Parent Involvement Archive

Want to find ways to get more parents active and engaged at your school? The articles below have tons of ideas and tips about connecting with dads, reaching out to families, and more. Find more information on the Parent Involvement resources page. (For articles about volunteer recruitment and building your PTO’s volunteer base, go to the Volunteer Recruitment archive.)

  • PTO Mom Wins on TV Show

    A trivia buff undertakes a unique fundraiser: competing on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

  • 26 Ways To Build Parent Involvement

    Getting more parents to participate is as easy as A, B, C when you follow this list of best practices.

  • Make Your Family Night a Winner

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

  • Talking Points That Build Involvement

    Use this list to address the questions and objections that people raise about getting involved in your parent group.

  • Classes in Parent Involvement

    Two moms who wanted to move beyond traditional involvement roles learned how through parent involvement education programs, which range from monthly workshops to in-depth, yearlong curricula.

  • Dad's New Job: PTA President

    A bank manager turned stay-at-home parent puts his skills to good use running the parent group.

  • Time: The New Currency for Volunteers

    Time is a precious commodity for today's overcommitted families. To get them involved, show them you understand and offer a variety of ways they can participate.

  • Partnership Model Builds Involvement

    The National Network of Partnership Schools focuses on helping schools build broad-based parent involvement using a team model.

  • Is Your PTO a Clique?

    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.

  • Build a Multicultural PTO

    Reach out to diverse groups and bring them together with these effective involvement and communication strategies.

  • Basic Marketing That Builds Involvement

    There's a simple reason why some parents haven't gotten involved: They don't know what your PTO is or what it does. Change that by communicating the right way.

  • Reaching Out to New Parents

    It takes a special effort to attract parents new to the school; a good first impression will make them more likely to become active members of your PTO.

  • Orienting New Members

    Help newbies hit the ground running by creating a welcoming atmosphere and giving them the opportunity and information they need to be able to contribute right away.

  • Middle School: A Role for Parents

    Involvement can be a harder sell in middle school, but there are still plenty of ways parents can participate.

  • Mother-Son Dance: Jammin' Fun

    A twist on the traditional father-daughter dance offers music, activities, door prizes, and a chance for parents and kids to bond.

  • Dads Make a Difference

    When dads get involved, kids perform better in school. PTO fathers talk about how to get more men to participate.

  • 7 Steps To Grow Involvement

    Use the approach to parent involvement taken by the most successful parent groups. These resolutions will change how you think about attracting members and volunteers.
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