Teachers

Back to School for Teachers

Back to School 2019

Back-to-School for Teachers

It’s Back-to-School season and PTA is committed to making the 2018-2019 school year a huge success for teachers and administrators. You make a positive impact in children’s lives every day, and your work and influence extends far beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

Find innovative ideas and extensive resources to help you throughout the year. Our programs bring families, schools and communities together to build genuine relationships and support student success and their overall well-being.

Back to School for Teachers

Get Our School Calendar

Stay on track this school year with our printable calendar!

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How PTA Can Help Teachers

Partner with parents who are invested in the achievement of children in your classroom and entire school. Here’s a list of ways PTA can support your efforts.

Help Parents Make Sense of State Assessments

Parents at your school have questions about the new standards-aligned state assessments. Help them find answers with this toolkit and training and support from your state PTA.

How to Talk to Families About ESSA

Parents haven't always been included at the decision-making table when it comes to their kid’s education. Here are six ways you should be engaging families as part of ESSA or any new education initiative (en español).

Bookmark these tools and resources to help you stay ahead throughout the school year.

PTA Advantage

Facebook Guide

Family Engagement

Questions & Answers

Teacher Asking a Question

How can I help advocate for causes important to my school?

Make your voice heard: take action and let congress know what matters! We make it easy to find and write to your officials.

How could I help our school put together an action plan for improvement?

Work with your local PTA to enroll your school in the National PTA School of Excellence program.

What are ways I can celebrate diversity and inclusion in my classroom?

Glad you asked! Throughout the year, you can celebrate in the classroom by following our Every Child in Focus calendar.

Education News

Stay up-to-date on the issues that affect today’s children and topics to help build a deeper connection with families.

Home Visits – Flipping the Family Engagement Script

Our Children Magazine, March 17, 2018

How do you get beyond the “predetermined zip code script” for what your students can achieve? One principal tried a radical new approach—voluntary teacher home visits.
10 Tips to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism

Our Children Magazine, April 19, 2017

Chronic absenteeism affects as many as 6.8 million students nationwide. That’s 14% of our total student population! Together, parents and teachers can stop recurring absences. Find out how.
Get a Healthy Start on the School Year

Our Children Magazine, September 19, 2016

Being back in school means it’s also cold and flu season. Did you know that 38 million school days each year are missed due to the flu? Create a healthy classroom with these simple Healthy Habits from Lysol.

We Need More “T” in PTA

Teachers and administrators, you belong in PTA! See our top 10 reasons why.

Make Your Classroom Dreams Come True

Are your goals bigger than your budget? There’s a grant for that! We have grants and awards to support and celebrate your goals and new ideas. Check them out!

Tweets by NationalPTA

NEA Articles

Check out these articles from the National Education Association.

Parent-Teacher Conferences Finding It for Free Parents in the Picture

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences can be stressful—for you and parents—but with proper planning and organization you can lay the groundwork for a productive relationship that will benefit your child. Explore these resources for advice on getting the most from your parent-teacher conferences.

Finding it for Free

Every year creative educators stock their classrooms when tight budgets leave little money for supplies. We asked teachers for their tips on finding free materials for the classroom. Check out these savvy educators' tips on scoring no-cost classroom resources.

Parents in the Picture

Schools that leverage parents’ relationships can build networks of active parents. Need more ideas on how to do it? Read these examples on how to build partnerships with parents and volunteers that last beyond "Back to School Night."

The Overzealous Parent

Successful partnerships with parents are critical to student achievement, and are key in transforming public schools into true communities. There’s a catch, of course. For all those rewarding relationships, it’s likely that among each year’s pool of parents are the few who are, well, too involved. Find out how to take control with these tips and you'll win over those overzealous parents.