PTA Leaders Meet for PTA Day at the White House

National PTA Talks with Administration Officials, Honors ‘Champions of Change’

ALEXANDRIA, VA. (August 17, 2012) – More than 150 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders representing 41 states, Washington, D.C., and US Department of Defense schools in Europe met at the White House on Friday, August 10, for a day-long briefing with top Administration officials to discuss challenges facing our nation’s schools and communities.

PTA leaders were greeted by White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew. Morning sessions included:

• Budget Outlook with Jon Carson, director, White House Office of Public Engagement.
• Cradle-to-Career Panel addressing early childhood education, K-12, special education and college affordability issues.
• Family Engagement in Education and STEM Panel with Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary, US Department of Education, and Steve Robinson, special assistant, White House Domestic Policy Council.

The PTA group also took part in breakout sessions during lunch with various officials from the Department of Education.

National PTA President Betsy Landers moderated the “Open for Questions” session featuring Cecilia Munoz, director of the Domestic Policy Council. Landers introduced questions submitted online by PTA members prior to the livestreamed event. She also fielded questions live via Twitter. The session is archived at whitehouse.gov and is also available at PTA.org/championsofchange. Excerpts from the question-and-answer sessions are also available at PTA.org/championsofchange.

The afternoon opened with remarks from Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president. Following her remarks, 12 PTA members were honored as White House Champions of Change for their dedication to improving educational equity and opportunity for all children through involvement in PTA. Blog posts detailing the extraordinary efforts of these champions can be found at whitehouse.gov/champions.  They will also be featured in the October/November issues of National PTA’s Our Children magazine.

Photos of the day’s events can be viewed on PTA’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ParentTeacherAssociation.

About National PTA

National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.