in Washington with $1000 in matching grant funds.

Harvest Hill PTA hosted a free Family Art Night in collaboration with community partners to kick off their inaugural Reflections program. The Family Art Night invited all families to come in the evening to learn about the Reflections program, while also introducing families to new artistic mediums. Families had the opportunity to participate in a variety of art stations including; playdough for 3D art, Charcoal, Paint Markers and Watercolor pencils. Gina Jahn, Harvest Hill PTA President, explains:

“The best part was seeing all of the families spend the evening together bonding over art and interacting with each other away from electronics. It was a memorable night that the families appreciated and knowing that the PTA hosted and sponsored the night allowed for the families to get a glimpse into how the PTA can impact the school.”

Harvest Hill’s inaugural Reflections program went on to receive over 22 submissions of which 5 went on to Council judging and 2 moved on to the District-wide level.  Harvest Hill PTA believes that their initial Family Art Night set the foundation for many future years of arts education and participation in the Reflections program.

Tiffany Park Elementary PTA had a similarly successful event funded in part by the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant. Tiffany Park hosted an Art Appreciation Night with a “Heroes Around Me” theme to kick off the Reflections program and engage the community in the arts. The event included a free dinner, remarks from the school Vice Principal and the District Reflections Chair, and an introduction to the Reflections program and theme. Families also had the opportunity to visit stations ran by volunteer community members that held professions in the each of the Reflections arts categories (visual arts, photography, literature, music, dance, and film) to learn about the art form.

Tiffany Park PTA believes their project has strengthened relationships and connections within their school as well as outside community partners, nearby schools and alumni. As a small, Title 1 school with a $550 budget for arts appreciation and 62% of their population receiving free and reduced lunch, the Tiffany Park PTA was extremely grateful for the grant opportunity and contributions from local organizations and businesses. Stephanie Ferran-Herrara, Tiffany Park’s Art Appreciation Chair, explains:

“It was an occasion for all of our families to come out and learn about different genres of art. Staff and community members were able to have a conversation about the importance of art for our students and we were able to encourage participating in Reflections in a fun and active way.”

In addition to the successful event, Tiffany Park PTA received 26 eligible entries for Reflections and advanced 14 to district level judging. Ferran-Herrara shared, “This project has demonstrated to our Tiffany Park students and teachers that academic AND creative endeavors are valued. We feel it has broadened the definition of what it means to be successful at school.”

Special thanks to Harvest Hill PTA and Tiffany Park Elementary PTA for supporting their students and families through such impactful arts in education programs.  For more information about the Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grant, visit PTA.org/ArtsEd.

 

 

 

 

Plan Your Own Award-Worthy PTA Reflections Showcase Watch Party

 

Through the National PTA Reflections program, students receive national, state, and local recognition for their artistry and originality in dance choreography, film production, literature, music, photography, and visual arts. This year is even more important than usual as it is our 50th anniversary. Since 1969, when the program was founded, Reflections has helped so many students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, and find a love for learning!

To celebrate, National PTA is going all out by incorporating 50th anniversary celebrations into our upcoming events, including this year’s Reflections Student Arts Showcase at the Department of Education. This year’s Reflections Showcase recognizes our 2017-18 Reflections winners with a ceremony featuring guest speakers and student performances, followed by a digital and physical art exhibit. National PTA is pleased to present a live-casting of this year’s showcase event so that you can celebrate the Reflections program’s 50th anniversary with us!

As you plan your watch party, use these ideas to make your event award-worthy!

Decorate, Decorate, Decorate!

Show-off your PTA’s artistic skills and decorate your watch party with 50th Anniversary and award show decorations. Whether it’s gold 50th balloons, a red carpet, or spotlight photo-op, a highly decorated watch party will encourage participation and fun!

Incorporate Learning into Your Watch Party

Whether your continuing to emphasize the importance of art literacy or if you want to focus on the 50th anniversary, there are a multitude of ways to make your watch party both fun AND informative.

Its Snack Time!

From pizza to cupcakes, a watch party is not complete without some tasty treats. You can use standard snack ideas, but why not dazzle your audience with some award show and 50th anniversary inspired snacks.

Finally – Share, Share, Share!

Share your ideas, photos, and videos using #PTAReflections to let us know how you celebrate the Reflections Showcase by sharing your ideas, photos, and videos using #PTAReflections.

We look forward to celebrating Reflections 50th Anniversary with all of you!