All You Need to Know About National PTA School of Excellence Laura Bay President-Elect National PTA [INTRODUCE YOURSELF] Thank you so much for joining us today! This webinar is designed for PTA leaders enrolled in the School of Excellence Program or leaders who want to learn more about the program before enrolling. [SAY] Today, we’re going to learn more about family engagement and how you can strengthen your family-school partnership through the National PTA School of Excellence. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]  

Students with Involved Families No matter what their family income or background may be, students with involved parents/caregivers are more likely to: Earn higher grades and test scores Pass their classes Attend school regularly Have better social skills Graduate and go on to postsecondary education Henderson, A., & Mapp, K. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. [SAY] Because it works! While researcher Joyce Epstein paved the way for family engagement, two researchers and long-time National PTA friends, Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp, continued to strengthen the importance of family engagement in their 2002 study, “A New Wave of Evidence: The impact of school, family and community connections on student achievement.” They found evidence clearly supports that when families are involved at home and at school, children do better in school! They earn higher grades Pass their classes Attend school regularly Have better social skills Graduate and go on to postsecondary education But an important note here – this is true no matter what the family income or background may be! At the core of who we are – the one thing we can say we are absolutely the experts on – that’s family engagement. That’s one of the strengths we bring to every partnership. Now that you know how we approach programs and why it’s so important, let me tell you a little bit about those programs starting with our family engagement in education programs. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community As you all know, in 1997 National PTA convened the many different stakeholders whom we represent to develop the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, which for the first time, articulated what family engagement should look like at the school level. In 2001, National PTA updated the Standards, and now these are in use by school, PTA and community leaders nationwide as a framework for thinking about, structuring, and assessing family engagement: Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community Standard 2: Communicating effectively Standard 3: Supporting student success Standard 4: Speaking up for every child Standard 5: Sharing power Standard 6: Collaborating with community That’s why, the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships is the foundation for all of our programs. We ask ourselves: How does this program help the PTA and school work together to welcome all families? And we design tools to facilitate that. We think about the tools local PTAs might need to communicate effectively about the program or the educational messages they are trying to convey through the program. And we design turn-key templates to help with that. We make sure that in some way – we are providing families with the information they need to support student success and we make sure there is always a take-home component as learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. We ensure our programs provide information that empowers families to speak up for their child’s needs – and take a seat at the decision-making table – sharing power with school decision-makers. And finally, we aren’t the experts in everything and we certainly don’t want to recreate the wheel. We bring in experts – experts like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, experts like Safe Routes to School, experts like America’s Promise and MALDEF – and we connect their expertise and resources to our PTAs. This probably sounds familiar because – you implement these National Standards every day in your role as a State leader. All of PTA’s programs are designed to achieve one common objective – no matter the focus area – and that is: to engage families. Why? [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 1: Welcoming All Families Goal 1: Create a Welcoming Climate Create a family-friendly atmosphere Develop personal relationships Offer different types of volunteer opportunities Always say “Yes” when a parent offers to help Goal 2: Build a Respectful, Inclusive School Community Respect all families Remove economic or other obstacles to participation Ensure accessible programming [SAY] The first standard is Welcoming all families into the school community. If families feel welcome, they become active participants in the life of the school. They feel valued and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class. One goal under this standard is to create a welcoming, family-friendly climate where personal relationships can grow and families feel there are many opportunities to be involved. We also want to build a respectful, inclusive community where all families feel respected and there are no obstacles to their participation. They feel that the information and activities provided are accessible and relevant to their student’s growth. They feel they can actively participate in the school community. [ACTIVITY] This activity is called Think, Pair, Share. (Approximately 5 minutes) First, think about how your school and PTA implement Standard 1. I will ask you some questions to help get your thinking and you’ll have 1-2 minutes to write down your initial thoughts. Then, pair with someone sitting near you and, share what is working well and what could be done better. Ok, let’s get started. I’ll ask you questions that really provoke some thought around what you see on this slide. Use your worksheet to think about what your school and PTA are doing well to welcome all families – and what you could do even better. First you’re going to think and write, then I’ll cue you to pair and share. (Slowly read these questions