The Real PTA Fact Checks Netflix’s The Prom

December 18, 2020 By Leave a Comment

High School. We’ve all been there. It’s a time when adolescence, education and socialization meet to give teens a preview of adulthood and life. During these years, all teens want to find their tribe, fit in and experience all the traditional activities like prom night. I’m sure you remember your high school prom and all its unforgettable moments—good and maybe not so good. That’s the backdrop of the new Netflix film, The Prom.

Released earlier this month, The Prom is a musical comedy about a group of struggling Broadway stars who go to a small Indiana town to rally behind a teen named Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) who’s been excluded from her prom because she wants to attend with her girlfriend. Adapted from the 2018 Broadway musical, it stars Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key and Kerry Washington.

I recently watched the film with my family, and it was high energy, glittery and fanciful. However, like with every movie, there’s a protagonist and antagonist. Unfortunately, PTA is cast as the villain in this story. 

The movie opens with the school’s fictional PTA voting to cancel prom to prevent Emma from participating. Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), head of the “PTA” is virtually the only voice and face of parents in the entire movie. She pushes her biased agenda and disregards any opposing thought—even from the principal (Keegan-Michael Key)—to pit the community against one student. Meanwhile, the students also taunt Emma because she’s unapologetically her true self. 

So, while The Prom sings and dances its way through the issue of accepting LGBTQ students in schools, like many other classic high school movies, it ends with a happy resolution. However, it’s important to point out that in reality, PTA is not the bad guy—or the mean girl. And in real life, PTA is there to prevent what happened in The Prom. PTAs help create positive school communities where every student and family feel welcome and included. 

PTA was specifically founded (over 120 years ago!) to advocate for our children and youth who have no voice of their own to help better their lives. That’s because we know that as students learn and grow, their experience and success are shaped by their family life and school community. PTA leaders work collaboratively with families, school administrators and students to cultivate a safe, supportive and respectful environment for all students.

So let’s break down some key fiction vs. facts in the movie:

Fiction: PTA does not support LGBTQ students.

Fact: PTAs believe that every child deserves to go to school excited to learn—without the fear of bullying, violence or discrimination. PTA strongly advocates on behalf of LBGTQ children and youth and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Fiction: PTA can cancel Prom.

Fact: Proms are generally considered a school sponsored event and are typically run by the junior and senior class of that school. As stated in the movie, the prom is supposed to be a celebration of all students, not PTA.

Fiction: One person can make decisions for the entire school.

Fact: While there is a PTA president who represents the association, that person doesn’t act alone. There are other officers and members who work closely with the families, educators and students in the school to understand and serve the unique needs of the community.

Across the country, students, families and educators experience vastly different education systems that either support or hinder the ability for all children to reach their full potential. This is often due to disparities in opportunities, access and financial resources—and whether parents are respected as equal partners in their child’s education. Our real-life PTAs seek to respect differences, yet acknowledge shared commonalities. This unifies their communities and allows them to support their students, families and school in meaningful ways.

Watch The Prom and use this movie to spark conversation with your preteens, teens and other parents about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Talk about what issues in your own school communities and how you can be more accepting. And remember to work with your local PTA. We’re not the villain in real life. We’re here to help you be your child’s hero.

Leslie Boggs is the president of National PTA.

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How Parents Feel About Assessments in a Pandemic

October 23, 2020 By Leave a Comment

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the health and safety of students and educators remains at the forefront of every parent and family’s mind this school year. It’s hard to focus on anything else, but when it comes to education, these are not the only concerns.

The effects of the pandemic on our students are much further reaching than simply the way in which they are learning this school year. The pandemic has further illuminated and exacerbated education inequities across the nation.

Since the pandemic began, National PTA has been advocating for dedicated funding for public schools to address COVID-19 related needs, including resources to close the connectivity gap so all students can learn online, support for students with disabilities and low-income families, and access to school meal benefits for students.

