Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.

How to Start a PTA Comunitario – Podcast Episode 131 | Classnotes Podcast 131

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Classnotes Podcast (November 11, 2013) A new model of parent engagement is sweeping the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Evolving out of IDRA’s Family Leadership in Education Model, several PTA Comunitarios are uniting poor, minority families to improve the education of the children in their neighborhoods. The results to date are powerful. PTA Comunitario meetings are bringing families together to examine Texas education policies and their implications for children’s access to advanced placement, dual credit and pre-algebra courses; Texas’ education budget; and college readiness strategies.

In this Classnotes podcast episode, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate, and Frances Guzmán, M.Ed., IDRA education associate, describe the unique aspects of PTA Comunitarios and how to start one in your community.

Note: PTA Comunitario has a new name, Education CAFE, which emphasizes the diversity of communities who are engaged in impacting their public schools.

Show length: 14:51.

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Resources

PTA Comunitario Webpage
http://www.idra.org/families-and-communities/pta-comunitario/

PTA Comunitario as a Family Leadership Model – An ‘Investing in Innovation I3 Project
IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/pta-comunitario-as-a-family-leadership-model/

Hosting Superintendents, Quizzing Candidates and Marking Maps – A Fully Engaged PTA Comunitario
IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/hosting-superintendents-quizzing-candidates-and-marking-maps/

Community Leaders Discuss How PTA Comunitarios Give Voice to Parents in their Children’s Education
IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/community-leaders/

IDRA’s Family Leadership Principles
By Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/idras-family-leadership-principles/

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Show Notes

  • Frances describes what a PTA Comunitario is. Frances and Aurelio explain how PTA Comunitarios are started by community-based organizations rather than directly within the schools, and they discuss how the focus on family leadership in education differs from the typical school-based PTA model of volunteerism or fundraising.

  • Frances notes how participants in PTO Comunitarios don’t just concentrate on what is needed for their child, but instead target the best interests of all children in their community.

  • Aurelio outlines the three main phases of the PTA Comunitario: 1. Is established in a community base; 2. Connects with one or more schools; and 3. Leads data-based projects related to student achievement.

  • Aurelio and Frances talk about the role of effective family outreach in PTA Comunitarios.

  • Based on IDRA’s decades of experience in working with parents at Title I schools, Aurelio and Frances reflect on the mismatch between the needs and interests of those families and the traditional PTA model. They talk about the opportunity for PTA Comunitarios to build more authentic connections between families, the community, and the schools, and invite listeners who are interested in starting a PTA Comunitario of their own to get in touch.