A PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) refers to a non-profit entity. It includes legal guardians of the students, administrative staff, and teachers. Its objective is to foster greater participation of the guardians or parents in decision-making at the school level. They might also be involved in facilitating fundraising activities to sponsor supplemental education materials.
Often, parents volunteer themselves as PTA members. Large academic institutions have well-established associations with offices, an operating budget, and a bookkeeper. Other institutions have these associations involving only a few parents.
Technically, PTA refers to a group that is affiliated with the National Parent-Teacher Association. In case the organization is not affiliated, people use Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) as a more generic term. Report cards are discussed in some PTA meetings.
A Parent-Teacher Association might address issues that are relevant to the school administration as well as the parents. In general, academic institutions keep the membership for PTAs open to all the parents.
Some instances where a PTA can prove crucial for an academic institution include recruiting quality teachers, getting funding, and ensuring students’ safety. In such associations, the concerned members may raise discussions on child nutrition, school safety, child labor laws, special education, etc. Most schools benefit significantly from their respective parent-teacher associations. It is a necessary committee.
