Jefferson Co PTA Receives Grant to Educate Parents on New Standards

This from WFPL:

Jefferson County’s 15th District PTA is one of six national recipients of a grant to educate parents and community members about the Common Core State Standards, which go into effect this year.

All but six states have adopted the new standards, which aim to unify what students are expected to learn regardless of where they live.

“If they are teaching about rhyming in kindergarten in Kentucky, they are teaching about rhyming in kindergarten in another state,” said Myrdin Thompson who is a 15th District PTA parent.

Thompson will lead the Jefferson County project funded by a grant of up to $12,000 from the National PTA. The amount will be determined in September when they train, said Thompson.

Now, 15th District PTA members will become the educators for parents and community members in Jefferson County.

“We’re hoping that through these workshops and through connecting through their school environment and creating a stronger relationship they will feel more confident to ask key questions for those parent teacher conferences,” Thompson said.

The group has already started workshops in the county and Lowe, St. Mathews and Middletown elementary schools have scheduled workshops in September, she said.

“So our goal is to reach as many of the parents of the 100,000 students in this community as we can so that they can better partner with the school itself,” she said.

More information will be presented to parents and community members at the annual Back to School Back to PTA event on Aug. 23.

This form the PTA:

State Standards Initiative: 

National PTA Expands Reach on Common Core

National PTA is continuing its push for national education reform and its commitment to ensuring that all children are prepared for college and career.

National PTA will expand its training on Common Core State Standards into Delaware and Michigan, and for the first time, will educate advocates in local school districts in Pinellas County, Florida; Duval County, Florida; Jefferson County, Kentucky; and Springdale, Arkansas, as part of the National PTA’s Common Core Standards Initiative. PTA members in each locale will receive training by PTA leaders to better understand the Standards and will learn advocacy skills to support their implementation.

This effort marks the first time PTAs competed by submitting grant applications to receive National PTA training and advocacy support. The successful PTAs were selected based on organizational background, project goals and objectives, organizational capacity, advocacy capacity, member communication and community engagement. In all, 11 states and 12 districts submitted grant applications. The selected PTAs include:
•Delaware PTA
•Michigan PTSA
•Pinellas County Council of PTAs
•15th District PTA (Jefferson County, Kentucky)
•Duval County Council of PTAs
•Springdale City Council PTAs

“National PTA is making a long-term push for the implementation of Common Core State Standards. With the selection of these additional PTAs, thousands of students nationwide will benefit from the same educational standards which will allow them to compete academically and in an increasingly global economy,” said National PTA President Betsy Landers.

More than 18,000 PTA members have been trained on Common Core State Standards and are working to educate and engage parents, administrators, educators, and decision-makers as the Standards are implemented. Created by teachers, parents, education experts and others from across the country, the Standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in mathematics and English language arts in order to be prepared for college and career. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have now adopted the Standards.

National PTA’s Common Core State Standards Initiative began in December 2009. Wave I states included Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and North Carolina. Wave II included Washington, Ohio, Minnesota and Mississippi. The National PTA’s latest effort in Delaware, Michigan, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Springdale, Arkansas and in Pinellas and Duval Counties in Florida will officially launch on September 17, 2011 in Tampa, Florida.

Hat tip to Myrdin