to allow for independent thought). When families walk into the school building do they feel like they are welcome? How do you feel when you walk in? How would you feel if you weren’t so involved in the school currently? Are there welcome signs inside and outside the school, written in all the languages of the school community? Is office staff friendly? How does your PTA collaborate with the school to create a family-friendly atmosphere? Can families develop personal relationships with teachers, staff and other families? How does your PTA facilitate relationship-building between the teachers, school staff, school administrators and families? Do the school’s polices and programs reflect, respect and value the diverse cultures, structures and perspectives of families in the community? Are there many ways to volunteer even for family members who may be working two jobs or who don’t speak English or have a car? What different types of volunteer opportunities do you offer for families with varying ability to donate their time? Are events open to the whole family and offered at convenient times and places? How does the school staff and PTA work with families to identify and address barriers to involvement (such as differences of race, education, and culture)? Now pair with someone near you and share your quick assessment of your school and PTA on this standard – Welcoming all families. (Wait 2-3 minutes for sharing) Ok, now let’s share some strategies we know work to make families feel welcome. Who wants to share what you’re doing in your school or PTA? [ACTIVITY – LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION FOR 2-3 MINUTES] [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 2: Communicating Effectively Goal 1: Share information about student progress Ensure family-teacher communication Link student work to academic standards Use standardized test results to increase achievement Share school progress Goal 2: Support learning by engaging families Engage families in classroom learning Develop family ability to strengthen learning at home Promote after-school learning [SAY] When Standard 3 – Supporting Student Success is achieved, families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school. Families feel well prepared and comfortable to enhance the instruction and social and emotional learning that occurs during in-school and after-school lessons. We talk about two primary goals with this standard. The first is sharing information about student progress. Once again, this is a two-way dialogue between the family and school. Teachers and school leaders should help families access and understand their student’s work and test results in comparison to academic standards. Families also need to understand the overall school progress. Families need to feel comfortable sharing what barriers the child may have to learning, concerns about homework, test-taking, or social or emotional development. The second goal in Supporting Student Success is to engage families in classroom learning, empowering them with the information they need to strengthen learning at home, and promoting the opportunities for after-school learning or social and emotional development. [ACTIVITY – THINK & WRITE ON WORKSHEET] Let’s return to our worksheet. Think about your own school and consider what’s working well – and what could be improved related to supporting student success. As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions: Do families and teachers communicate about student class work and progress? Are families invited to observe their children’s classrooms? Do families learn what good work looks like for their child’s age and grade? Does the school use test results to inform families which student skills need strengthening? How do schools help families strengthen learning at home? What after-school learning opportunities are there? Are family education and other courses or training for families available (e.g. GED, college credit, family literacy, ESL)? What is PTA doing to support the school and ensure families have what they need to support learning? (Give 2-3 minutes for thinking and writing, re-enforcing the questions above, if clarification is needed) [ACTIVITY – LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION] [ASK] What role do you think your PTA could play in supporting student success? (Facilitate dialogue for 5 minutes) [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 3: Supporting Student Success Goal 1: Share information about student progress Ensure family-teacher communication Link student work to academic standards Use standardized test results to increase achievement Share school progress Goal 2: Support learning by engaging families Engage families in classroom learning Develop family ability to strengthen learning at home Promote after-school learning [SAY] When Standard 3 – Supporting Student Success is achieved, families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school. Families feel well prepared and comfortable to enhance the instruction and social and emotional learning that occurs during in-school and after-school lessons. We talk about two primary goals with this standard. The first is sharing information about student progress. Once again, this is a two-way dialogue between the family and school. Teachers and school leaders should help families access and understand their student’s work and test results in comparison to academic standards. Families also need to understand the overall school progress. Families need to feel comfortable sharing what barriers the child may have to learning, concerns about homework, test-taking, or social or emotional development. The second goal in Supporting Student Success is to engage families in classroom learning, empowering them with the information they need to strengthen learning at home, and promoting the opportunities for after-school learning or social and emotional development. [ACTIVITY – THINK & WRITE ON WORKSHEET] Let’s return to our worksheet. Think about your own school and consider what’s working well – and what could be improved related to supporting student