Now that the new school year is underway, safety must still be the primary concern for students, educators and other school personnel, but we must also consider and address the potential effects of disrupted in-person and remote learning on our students’ academic progress.

National PTA recently partnered with Edge Research to conduct focus groups with parents across the country to hear their perspectives on their children’s educational experience during the pandemic. We heard loud and clear that parents want and need to know where their children’s starting point is this school year, acknowledging that students had different experiences with remote schooling last spring.

One way to do this is to use a diagnostic or benchmark tests at the beginning of the school year. A benchmark assessment can help teachers tailor instruction and help identify the supports students need from their school, teachers and family. The focus groups revealed that parents across the country are largely in support of diagnostic tests at the beginning of the school year to measure their children’s starting point.

Parents also understand the purpose of giving students an end-of-year test to show their progress and to know whether their child met grade-level expectations for the school year. They also feel that the end-of-year test does not have to be comparable to the test given in the fall. It is more about seeing the progress their child made and having valuable information they can use to better support their learning at home.

It is important than ever for parents and educators to have meaningful data on student learning. There are multiple measures—including benchmark tests, classroom-based tests, standardized assessments, report card grades and teacher observations—that, when combined, help give a clearer picture of where children are academically.

While the current situation is not one any of us predicted or desires to be in, we should take this opportunity to advocate for assessments that provide meaningful information to parents to help support their children’s learning at home, as well as help educators address learning gaps early on and tailor their instruction to students.

This means assessments must be informative and low stake and results must be provided in a timely manner and in ways that are easy to understand for parents.

We all know that this school year is unlike any other, however, it is still imperative that parents and families have access to meaningful data, information and transparency on their children’s academic progress.

What can you do to help understand where your child’s starting point is this year?  Here are some questions you can ask your child’s teacher and/or principal:

  • What diagnostic or benchmark test(s) are given to my child?
  • When and how will the results be provided to me?
  • How can I use these results to support my child’s learning?
  • How will you use these results to support my child’s learning?

All of us must work together to make sure we have the best, most accurate information to support our children’s learning and help them reach their full potential.

Author: Leslie Boggs, National PTA President.

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Filed Under: Education News, Every Child in Focus, General, Slider Tagged With: , ,

National PTA President Addresses Membership Amongst Pandemic

March 19, 2020 By Leave a Comment

The coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) has reached a critical point. Yesterday we learned that we have lost our first known PTA leader to the virus. Our utmost priority during this crisis is the health and safety of all of our members and all students, educators, staff and families. We are also committed to supporting and making sure all PTAs, children, families, schools and communities have what they need during this challenging time.

COVID-19 has and will continue to have significant impacts and implications on K-12 education and student populations. Please know that National PTA is engaging regularly with congressional staff and fellow education partners on critical issues related to COVID-19 such as state testing requirements, access and support for online learning and school meals. We’re also advocating for Congress to take swift, bipartisan action to provide fiscal and policy relief to state and local education agencies.

Today, we issued a statement calling for the federal government to provide clear and robust guidance for families and schools struggling amid the pandemic. We’ve also compiled resources and will continue to add more for our community to use to help navigate the crisis. We are working every day to provide information to support families and students and advocating on behalf of our nation’s youth.

As you and your PTA have questions regarding COVID-19, we urge you to reach out to your state and local health and education departments. Additionally, you can support efforts to assist  the most vulnerable children and families by engaging with local school districts and departments of health to determine high-need areas and collaborate with community groups—such as food pantries and other non-profits—to provide essential services and support.

Please continue to follow National PTA on social media, read our newsletters and check out resources and information on COVID-19 at www.PTA.org/COVID-19.

Thank you for everything you are doing to support families, students and schools in your states and communities during this time. We remain committed to advocating for and helping you and our nation’s families, schools and communities navigate the challenges that have arisen in this time of crisis.

Sincerely,
Leslie Boggs

Filed Under: Membership, Slider