Hard work and a welcoming attitude revived a struggling PTO
Ana Markowski and Liz Melby didn’t listen to the naysayers.
When they became co-chairs of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Fair Oaks Elementary School in Brooklyn Park, they were told not to expect much participation from parents, many of whom work multiple jobs and are not native English speakers.
Instead of becoming discouraged, the two school employees figured out why parents weren’t attending, and redesigned activities and meetings to make them more family-friendly.
The strategy was twofold: Entice people to a meeting by offering food and prizes, and convince them to return by providing useful information in an atmosphere welcoming to all cultures.
“It wasn’t easy to get this going. Our school is different — we’re so diverse,” says Markowski, the school’s Spanish interpreter. “The parents all really want to help. They just need guidance.”
Some students are Hmong, others are Liberian, and more than a third are from Spanish-speaking families. About 85 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.
Because school can be an intimidating place, especially for a parent who doesn’t speak English, the Fair Oaks PTO provides interpreters whenever possible. Parents are matched with tasks they can accomplish despite the language barrier, like running the popcorn machine, and all contributions are valued.
“We want them to feel comfortable here, and to feel comfortable asking questions of the leadership,” Melby says.
A voice for their children
Family involvement has become an important topic for schools in the past decade, in Minnesota and across the country, at a time when families seem busier than ever. Studies have shown that students with involved parents are much more likely to succeed in school, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or parent education level.
Rosie Loeffler-Kemp, volunteer president of the Minnesota Parent Teacher Association (PTA), says volunteering at school or attending events also gives family members insight into how the school works and improves their relationship with teachers and principals.
“The reason we urge parents and families to be involved, particularly with the PTA, is it is a way to have a voice, both for their children and for other children,” Loeffler-Kemp says.
In 1997, the National PTA established six family-involvement standards for schools to use as a guideline. It also helped develop the standards included in the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires schools to develop ways to increase parent involvement.
Loeffler-Kemp says the standards include things like making all people feel welcome and giving parents a voice in school decision-making. The standards are flexible enough to accommodate the fact that needs vary from school to school and from district to district.
Tough sell
Like Fair Oaks in Brooklyn Park, Harambee Elementary School in Maplewood enrolls students from varied cultural backgrounds. But because its students come from 10 different school districts, the school works to build community among families who don’t live in the same neighborhood.
A board of volunteers that works closely with the school’s family involvement coordinator runs the school’s parent teacher group, Partners in Education (PIE). Every family member of a Harambee student is considered a PIE member, but only a small number regularly attend monthly meetings, says PIE Chair Dawn Krueger.
PIE plans at least four big events a year — including a year-end picnic and a science and culture fair — that relate to the school’s emphasis on community culture and environmental science. These events are staffed by parent volunteers and emphasize hands-on activities for students.
Krueger says everyone benefits when families participate in school activities.
“Even if it’s just one thing a year that a parent gets involved in, it can make an impact on our organization, for sure, and on the kids,” she says.
Efforts rewarded
Fair Oaks PTO co-chairs Melby and Markowski say it isn’t necessary to attend every PTO meeting or volunteer every week to be an involved parent. Involved parents, to them, are people who are aware of what’s going on at school and do what they can to help their children succeed.
Since they started leading the PTO, the women have seen their efforts rewarded. Meetings that once drew only a few committed parents began to attract grandmothers, dads with babies in strollers, and older children who help babysit the little ones. Parents who once were hesitant to enter the school have become comfortable enough to confide in staff about their family’s needs. Family members with limited funds have taken a day off from work to volunteer, knowing how much it means to the students.
Markowski credits the success to teamwork, common sense, and treating people like guests. She also says parent teacher groups must be persistent and willing to take chances.
“Just because something goes wrong, it doesn’t mean don’t do it again,” she says. “You make mistakes and keep doing it until you get it right.”
Joy Riggs is a writer in Northfield.
Six standards for family involvement
Communication: Communication between home and school is ongoing, two-way, and meaningful.
Parenting: Parenting skills are promoted and supported.
Student learning: Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.
Volunteering: Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.
School decision-making and advocacy: Parents are full partners in making the decisions that affect children and families.
Collaborating with community: Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families, and student learning.
–Source: National PTA
Ana Markowski offers these tips for parent teacher groups:
• Personally invite people to events and remind them with a telephone call; don’t send out flyers that likely won’t be read.
• Reach parents through their children. If you can get students excited about an event, they will convince their families to attend. Markowski advertises PTO meetings over the intercom with the help of a puppet named Maria.
• Limit meetings to an hour in length, and eliminate confusing rules and procedures.
• Serve food and beverages, and use tablecloths for a homey touch.
• Make sure a greeter is stationed at the front door.
• Play games and offer simple prizes that a whole family would enjoy.
PTA or PTO?
Minnesota PTAs are affiliated with the National Parent Teacher Association. Members pay dues and receive training and other benefits, and are part of an organization that lobbies at the state and national level.
Parent Teacher Organizations in Minnesota, known as PTOs, are independent groups not affiliated with the National PTA. They generally focus on issues within their own schools.
