PTA National History As presented by The National PTA Organization

For over 100 years, the PTA been an advocate for America's children:

• 1897 Founding of the National Congress of Mothers to act on behalf of children in the home, at school, and in the world.
• 1898-99 The Congress promotes cooperation between parents and teachers; advocates for sex education; and lobbies for a national health bureau.
• 1900s Fathers urged to join; PTA already voicing public concern for juvenile justice issues and the need for child labor laws, as well as federal aid to schools.
• 1910s PTA urges that kindergarten be part of education system; asks parents to supervise their children's attendance at moving pictures; local PTAs serve hot lunches to children.
• 1920s The National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers is formed to serve children in segregated states; PTA begins a nationwide children's health project; and is involved in the first university courses in school-home relations.
• 1930s A special nutrition project and emergency services prevent children from suffering during the Great Depression; PTA studies automobile and school bus safety as they relate to children.
• 1940s PTA launches nationwide school lunch program; becomes one of the first nongovernmental organizations to support the establishment of the United Nations; creates new university project to teach teachers home-school relations; wartime activities include the weekly radio series, "The Family in War," featuring the Baxter family and a panel of experts discussing the weekly episode.
• 1950s PTA calls a national conference to address narcotics and drug addiction in youth; helps field-test and win support for the Salk Polio Vaccine; and promotes health supervision of children from early childhood through high school.
• 1960s PTA creates public message about the dangerous effects of smoking; helps enact child protection and toy safety legislation; promotes art education via a nationwide cultural arts program; and creates a new focus on home-school relations in low-income areas.
• 1970s National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers and National Congress of Parents and Teachers unite to become one organization; PTA expands outreach to combat alcohol abuse; calls for parents to share in decision making in schools; begins project to oppose violence on television; opens Office of Governmental Relations in Washington, DC; and invites students to sit on the National PTA Board of Directors.
• 1980s PTA fights for automobile safety belt and child restraint legislation; creates a drug/alcohol abuse prevention project; focuses more attention on children and families in the inner cities; and creates national HIV/AIDS education program for parents.
• 1990s PTA convenes national summit on parent involvement; becomes major force in adding parent involvement to National Education Goals; develops National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement in cooperation with education and parent involvement professionals; initiates nation-wide campaign to protect children from violence; forges partnerships with other national groups to promote parent involvement in early childhood education and teacher education; celebrates 100th anniversary.

Visit the National PTA website for a year-by-year listing of the PTA's historical milestones.

Teacher Websites © 2009 SchoolWorld