success. As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions: Do families and teachers communicate about student class work and progress? Are families invited to observe their children’s classrooms? Do families learn what good work looks like for their child’s age and grade? Does the school use test results to inform families which student skills need strengthening? How do schools help families strengthen learning at home? What after-school learning opportunities are there? Are family education and other courses or training for families available (e.g. GED, college credit, family literacy, ESL)? What is PTA doing to support the school and ensure families have what they need to support learning? (Give 2-3 minutes for thinking and writing, re-enforcing the questions above, if clarification is needed) [ACTIVITY – LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION] [ASK] What role do you think your PTA could play in supporting student success? (Facilitate dialogue for 5 minutes) [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 4: Speaking Up for Every Child Goal 1: Inform families about how the school system works Describe how the school and district operate Share rights and responsibilities under federal and state laws Ensure access to student support services Resolve problems and conflicts Goal 2:  Empower families to support overall student success in school Develop families’ capacity to be effective advocates Engage families in planning for the future Facilitate smooth transitions Encourage families to participate in civic advocacy for student achievement [SAY] In Standard 4, we grow families from advocates for their own children to advocates for all children. PTA and its school partner provide families with the information they need to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success. Parents must know how the local school and district operate and how to raise questions or concerns about school and district programs, policies, and activities. They also must understand their rights and responsibilities under federal and state law and local ordinances and policies. [ASK] Even as a PTA leader, tell me by a show of hands – how many of you still aren’t sure how decisions are made in the school district or what your rights and responsibilities are under federal and state laws? (Wait for raised hands) Ok, how many of you feel you received clear direction from the school about where to go if your child needed additional support or if you had a problem or conflict within the school? (Wait for raised hands) How many of you feel your school partner adequately relies on your PTA for leadership in decision-making and information-sharing? (Wait for raised hands) Ok, let’s take a poll by hands – raise your hand whenever your answer is YES! At your school: Are families consulted about major decisions? Do the PTA and school offer leadership opportunities for all families? Do the school leaders see your PTA and other family leaders as partners in education? Do families know how to navigate your school and school district, especially when they have questions or concerns about programs, policies or activities? Do you understand students’ rights and family responsibilities under federal and state law? Do you think other parents understand this? Do you feel families are prepared to monitor students’ progress and guide them toward their goals through high school graduation, postsecondary education, and a career? Are you familiar with your school’s family engagement policy? If yes, when was it updated last? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you may want to mark them as something to do in your “improvement” column! [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 5: Sharing Power Goal 1: Strengthen the family’s voice in shared decision-making Ensure families have a voice in all decisions that affect children Address equity issues Develop parent leaders Goal 2: Building families’ social and political connections Connect families to local officials Develop an effective PTA that represents all families [SAY] Standard 5 – Sharing Power means that families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs. This is often one of the hardest standards to achieve. With this standard, we focus on two goals. First, to strengthen the family voice in school decision-making, and second to build families’ social and political connections. PTA advocates on behalf of all families in the school community. That’s why it is so important that our voice represent the diverse perspectives of families that make-up the school community. Families must be full partners in making decisions on issues affecting their children both at school and within the community. [WORKSHEET ACTIVITY – WRITE AND THINK] When you think about the strength of the family voice in your school, consider: Do families have a vote when decisions that touch their children are being made? What governance exists to discuss issues of equity, such as which children are eligible for the gifted program? In what ways do the school and PTA connect families to local officials? How do you make sure the PTA truly represents all families – in both PTA membership and its leadership? How do you gain feedback from families throughout the year? (Give 2-3 minutes for people to write down their thoughts.) [ASK] How many of you feel you have achieved this standard? [Respond to hands positively, and encourage those that remain that this is a long-term focus for many PTAs – they are not alone.] [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Standard 6: Collaborating with Community Goal: Connecting the school with community resources Serve as the link to community resources and services Organize support from community partners Turn the school into a hub of community life Partner with community groups to strengthen families and support student success [SAY] The final standard focuses on bringing families and schools together in collaboration with others in the community that offer expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation. Our goal is to connect the school with community resources. How