You’re Invited! Join us for the 2021 Virtual Legislative Conference

Happy New Year! It seems like just yesterday that we were all gathered at the Westin in Old Towne Alexandria for the 2020 Legislative Conference. PTA Advocates were on Capitol Hill the last day it was opened to the public before the pandemic. So much has happened since then.

PTA has been busy advocating for COVID relief and a safe reopening of schools, as well as for funding and support for remote learning, child nutrition, social and emotional learning and broadband access for all. We have been affected deeply by the escalated racism and echoed the calls for social justice. Our political climate has been tumultuous and uncertain. PTA has been at the forefront of these issues.

2021 is a new year with new beginnings. In March, we will build on our advocacy efforts over the last year by hosting National PTA’s first-ever Virtual Legislative Conference, March 9-11. Our annual Legislative Conference (known fondly as LegCon) has always been my favorite event because it is PTA’s opportunity to use our voices to improve the lives of children and families. Advocacy is at the core of our association’s mission and vision. Our legacy in advocacy started almost 125 years ago, when our founders organized over 2,000 parents to speak on behalf of children and continued to lead the way in improving their lives. Through our members’ resilience and persistent commitment to advocacy, National PTA has played an integral role in landmark federal education legislation and policies.

At this year’s Virtual Legislative Conference, we will continue to empower the voices of our members towards making every child’s potential a reality. This year our theme is “PTA Takes Action Together for Every Child” and we will do just that when our members all across the nation meet virtually with their Federal Representatives and Senators to do more to support, advance and protect our nation’s youth.

We are thrilled to be able to offer a Virtual Hill Day to our LegCon attendees Wednesday, March 10. Meetings with Members of Congress may look and feel different this year, but Hill meetings remain an enormously important advocacy tool. In fact, during COVID we have seen a 45% increase in offices that are willing to participate in video-webinars, and a 35% increase in Members of Congress who are participating in virtual meetings themselves. National PTA has partnered with Soapbox Consulting to help ensure that your experience meeting with members and staff is seamless. To that end, if you register for LegCon 2021 by Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, you will be automatically signed up to participate in Hill day.

As a constituent in your home states, your grassroots perspective is extremely valuable to elected officials and their staff. During our Virtual Hill Day, you will be able to inform lawmakers about which federal programs are serving our children well and which ones are failing them. Federal policymakers work to improve the lives of children and families and they want to hear directly from the people they represent.  Never underestimate the power of your voice!

We all want to improve education! LegCon will be the time to call upon the newly elected 117th Congress to take action and let them know how they can make a difference in the lives of all children. Several resources will be provided to our PTA Advocates to guide them through their meetings with Members of Congress. The Legislative Committee is particularly excited about the National PTA Public Priorities for the 117th Congress, which you can preview on the PTA website.

In addition to the Virtual Hill Day, the 2021 National PTA Virtual Legislative Conference will also include world-class virtual advocacy training, including wonderful workshops and PTA Advocacy Spotlights, which highlight PTA advocacy success stories from across the nation. Attendees will also enjoy prominent keynote speakers, a mental health panel, and our annual PTA Advocacy Award Ceremony. There will also be an opportunity for all Federal Legislative Chairs (FLC) to collaborate and share with fellow FLCs in a live networking session.

Attending #PTALegCon is also about improving and sharpening your advocacy skills! Regardless of your level of advocacy knowledge, we will have something for everyone.  Not only will you have the opportunity to hear from policy experts during our Workshops, you will hear from your peers that are experts in diverse areas of advocacy. This will include relevant topics such as safe and supportive schools, public school funding, diversity and inclusion, coalition building, school data reporting, child nutrition, and climate control. These experts will guide you through the policy landscape and equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively advocate on these issues.

You will leave LegCon better prepared to engage in policy discussions with lawmakers, advocates and members of your community. We are confident you will use this valuable information in your states to feel fully self-reliant and ready to speak for every child with one voice!

My fellow PTA advocates, don’t delay! Come “meet” with policymakers and learn how to shape public policy on Capitol Hill and in your own state. Don’t miss this chance to expand your knowledge and have your voices heard. Join us! Register today at PTA.org/LegCon to attend.


Yvonne Johnson (Delaware) is the National PTA Vice President of Advocacy.

PTA’s Advocacy Efforts Ramp Up After 2016 LegCon

LegCon Around Conference Photos by Lifetouch-103-L

More than 200 PTA members nationwide attended National PTA’s 2016 Legislative Conference (LegCon) to hone their advocacy skills and learn new ways to strengthen their PTA voice. During workshops and panel discussions, PTA leaders heard from experts about best practices to expand their grassroots network of PTA advocates, build relationships with policymakers and how to amplify their message through social media.

On the last day of LegCon, PTA advocates met with their elected officials on Capitol Hill to discuss key issues affecting children and families, including obtaining funding for Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). PTA members’ dedicated advocacy efforts and collective voice resulted in 38 Representatives and 22 Senators signing on to a Dear Colleague letter in support of funding SFECs.

The bipartisan, bicameral support for the Dear Colleague letter is a great example of the power of our PTA advocacy efforts. That success is just the beginning of what the PTA can achieve when our 4 million members advocate for “Every Child with One Voice.”

To push back against the expected budget cuts to federal education programs, it is imperative for PTA members to continue to be engaged with Congress in 2016. The LegCon workshops and trainings have been uploaded to the LegCon website and can be utilized year-round to expand PTA members’ advocacy efforts at all levels of government.

The key to effective advocacy is building relationships with your Members of Congress and their office staff. Below are a few relationship building strategies that you can do throughout the year to develop a rapport with your Congressional offices:

  • Send letters to your member of Congress through National PTA’s Takes Action Center
  • Call your member of Congress’ office to discuss issues affecting children and families in your district and state
  • Meet with your member of Congress and their staff in the district office
  • Invite your member of Congress to visit your school and/or attend a PTA meeting
  • Engage with your member of Congress on social media

By developing a strong line of communication with your members of Congress and their staff, our association will be able to meet our policy goals that will help to improve the lives of children and families across the country.

Sign-up to receive our PTA Takes Action e-newsletter and follow @NationalPTA on Twitter for updates on National PTA legislative priorities.


Joshua Westfall is the government affairs manager at National PTA.