Listening to Your Community



Listening to Your Community

 

Growing membership requires an intentional and continuous effort to build positive, productive relationships, beginning with your PTA Board and continuing with families, teachers, school staff and community members.

Your PTA will grow in membership if every aspect of your PTA—every event, every communication, every interaction—is viewed as a way to achieve strong, positive, two-way relationships with your community.

To do this effectively, you need to listen deeply to what families, teachers and community members want and need.

Since PTAs are for everyone, units should seek to understand and support the wide variety of needs of the students, families and teachers in your community.

Essential Questions to Understand Your Community

Do your Board and membership reflect the diversity of families in your community (including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language preferences and cultural norms)? If not, make a conscious effort to reach beyond your current membership, and listen to and help satisfy the needs of your entire community.

To learn more, visit GREATSCHOOLS.org or your school district website, where you can find the following information about your school:

  • Racial/ethnic make-up
  • Percentage of families receiving free/reduced-price lunch
  • Percentage of English language learners

How do families and staff think PTA should support student success and well-being, or school improvements? And what limits families and school staff from supporting or volunteering with PTA?

To learn more, ask your community! Solicit feedback via surveys, physical or digital suggestion boxes, email, or listening sessions, either in-person or online.

When your PTA has shifted gears or improved something because you listened, share that in person and across all your communication venues. It reinforces the message that feedback is important and new ideas are welcome. For example:

  • "PTA heard from our members ... and in response we will … "
  • "Thanks to your suggestions … we will … "
  • "Our survey results showed … and as a result we are … "