can we achieve that? Link to community resources Organize support from community partners Turn the school into a hub of community life Partner with community groups to strengthen families and support student success Parent and school leaders should work closely with neighborhood associations, government agencies, businesses, and universities to strengthen the school. These collaborations should make resources available to students, school staff, and families and build a family-friendly community. [ACTIVITY – WORKSHEET] So, get out your worksheet one last time and think about your own school and PTA. What links to community resources has the school forged? Have parents and families been part of that process? In what ways has support from community partners been organized? What community organizations would be meaningful partners for the different needs of your school community? As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions: Are families aware of resources in the community that link to learning? Are students organized to provide a service to the community? Is the community engaged in supporting learning through such opportunities as service learning and internships? Are community members included in planning and implementing programs and policies? What is the community’s perception of our school? (Wait a few minutes for people to write down their thoughts.) [ASK] Does anyone want to share the ways they have partnered with other community organizations, services or supports to fill a need for students and families of your school? [THANK CONTRIBUTORS} [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

[SAY] Our signature program–National PTA School of Excellence. Through this program, National PTA celebrates PTAs and schools that focus on achieving the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. As we’ve shared with you – we know this approach works. Research shows it. This program and these standards – they are what sets us apart from other unaffiliated parent groups. These standards uphold ideals that formed the roots of our history when we were founded in 1897. And through the years, it is the implementation of these ideals – these standards – that has grown PTA’s power as the largest child advocacy organization across the country. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

[SAY] Our goal for this program is to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being of students by forming family-school partnerships that leverage community resources to strengthen family engagement and contribute to continuous school improvement in three key areas: education, health and safety, and arts and cultural exploration in education.

At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement. [SAY] When we surveyed PTA leaders at last year’s the 2012 National PTA Convention, they gave us a lot of suggestions. The common thread is represented in this definition: At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement. Do you see how the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships comes to life in this definition?   [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Make your school a more welcoming place for families. Why participate Make your school a more welcoming place for families. Empower families to be part of school decision-making. Demonstrate to school leaders that PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvements. Receive recognition in your community, state and nationwide for engaging families in a way that makes a substantial, positive impact on your school and student success. [SAY] When you are promoting this program, start with some questions. Find out what the Local PTA – or a school principal – needs. What they feel the school lacks and likely you’ll hear, “More parent volunteers” somewhere along the way. That’s when you cue School of Excellence. Why would a PTA want to participate in this program? It’s a program that parents feel has a true impact on their child – working on issues that really improve the school and make it a better place. Then help them imagine a year from now – their school leaders looking to PTA – families – as an ESSENTIAL partner in decision-making around school improvements. Then help them imagine the celebration the PTA, its families and school partner could have when you prove to the whole community that there is something really important happening at that school, which extends beyond the building to the homes of families who feel welcome and prepared to support their child’s education and overall development. Imagine being among the class of the National PTA School of Excellence Award recipients, celebrated throughout your state and across the country as a best practice for family-school partnerships. Our Pheobe Apperson Hearst Award winner this year was the first recipient of a “School of Excellence Award.” Now, Northrup High School tells us they are getting so much community visibility that local businesses are sending them checks to congratulate them for this success. So not only is this a school improvement strategy – it also helps build bridges with potential supporters of school improvements in the community. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Step #1: Enroll your PTA at PTA.org/Excellence or 800-307-4PTA [SAY] The first step to excellence is to enroll! Schools/PTAs can enroll online or via phone. Enrollment is tentatively scheduled to open on April 1 of 2014 and run through October 1, 2014 Once you do, you’ll receive a “Getting Started Guide” which describes the program components, including how to build your School of Excellence Team and Conduct a Family-School Partnership Scan. In this guide, you’ll receive template tools, such as a template agenda for your next meeting with the school principal and a family survey. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Review the Getting Started Guide The getting Started guide contains information about the program timline, National Standards for Family School Partnerships, how to form a team and the steps for completing the next process – a family-school partnership scan.

