Although it remains a powerful voice for children—with more than six million members nationwide—the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has moved far beyond just bake sales. According to its current national president, Linda Hodge, the organization now acts as a catalyst for ensuring quality public education for all American children.

"The battle continues," says Hodge, especially in the area of school funding. But the PTA is seeking to draw more and more parents into the fray, speaking to them in "'parentese' versus 'educatese' so they understand that what they do really does make a difference in their schools and in their communities."

Hodge, who has been active in the organization for 25 years, says today's PTA faces challenges that include parents' time constraints, cultural differences, and school budget shortfalls. She calls lack of resources the biggest threat to public schools. "That's not just money, but the big picture of funding, everything from having enough money for teacher development and quality programs, to providing up-to-date classrooms, to having enough paper in the classroom and people available to volunteer."

Making a Difference

The National PTA is promoting a "Five Cents Makes Sense for Education" campaign. The organization explains the campaign's goal as bringing "attention to the fact that the federal investment in education does not meet the demonstrated needs in our states and communities." The PTA is encouraging its members to send letters to their elected officials asking that five cents of every federal budget dollar be dedicated to US Department of Education programs. "This level of commitment to funding education is critical to our children's academic success," according to information from the PTA website, "and to the future economic and national security of our country."

Many state and local PTA units have actively participated in the Five Cents effort, according to Hodge. "Part of whether there's a good response [on campaigns such as Five Cents] depends on how well people perceive education in their community," she says. "It really starts at the local level."

Hodge, who travels frequently, takes the PTA's message to the grassroots level. "I just did a tour of California where I visited 40 local units in four days. I've been on the road a good part of the last year and a half. I want to hear from parents first-hand what's important to them."

It Takes a Pocketbook

With more than one-third of schools nationwide in need of extensive repair or replacement, according to the PTA's 2004–2005 legislative packet, the United States must invest greater resources in improving school facilities. The child advocacy group is a supporter of the America's Better Classroom Act, which would require the issuance of more than $25 billion in bonds for school modernization and school construction projects across the country. PTA cites provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, which require healthy, high-performing school buildings for all students. "We expect bills to be introduced in Congress this fall that would allow the federal government, in partnership with local communities, to provide long-term funding needed to build, repair, and modernize our nation's schools," according to the legislative packet. "However, this legislation will only become a reality if we let Congress know that this is a priority for National PTA's members."

Hodge reports that the group is also addressing other areas of concern, including childhood obesity, the availability of good after-school programs. and prevention of underage drinking. She says PTA has a "smorgasbord" of resources available to parents to help them deal with these concerns. Many people have the misconception that PTA is purely a fundraising organization, Hodge says, but this just isn't the case. "A lot of people just don't understand the scope of PTA," she says. She cites PTA's past accomplishments such as the creation of kindergarten classes, child labor laws, a public health service, hot lunch programs, a juvenile justice system, and mandatory immunization.