Policy Issue Briefs

National PTA seeks to demonstrate t the value and impact of family engagement on student success. The Best Practices and Innovation Issue Briefs will help you reinforce that message when speaking with federal and state policy makers and educational leaders in your states. The Federal Policy Issue Briefs are intended to educate PTA members and families about current federal laws within National PTA’s policy priorities.

Featured Issue Brief

Seeing is Believing
Promising Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagement – Developed in collaboration with Harvard Family Research Project

"There is widespread consensus that family engagement is a critical ingredient for children’s school success 'from cradle to career.' Research suggests that family engagement promotes a range of benefits for students, including improved school readiness, higher student achievement, better social skills and behavior, and increased likelihood of high school graduation..."

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Seeing is Believing Promising Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagement – developed in collaboration with Harvard Family Research Project More	Model Partnerships Leveraging Resources and Capacity for PIRCs and PTAs More
Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) A history of PTA’s involvement in developing a rehabilitative system of justice for children that supports youth and their families and an explanation of the four core mandates of JJDPA, the most sweeping federal juvenile justice legislation to date More	Local Wellness Policies in the Child Nutrition Act A history and overview of the critically important nutrition programs under the Child Nutrition Act and specific requirements for local wellness policies under current law More
Parental Engagement in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) A history and overview of IDEA and an explanation of parental engagement provisions in the current legislation More	Parental Engagement in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – No Child Left Behind Act (ESEA-NCLB) A history of parent and family engagement in education and an explanation of parental involvement requirements in the current version of ESEA-NCLB More
Issue Briefs in Spanish/Síntesis Policy Issue Briefs are now available in Spanish! More

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Learn about what’s happening on Capitol Hill and about legislative issues affecting families, schools, and communities.

The Federal Policy Update is our monthly newsletter.
Action Alerts are breaking news items from Capitol Hill that urge you to take action.

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PTA Public Policy Team

The Public Policy Team, located in Washington DC, can be reached at (202) 289-6790. Individual extensions are listed below. Click on the individual staff names for e-mail and biography.

Mishaela Durán, Director of Government Affairs, ext. 201
Elizabeth Rorick, Senior Policy Strategist, ext. 209
Lela Spielberg, Education Policy Analyst, ext. 215
James Vanderhook, Health Policy Analyst, ext. 211
Keri Haars, Advocacy Specialist, ext. 202

E-mail & Bios

PTA Policy Issue Cards

Download and share this valuable tool highlighting the National PTA's key messages and positions on important issues of the day: education, ESEA-NCLB funding, and child nutrition and wellness.

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