National PTA President's Letter
January, 2002

A New Year Filled with Promise

I would like to share with you what the new year holds for PTA. Initiatives for 2002 include a series of programming ideas, advocacy training at legislative conference, a campaign that will reach out to Hispanic families, and a parent involvement certification program.

Programs to Go 

Each issue of Our Children magazine will contain a program planning insert that offers instructions for creating programs that are relevant to your PTA. The Programs to Go insert includes ideas for programs on a specific topic plus a reproducible handout for parents. Additional information will be available in the PTA members' section of our website, www.pta.org.

Legislative conference

This year's conference - March 9-12-should inspire PTA activists from across the country to come to Washington, D.C., to promote policies that benefit children, youth, and families.

Hispanic outreach 

We are conducting research to develop a culturally appropriate message for Hispanic parents and their children based on the everychild.onevoice. campaign. The second-language version of the campaign is scheduled to debut at national convention in San Antonio, Texas, in June 2002.

Parent involvement school certification 

To recognize the widespread involvement of parents and families in education and to showcase schools that are implementing the highest standards of parent involvement in the nation, National PTA has developed the Parent Involvement School Certification Program. The pilot launch of the program is taking place now. All schools will be eligible to participate in the three-step program after national convention.

New Year Commitment

Finally, please join with National PTA in a New Year's commitment: let us resolve to be a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for parents, and a strong advocate for public education.

Shirley Igo
President, National PTA