Multicultural Article Archives

Multicultural Outreach: Group Thrives on Personal Contact

Written by Patty Catalano,

Translation services, a mentor program, and personal outreach to parents helped make this group our 2006 Parent Group of the Year winner for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base.

Make Your Family Night a Winner

Written by Evelyn Beck,

Fun family nights are a great way to build involvement. Get started with these ideas and tips for success.

Hmong Parent Group Connects Cultures

Written by Patty Catalano,

St. Paul, Minn., junior high school teacher Ann Hebble talks about the parent group she founded to serve the school's population of Hmong families.

Create an Effective Survey

Written by Emily Graham,

Gathering feedback from parents and teachers can help build support for your programs. These tips will help you create a survey and evaluate the results.

Is Your PTO a Clique?

Written by Michelle Bates Deakin,

You work hard to make your parent group welcoming, but to other parents it still might seem like a closed circle. Here's why—and what to do about it.

Learning About Ellis Island

Written by Christy Forhan,

This simulation of the Ellis Island immigration experience taught kids and engaged parents in a dynamic way.

Mom Builds Minority Involvement

Written by Patty Catalano,

Changing the perception of a parent group by focusing on multicultural outreach.

Build Your Volunteer Base: 11 Ideas

Written by Poornima Apte,

Tried-and-true ideas to nurture volunteers and make sure that every involvement experience is a positive one.

National Runner-up: Diverse Community Shows Strong Bonds

Written by Evelyn Beck,

With the PTO Today 2006 Parent Group of the Year Runner-up, differences are celebrated and all voices are given a chance to be heard.

School Security: How It Affects PTOs

Written by Evelyn Beck,

Protecting children on school grounds while also maintaining an open atmosphere for parents is a careful balancing act.

Where Involvement Begins

Written by Tim Sullivan,

Parent groups play a key role in making schools better. Unfortunately, the role often goes unappreciated.

The Truth About Cliques

Written by Tim Sullivan,

If people say your group is a clique, it is. In this case, perception matters.

Quiz: Rate Your Involvement IQ

See how your group's attitudes and practices for building parent involvement measure up.

Send a Powerful Message

Written by Emily Graham,

You can use communications to improve your group's image and boost involvement. Just put the focus in the right place.

Multicultural Outreach: Food, Music Bridge Cultural Divide

Written by Patti Ghezzi,

PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base found innovative ways to bring in families with limited English skills, achieving greater involvement and enthusiasm than ever before.

Service Groups Lend a Hand

Written by Emily Graham,

Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, and other community organizations can provide a lot of help to parent groups.