At the school level, there's very little difference between PTOs and PTAs. They operate with the same basic organizational structure, they pursue similar goals, and they interact in the same way with school administration. In my opinion, the two most important elements for success of a PTO or PTA have nothing to do with their PTA affiliation (or lack of affiliation): the amount of support the group has from the school administration and the effectiveness of the group's leadership. We have a couple of articles that look at the specific differences: PTO vs. PTA: What's the Difference? and PTO vs. PTA: Frequently Asked Questions. Good luck with your project!
- Craig
Links in this post:
PTO vs. PTA: What's the Difference?: https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/292-pto-vs-pta-whats-the-difference
PTO vs. PTA: Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/480-pto-vs-pta-faqs