Gain access to School of Excellence Tools Upon enrollment, PTAs will see a screen that encourages them to download the Getting Started Guide and visit this web portal made just for them – pta.org/excellencetools. Here they will find all of the tools they need to get started on the program such as an agenda for a meeting with the principal, the school principal questionnaire, the family survey – and a Sample of the Family-School Partnership Scan, which is an online form tentatively due November December 1.

Conduct a Family-School Partnership Scan by December 1, 2014 Step #2: Conduct a Family-School Partnership Scan by December 1, 2014 Meet with school principal and complete questionnaire Gather family feedback using survey tool Set shared goal(s) Share results and goal(s) using form on PTA.org/excellence or by calling 800-307-4PTA (4782) [SAY] A family-school partnership scan begins with a meeting with your school principal where you discuss existing family engagement strategies as well as school improvement goals. Then you will disseminate a family survey and analyze the results. These results and feedback from your school principal will help you to set a shared goal, which can be your PTA’s focus for the year. This goal will result in a positive impact that you can share with parents and the community at-large. You’ll visit the National PTA School of Excellence Web pages or call the 800# to fill out the Family-School Partnership Form. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Family-School Partnership Scan [SAY] While a sample of this form is available on the State Excellence Library and Excellence Tools page, I wanted to preview for you some of the questions… “OUR SCHOOL” circled in red -- indicates this is a question that will be answered by an answer in the School Principal Questionnaire we provide. e “Families Feel” circled in green – indicates this is a question that is answered by the family survey we provide. Local PTAs will get this guidance both at the top of the Family-School Partnership Scan and in the Getting Started Guide. But it’s important for you to know too in case you get the question. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Family-School Partnership Scan The other question in the Family-School Partnership Scan is focused on goal-setting. PTAs will partner with their school to focus on ONE – one objective under one goal. Why one? We know some PTAs and schools are tackling a number of these – all at once. But for this program, we are really measuring how PTAs and families are engaged in school improvements. So for many PTAs, we want to give them a focal point for that engagement. Once they select that one goal and one objective….

Step #3: Use the Roadmap to Excellence [SAY] They will receive an instant email to a customized Roadmap to Excellence, which contains specific recommendations that respond directly to the results shared and the goal/objective that was identified. It also includes a range of tools to support the action plan. We will tell PTA’s exactly what you need to do to become a National PTA School of Excellence. For example, “if you said “Sometimes,” to question #1 “Our School has friendly signs inside and outside to welcome families and visitors in the multiple languages they speak. Our answer to you is: “You said, “Sometimes.” Good start! But there is room for improvement….Families feel more welcomed when they see friendly signs in the language that they prefer. Use school demographic data to determine the three languages most commonly spoken by families in your school community…” What we are trying to do is give a very specific response that will take that school from a “sometimes” to a “Frequently.” We know some schools have 30 languages – maybe an “Always is not always possible, like in this case. As long as the PTA/School are working together to improve – that is excellence. This program celebrates that deliberate movement in the right direction around the key areas of the National Standards that we know are important to family engagement. We also communicate about State PTA resources in a customized way, depending on what your State sent to us for inclusion. So throughout the year – this is their roadmap and we are their support. Renee Jackson will really get to know the PTAs involved – encouraging them, brainstorming, problem-solving. But we will have 300 schools enrolled in this program – so you, the State, Council, District and Region leaders can also be that support.

