ALEXANDRIA, Va., (May 22, 2018)—Four PTA leaders from across the country have been selected as the first group of fellows for National PTA’s new Center for Family Engagement, an initiative to embed transformative family engagement practices, programs and policies across the educational system. These PTA leaders were selected because of their outstanding contributions and commitment to strengthening family engagement in education.

The Center for Family Engagement fellows are:

• Amy Fox (Utah)

  Amy Fox currently serves as the National Standards Specialist for Utah PTA, leveraging her two-time experience as a National PTA School of Excellence lead to help PTAs across the state engage families using National PTA’s programs and resources. She is also passionate about reaching out to school administrators, particularly in her local Alpine School District, to inspire and support them in building more meaningful partnerships with their families.

• Heather Losneck (Ohio)

  Heather Losneck has served as president of the PTA for her child’s elementary school and middle school. She has also served extensively as a leader of the Berea City School District PTA. In these roles, she has created opportunities that bring multiple perspectives to family engagement, including the creation of a PTA Advisory Board for her school’s National PTA School of Excellence program. She has also advocated with other PTA leaders to include more robust commitments to home-school communication in their school district’s Strategic Vision. 

• Michelle Montemayor (Texas)

  Michelle Montemayor is president of the PTSA for her child’s high school and serves as Field Service Representative for Texas PTA, supporting districts with non-English-speaking populations. She has also worked with Northside Independent School District PTA to bring awareness and support to the National PTA School of Excellence program from the mayor of San Antonio and the district superintendent.

• Tracie Potts (Maryland)

  Tracie Potts serves as Cluster Coordinator for Montgomery County PTA Council and is also a member of the Galway Lions PTA and Banneker PTSA. As a PTA leader in the country’s 14th largest school district—which serves students from over 150 different countries—she is committed to discovering new ways that transformative family engagement can empower diverse families as their child’s first teachers and advocates.

“Family engagement is essential to both children’s success and school improvement efforts, and it is critical that we model and advocate for more transformative approaches,” said Jim Accomando, president of National PTA. “We are thrilled to select Amy, Heather, Michelle and Tracie as our inaugural fellows for our new Center for Family Engagement. They are exceptional leaders in advancing family engagement in their communities and states, and they will play an important role in moving the educational system to the next generation of family engagement.”

As fellows, Fox, Losneck, Montemayor and Potts will engage in a 15-month learning process about innovative, high-impact and equitable approaches to transformative family engagement. They will then apply their learning in partnership with National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement by:

• Developing a plan tailored to their community that helps advance transformative family engagement policies and practices.
• Raising awareness about transformative family engagement opportunities across PTA, including advising on updates to the association’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

National PTA launched its Center for Family Engagement in March 2018. Over the next three years, the center will:

• Raise awareness about transformative family engagement by acting as a clearinghouse of innovative approaches, cutting-edge research and best practices that can be put into action.
• Influence transformative family engagement decisions and resources by contributing to a national research agenda on how parent voice shapes family engagement practices, programs and policies.
• Empower PTAs across the country to be leaders in transformative family engagement efforts through grant and recognition opportunities as well as connections to other leading family engagement organizations.

“When it comes to school success, family engagement is just as important as having a great principal and teachers, a strong curriculum and a positive school climate,” said Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director. “Transformative family engagement is a key strategy to ensure every child receives a high-quality education and has every opportunity for success.”

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 family engagement 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. For more information, visit PTA.org.