Parent Teacher Association

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the largest child advocacy organization in the United States, with over 6 million members. There are organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and in the Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific.

The organization was founded in 1897 in Washington, D.C., as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. At the time of its founding, women did not have the vote, but these two women felt that there is no stronger bond than that between mother and child. Therefore, the founders believed that it was up to mothers of the United States to eliminate the threats that endangered children. In its initial meetings, more than 2,000 people responded—all with a commitment to children. Problems were identified and strategies devised to resolve them.

The mission of the PTA is to

• Support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children
• Assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children
• Encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of the United States

Some of the programs that have evolved from that original group of members include the creation of kindergarten classes, child labor laws, a public health service, hot lunch programs, a juvenile justice system, and mandatory immunization.

By 1922, “A PTA in Every School” became the nationwide goal. Parenting skills were a particular concern and the focus of many local and national conferences. Founder Birney appealed to society as a whole to make education a top priority. But in many states, segregated schools were legally sanctioned. To address those students' special needs, Selena Sloan Butler, with the help of the National PTA, founded the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers in 1926. When the two national organizations formally merged in 1970, so did their identical mission to improve the lives of children.

As conditions changed, so did PTA's programs. The age of the automobile brought new concerns about child safety. In the 1930s, National PTA responded [Page 727]with a safety education program for schoolchildren that continues today.

In the 1940s, World War II spearheaded the organization's resolve to find a new and better way to resolve conflicts before they erupted into violence and destruction. National PTA was one of the first organizations to support the fledgling United Nations.

During the 1950s, one of the most high-profile projects in PTA history was the organization's participation in the field testing of the Salk polio vaccine and eventually securing the polio vaccination for all schoolchildren. It was also during this time that the PTA began to recognize America's affinity for prescription and over-the-counter medications, and called for a national conference to address narcotics and drug addiction in youth.

Smoking and drug abuse became increasingly common in American culture during the 1960s, and the PTA called for schools to focus on the risks involved with abuse and also created public service messages to educate parents and the general public about the dangers of addiction. During the 1970s, violence on television spurred the PTA to action regarding the effects of such programming on children. Today, critical viewing skills workshops are held around the country. The alarming rise in sexually transmitted diseases and the advent of AIDS found the PTA advocating comprehensive information about the diseases be made available at school and at home in the 1980s.

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