Introduction: This study explored the involvement of community resources in education planning and delivery in Ghana. It focused on how the involvement of community resources have had an impact on educational planning and development in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods: A qualitative method was used, and data…

Who benefits from parent-teacher organizations in schools? Which parents are included, and which are excluded? How can school leaders work with them? In this article, an historian and a sociologist review the complex history of parent-teacher organizing and examine current issues in parental efforts to improve schools, including concerns about…

Just a few short years ago, Franklin Elementary in Glendale, California, was in danger of closing its doors because enrollment was so low. The school district decided to put into place a series of language immersion programs at the site. It currently houses Spanish, Italian, and German immersion programs. These programs have boosted Franklin's…

The smooth transition of outgoing and incoming board members and officers is of vital importance and can determine the PTA's success for years to come. The transition process is the responsibility of both incoming and outgoing officers and board members. It gives closure to those leaving their positions and allows those coming in to be properly…

The academic achievement of children is a national concern. Thus, PTA focuses not only on individual schools, but also on the communities they serve. One of the innovative approaches to community involvement in education is the community PTA. Community PTAs are not tied to a single school, but instead offer membership and involvement to various…

Think social media is just a fad? Think it is only for the kids? Facebook reports there are more than 800 million users, and the average user has 130 Facebook friends. Twitter now has 100 million monthly users tweeting 6,939 tweets per second or about 230 million tweets each day! More than 3 billion videos are viewed on YouTube, and YouTube Mobile…

While virtually everyone agrees that it is important for parents and caregivers to get involved in their children's education--in fact, when asked, most parents will gush about how much they care about the education of their child--there is a disconnect when it comes to Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Parents, especially younger ones, have…

The author reports on how cash-strapped school districts turn to outside groups for help in paying for staff and academic essentials, prompting frustration from some. In states and school districts still struggling to recover from recession-induced funding cuts, parent and community groups are feeling the pressure to raise money for instructional…

The organization that claims to represent the voice and interests of K-12 students and their parents is the Parent Teacher Association, widely known as the PTA. The organization aims to provide "parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be…

People are busy, we all know that. Getting their attention is harder and harder all the time. That's especially true for member organizations and advocacy groups. The National PTA is both and has adapted some social media practices to reach out and maintain contact with more than 5 million volunteers in 25,000 local units. James Martinez, senior…

We examine a program that enabled Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in Kenya to hire novice teachers on short-term contracts, reducing class sizes in grade one from 82 to 44 on average. PTA teachers earned approximately one-quarter as much as teachers operating under central government civil-service institutions but were absent one day per week…

Research has cited numerous advantages and benefits of K-12 collaborations with the larger university community (Castle, Fox, & Souder, 2006; Crocco, Faithfull, & Schwartz, 2003). Departments of kinesiology across the country are well positioned to establish partnerships with local school systems in order to advocate for quality, daily physical…

Interest in the perception of barriers that impact parents' involvement in Central Middle Schools' Parent Teacher Organization was a result of the low P T O membership rolls. Some educational research supports that socio-economic status, family values toward education, race, and relationship to students are factors that present barriers to parent…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Online Testing, Version 1.0: Oregon's Adaptive Computer-Based Accountability Test Offers a Peek at a Brave New Future (Robert Rothman); (2) Beyond…

This document is comprised of four Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) newsletters. The September 2001 issue is entitled "Many Voices, One Goal," and contains the following articles: "Growing Pains, Faculty's Role in Governance," and "AB 1725 and Other War Stories," among others. The issue…