Roadmap to Excellence [SAY] Once you submit your Family-School Partnership form, you will receive a customized Roadmap to Excellence, which contains specific recommendations that respond directly to the results you shared and the goals you identified. It also includes a range of tools to support your action plan. We will tell you exactly what you need to do to become a National PTA School of Excellence. Throughout the year, National PTA will support your efforts through timely email messages that provide family engagement best practices, program reminders, and resources related to your identified goal. Now – State leaders, do you see the highlighted yellow? This is important. This is the state information. Thanks to a suggestion from Paul Richman in California a few months ago when he and I were talking about this program, we will be able to provide a description of State PTA support – whether that be your Web site, Convention, programs, etc. – you decide what it becomes. Here’s where I need your help. Can I have 3 states to volunteer to help design 3 templates for states to start with when writing their sections? I need 1 small state with low resources and no staff support; 1 mid-sized state with some programs/resources and part-time staff support; 1 large state with staff support. The time commitment will be 1 hour on a conference call and 1 hour maximum to review a draft template and provide feedback. [Identify volunteers] Thank you! In April, we will launch a simple survey that provides you with these templates and gives you a month to draft your State PTA section for the Roadmap. We will have a writer review all of the State PTA submissions for grammar/spelling and to ensure it’s the same tone for the document as a whole – but you’ll approve any of her minor edits before they are published. Ok, once PTAs have their roadmap…they are ready to implement the specific recommendations. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Step #4: Complete the National PTA School of Excellence Application by June 1, 2015 [SAY] At the end of the school year, the Local PTA will ask the school principal to complete the family-school partnership questionnaire again – and re-deploy the family survey. They will use the results to achieve the final step toward excellence -- completing the National PTA School of Excellence Application by June 1, 2015. This will be available at PTA.org/Excellence or via the National PTA’s 800#. The application mirrors the Family-School Partnership Scan form, but asks you one additional question – provide a 500-1000 word summary of the ways you strengthened your Family-School Partnership and achieved progress toward meeting your desired goal. A School of Excellence designation will be given to those who meet a certain threshold of family engagement, or who have made marked improvements during the past year in strengthening their partnership. Then, the narrative will be reviewed by a team of National PTA volunteers. The review process takes into account the fact that PTAs and schools are starting at different levels of existing family engagement – and with a varying range of available resources. This approach helps to even the playing field to make it possible for ALL local PTAs to participate and achieve excellence. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Step #5: Celebrate your excellence! Notification and celebration kit sent in August 2014 Celebrate Your Excellence Guide Banner Media outreach tools Graphics for school and PTA stationery Event suggestions National PTA recognition State PTA recognition Qualify to win a Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award and a $2,000 grant [SAY] By August 1, you will be notified if you are selected to be a National PTA School of Excellence! This designation is for two years – 2014-2016. We will provide PTAs with a kit of celebration tools such as: A banner Media outreach tools Graphics for school and PTA stationery Event suggestions National PTA and [INSERT STATE] PTA will include you in its national and statewide promotion of the program All PTAs will receive another Roadmap to Excellence, whether they achieve this designation or not. Why? Because excellence is a continuous process – it’s not a one-time designation. While we recognize PTAs and schools with this distinction for two years – 2014 – 2016, we know that there will be increased demand to keep improving when they are in the spotlight. So we want to continue to provide the tools so that when renewal comes around in 2016 – working toward improving is just a part of their family-school partnership and it’s an easy thing to achieve. For those who don’t receive the distinction – we will also recognize their progress with a Certificate of Merit and will encourage them throughout the year to keep working toward the designation so that by the time the application opens in March 2015 – they are ready to try again! As you see on the screen, each School of Excellence will automatically qualify to win a Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award, which is the National PTA’s highest honor and includes a $2,000 grant. In the long-term, we hope to really expand the incentives available to PTAs that achieve excellence. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Tentative 2014 -2015 Program Timeline Apr 1 – Sept. 30 Enroll! Sept. – Dec. 1 Submit Family-School Partnership Scan School Year Use Roadmap to Excellence to improve Family-School Partnership March – June 1 Complete School of Excellence Application August – Celebrate Excellence Tentative 2014 -2015 Program Timeline [MARY PAT] This is a snapshot of the program timeline so you can see key dates. Many State leaders have asked – will this be the same timeline next year? You can use this timeline for future planning but as I mentioned at the beginning of our conversation – we constantly evaluate what works best. So we will take into account any feedback you have. For example, some State PTAs have already suggested that enrollment begin as early as March so that PTAs have 18 months to work toward the designation. We think that’s a smart idea and will likely move in that direction. Especially in this first year of School of Excellence, your feedback and the feedback of our PTAs doing this program is critical. So send it to excellence@pta.org. [CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]

Questions? We are here for you. excellence@pta.org rjackson@pta.org [ASK] Are there any questions? [FACILITATE DIALOGUE] [SAY] Thank you for your time, enthusiasm and passion for growing a diverse PTA that supports the academic success and overall being of every child!