PTA entered the new millennium with renewed energy to supply the critical link between parents and educators, government, and the legal system. National security, No Child Left Behind, and the digital divide became important issues. So, too, did children’s health and safety reassert themselves as national concerns. PTA responded by creating new resources to encourage safe communities, anti-bullying measures, and healthy lifestyles at home and at school. As a means to galvanize all PTAs, a new tagline was adopted in 2001—everychild. onevoice.—to encapsulate the power and legacy of PTA. While our PTA community has grown and changed, one thing remains constant—caring members continue to make a difference every day.

2000

• PTA publishes Building Successful Partnerships: A Guide to Parent and Family Involvement Programs and begins nationwide Building Successful Partnership training program
• For a third year, PTA consults with Satellite Educational Resources Consortium to develop and present two teleconferences on the challenges of parent involvement and working with school administrators and teachers
• Key components of the PTA-initiated Parental Accountability, Recruitment, and Education (PARENT) Act are incorporated into the U.S. Senate bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• PTA comments on Children’s Programming Obligations for Digital Television Broadcasters, adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Tipper Gore, wife of U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley speak at PTA’s annual convention
• PTA becomes proud cosponsor of Fatherhood Initiative’s National Summit on Fatherhood
• PTA participates in and supports America Goes Back to School, Read Across America, Take Charge of Your TV Week, and Earth Week 2000
• PTA participates in U.S. Department of Education teleconference Reaching Out to Spanish-Speaking Families: Ensuring Educational Success

2001

• Within 24 hours of the airplane attacks on New York City and Washington, DC on September 11 (9/11), PTA launches the Helping Children Cope with Tragedy website
• Publishes The Resiliency of the Human Spirit: Helping Families, Communities, and the Nation Heal
• Establishes Wreath of Remembrance Day to honor victims and families of 9/11
• Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (renamed No Child Left Behind Act) and includes PTA’s definition of parent involvement, as well as provisions for parent participation
• Publishes Respecting Differences Resource Guide in consultation with the Anti-Defamation League and the ASPIRA Association
• Introduces How to Help Your Child Succeed interactive workshops
• Shirley Igo of Plainview, TX, is inaugurated as president
• PTA partners with the Kaiser Family Foundation to create resources in English and Spanish to help parents talk with their children and teens about sex
• Names Chapel Lakes Elementary PTA in Lee’s Summit, MO, the Outstanding Unit for Parent/Family Involvement; selects Patrick Crowe of James Lewis Elementary School in Blue Springs, MO, as Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Educator of the Year
• Unveils new logo and tagline “everychild. onevoice.” as a unifying symbol and recognizable means to identify PTA’s mission
• Launches national public service announcement campaign to promote PTA

2002

• PTA cosponsors Partners for Student Success Summit with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• Launches Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification program
• Initiates leader-mentor training and national outreach program in Spanish-speaking communities
• Creates radio and print ads proclaiming “cadaniño. unavoz.” in Hispanic markets across country
• Unveils e-learning initiative and online training courses for PTA members
• PTA news release opposing school vouchers picked up by Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, and 20/20
• PTA brings 200 leaders to Washington, DC, for a legislative conference and visits to Capitol Hill
• Awards U.S. Reps. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Nancy Johnson (R-CT) the PTA President’s Award for Outstanding Child Advocacy
• Receives $234,000 grant from Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for advocating for school-based, after-school programs
• Coproduces PBS program and companion guide Empowering Children in the Aftermath of Hate
• Names Redwood Middle School PTSA in Thousand Oaks, CA, as the first recipient of the Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Excellence in Education Partnership Award
• Charters national PTA unit to welcome membership and support from nontraditional sources

2003

• PTA launches Five Cents Makes Sense for Education campaign
• Applauds parent involvement provisions in No Child Left Behind Act, but expresses concern about law’s strong emphasis on testing as primary tool for assessing school performance
• Announces 392 schools of excellence in first year of PTA Parent Involvement School of Excellence Certification program
• Celebrates 3,000 parent involvement workshops presented through Building Successful Partnerships program
• Inaugurates Linda Hodge of Colchester, CT, as president
• Receives $50,000 grant to produce resources for parents on the importance of educating children about HIV/AIDS
• Collaborates with National Education Association to develop guides on parent involvement, supplemental services for children, and helping children in math, science, and reading
• Lobbies for mandatory funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind Act
• Continues unequivocal opposition to school voucher programs
• Produces Discussing Hate and Violence with Children with the Anti-Defamation League
• Introduces Doors Open After School observance to raise awareness of the importance of school-based, after-school programs
• Passes national resolution on “The Importance of Physical Education in Our Schools”
• Names Ensley Elementary School in Pensacola, FL, as Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Excellence in Education Partnership Award winner
• Launches multi-year public service announcement campaign with The Ad Council to encourage parents to “Know More. Do More”

