Creating a Positive Partnership
The Administrative VP is a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. As such, he/she needs to attend all Board of Directors meetings to ensure that the administration and PTA are discussing plans together and that they are working to create a positive partnership.
What Does It Mean for the PTA and Administrative VP to Create a Positive Partnership?
- Communicating openly and honestly
- Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the other party
- Establishing goals and vision, working cooperatively for student achievement
- Respecting each other’s opinions and input and not expecting automatic approval
- Actively encourage parents and staff members to get involved and reach out to every child, to enable every child to reach his potential
- Building positive community relationships to support school’s and PTA efforts
- Commitment and building trust, working toward a common goal
- Working toward win/win: everychild.onevoice
Partnerships, teamwork, and cooperation are the building blocks of leadership in education. Effective partnership requires understanding the responsibilities and the roles of each participant. Parent involvement becomes a reality when there is strong support from the Administrative VP and when teachers build effective partnerships with the parents to strengthen their participation in the school community. The Administrative VP, the teachers, and the community are all team players, networking to make student achievement and parental involvement a reality.
The Administrative VP is the instructional leader within the building. The Administrative VP sets the tone, the climate, and expected professionalism for parent leaders and staff. The Administrative VP is a member of the PTA, works with the PTA to address issues, helps to develop parent involvement programs, and communicates with parents and the community through various communications such as the PTA newsletter.
The Administrative VP or his/her designee is a member of both leadership decision-making bodies of the Local PTA:
- Executive Committee (PTA officers)
- Board of Directors (PTA officers, commissioners and committee chairs, and Administrative VP)
The Administrative VP and the PTA work together for the mutual benefit of the school. The Administrative VP should encourage the school staff to become PTA members and support the work of the association.
The teachers are another important link between the PTA, the students, and the parents. A strong PTA has the support of the teachers as members of the association. Two-way meaningful communication between teachers and parents ensures that parents are full participants in all things relating to the students. (The term “teachers” also refers to the entire staff that interacts with students and parents. This includes but is not limited to: bus drivers, nurses, teaching assistants, secretarial and support staff, custodians, and food service employees.)
All community members are partners in educating children. The local fire and police, community businesses, residents who do not have school-aged children, and the parents all have a vested interest in nurturing tomorrow’s leaders.
What is the Administrative VP’s Role in PTA?
- Be available to the community. Schedule meetings open to the public at different times. Invite parents to set up appointments to discuss concerns.
- Work to make parents feel welcome and comfortable in school (the first step toward parent involvement).
- Plan for and encourage parents to attend parent-teacher conferences. Show parents and teachers how to use conferences to build parent-teacher-student teamwork, and make sure conference times are scheduled when parents can attend.
- Be sensitive to how the family home life may affect how parents feel toward school.
- Be active in the PTA and encourage teachers to become PTA members and to participate.
- Help the PTA keep its primary focus on education rather than fundraising. The Administrative VP and PTA can work together to solve problems and set goals that will benefit students.
- Help the PTA plan activities to accomplish specific goals (e.g. encourage the PTA to plan events promoting students’ well being, home-school cooperation and community improvement).
- Work with the PTA to develop a program for volunteer training, and use parent and community volunteers who can help enrich all areas of the school.
- Help parents stay informed on current issues in education. Refer parents to helpful books, magazine articles, radio or TV programs, and suggest materials to include if there is a parent resource center in the school, local library, or school counseling office.
- Recognize PTA volunteer efforts and appreciate the contributions of parents.
- Encourage constructive discussions with parents that build confidence in the school’s leadership and strengthen parent partnerships.
How Does This Partnership Begin?
While the Administrative VP sets the tone or climate for parent involvement, he/she can benefit greatly by working collaboratively with the PTA leadership to “walk the walk.”
- First and foremost, the Administrative VP should be a PTA member, an active participant of the PTA executive committee, and attend the Board of Directors meetings. Begin with open communication. The incoming PTA President and Administrative VP should meet prior to the end of the school year to establish the climate, goals, and shared vision for the next year.
- Be a part of the assessment of the PTA programs and activities of the previous year. Help your PTA to identify strengths and weaknesses before developing a plan for the upcoming year.
- Assist the PTA in setting its goals and objectives for the upcoming year, aligning all programs and activities to support the school plan.
- Work with the PTA leaders to establish the criteria for programs, events, and/or fundraising activities. Help to ensure that these activities increase student achievement and align with the PTA goals and objectives as well as the school plan. Activities should be approved by the PTA Board of Directors.
- After each fundraising event, ensure that the PTA clearly communicates to the school community what the funds purchased and how the purchase supports student achievement.
- Communicate with parents on projects that are not fundraisers which are designed to help parents.
- Advocate for students, or support the school’s plan for student achievement.
- Work with PTA to design a plan to educate parents on critical issues and to increase parent involvement in the total school program.
- Ensure that the school calendar of events is shared with the PTA and coordinate dates of the PTA programs and projects with the master calendar prior to communicating to the school community at large.
- Promote the benefits of PTA with the teachers and staff. Encourage them to become members of PTA.
Maintaining A Positive Working Relationship
- When educators, administrators, and parents work together, they create a win-win situation for students. The PTA and Administrative VP must work collaboratively and be committed to support the education of all children. To maintain a positive working relationship, the Administrative VP and PTA should:
- Keep the primary goal of the PTA on education and advocating for students rather than fundraising. The goal is to benefit ALL students.
- Collaboratively plan activities with PTA to accomplish specific goals.
- Develop a program that trains parents in the policies and procedures of the school and school district, on current issues that impact the instructional program, on federal/state laws that impact the instructional program, and any other needed topic at the individual PTA.
- Meet regularly (monthly) to discuss issues and concerns. Review plans for events. Keep each other informed. Continually assess the year to date. Maintain open communication and solve any misunderstandings in a direct, honest way. Keep an open mind and, as Stephen Covey said, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
- Be positive and enthusiastic about the school.
- Develop a win-win attitude and celebrate accomplishments.
- Keep things seen or heard in conferences or at school confidential. Encourage all volunteers to be sensitive to the ethical responsibilities regarding students and their privacy.