2004

• Launches new PTA Fundraising Essentials magazine for all PTAs and U.S. school principals
• supports Child Nutrition and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act and advocates for protection of students’ and parents’ rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act
• releases Navigating the Children’s Media Landscape guide with Cable in the Classroom
• Conducts nationwide survey to capture information on father involvement in education
• Partners with the National Crime Prevention Council on Be Safe and Sound campaign
• releases findings of national public opinion poll on education funding and receives bipartisan support on polling results
• Launches Healthy Schools Campaign to reauthorize Qualified Zone Academy Bond program for school renovations and repairs
• As a member of the Education and Library Networks Coalition, successfully lobbies FCC to continue E-rate funds distribution and money to connect schools and libraries to the Internet
• Awards Sens. Charles Hagel (R-NE) and Tom Harken (D-IA) the PTA President’s Outstanding Child Advocacy award
• Supports Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug media campaign
• Revises and reprints National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs: An Implementation Guide for School Communities
• Celebrates 20th anniversary of PTA Teacher Appreciation Week
• Announces businesswoman and former model Kathy Ireland as first-ever National PTA Ambassador for Youth
• Passes national resolutions on “After School Programs” and “Nutritional Eating Requirements in Our Schools to Combat Childhood Obesity”
• Names Washington Drive Primary School PTA of Centerport, NY, as Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Excellence in Education Partnership Award winner
• Launches parent involvement website entirely in Spanish
• Receives $60 million in advertising placement support for its “Know More. Do More.” public service announcement campaign

2005

• Develops Adopt-A-PTA program and delivers needed school supplies to disaster-stricken areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
• Awards $89,230 in disaster relief grants to PTAs and schools in six states affected by hurricanes
• Hosts congressional briefing on successes and challenges of implementing No Child Left Behind Act
• Based on national survey results collected in 2004, launches effort to get more men involved in PTA
• Joins Internet Keep Safe Coalition to teach children rules for staying safe online
• Supports Music Education Coalition’s SupportMusic.com initiative to help strengthen music programs in schools
• Inaugurates Anna Weselak of Lombard, Ill., as president
• Works with National Cable Television Association to provide 100 Cable in the Classroom “Control Your TV” workshops nationwide
• Selects Target Corporation as first recipient of PTA’s Commitment to America’s Children Award
• Hosts first annual Walk for Healthy Kids at its national convention in Columbus, OH, and hosts U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings as a speaker
• Publishes Healthy Lifestyles at Home and School notebook
• Jointly hosts “Back-to-School: Child and Adolescent Health” media briefing with the American Medical Association in New York City…targets new series of electronic newsletters to parents and PTA leaders—The PTA Parent, PTA Local Leader News, and PTA Partnerships in Leadership
• Becomes The Ad Council’s top public service announcement campaign
• Passes national resolutions on “Bullying,” “High School Graduation, College Preparation, and Access,” and “Teacher Quality”
• Names Kingston Elementary School PTA in Virginia Beach, VA, as Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Excellence in Education Partnership Award winner

2006

• Launches Take Your Family to School Week in February to strengthen parent-school partnerships
• Teams with Cartoon Network to launch Rescuing Recess campaign and supports inaugural National Recess Week
• Supports Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act
• Joins National Geographic coalition’s campaign to boost geographic literacy
• Hosts second annual Walk for Healthy Kids at national convention in Phoenix, AZ
• Names NASCAR driver Carl Edwards as a PTA Ambassador for Children and Youth
• Partners with Common Sense Media and Fox Interactive media on Internet safety campaign
• Hosts national Back to School Media briefing in New York City and releases new research on online/social networking activity of children and parent pressures to raise “superkids”
• Joins Action for Healthy Kids in leading the Campaign for School Wellness to assist schools with federal requirement to have wellness policies in place
• Celebrates 100th anniversary of Our Children magazine
• Adopts national resolutions on “Recognition and Care of School-Age Children with Diabetes,” “School Health Councils,” and “School Trust Lands and Funds”
• Names Haldane Central School PTA of Cold Spring, NY, as Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Excellence in Education Partnership Award winner
• Honors Sprint with PTA Commitment to America’s Children Award
• Launches first-ever Start the Art Week with Americans for the Arts
• Attends White House conference on school safety in response to school shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania
• Hosts first Emerging Minority Leadership Conference
• Launches nationwide video game ratings education campaign with the Entertainment Software Rating Board

2007

• Reflections art displayed in the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C.
• In February, kicks off first-ever PTA Advocacy Week, February 19–23; launches PTA Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit online

2008

• National PTA teamed up with the Hot Moms Club founded by Jessica Denay.
• National PTA hired its first male African-American CEO, Byron V. Garrett.
• National PTA established the Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year award to honor the late National PTA President who served from 2001-2003 and was one of PTA’s greatest legislative advocates.
• PTAs across the country held first PTA Take Your Family to School week in February.  National PTA made grants to 22 PTAs to help with their events that week.
• National PTA distributed the first PTA Back to School kit to all units.
• National PTA entered the world of social media with the launch of its Facebook page.

2009

• Special section on gender-neutral education was published at PTA.org
• National PTA CEO Byron V. Garrett testified on child nutrition before U.S. Senate.
• National PTA launched the “United We Serve” toolkit to help PTAs participate in President Barack Obama’ community service initiative.
• Charles J. “Chuck” Saylors was installed as PTA’s first male National President.
• PTA became an endorsing partner of the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers’ Common Core State Standards Initiative.
• National PTA, DLA Piper distributed a groundbreaking guide to state laws on family engagement.