California State PTA

The California State PTA promotes the success of children, schools, and family engagement in public education. It is the state’s largest volunteer-led child advocacy organization with more than 3,200 parent-teacher associations across California. The organization’s School Smarts Parent Engagement Program provides participants with knowledge of the educational system, understanding of the opportunities for family engagement in decision making and budgeting processes, and the skills to advocate for a quality education for all children that includes the arts. This grant to the California State PTA for the School Smarts program advances the Performing Arts Program’s Youth strategy through the Policy and Advocacy substrategy.

With its nearly 1 million members, the California State PTA is the state’s largest volunteer organization, working to promote the education and well-being of all children. The PTA’s School SMARTS program, piloted in 2010 with Hewlett Foundation funding at fourteen schools in four school districts, strives to mobilize parents as champions for the arts. The pilot program attracted a diverse group of parents to basic training sessions on the education system, advocacy, and leadership and infused the PTA culture with a renewed focus on the arts statewide. Parents equipped with knowledge and skills have the greatest potential to advocate successfully for change at the school, community, district, county, and state levels. Renewed support would help the PTA transition School SMARTS from a pilot to a sustainable program in eighteen schools in six districts, with a view to long-term expansion throughout California.

With its million members, the California State PTA is the state’s largest volunteer organization, working to promote the education and well-being of all children. In the past year, the PTA has launched a pilot of the Hewlett Foundation–funded SMARTS: Parents for the Arts initiative in four California districts and fourteen schools to build an arts advocacy effort from the ranks of parents. The pilot program attracted a diverse parent population to basic training sessions on the education system, advocacy, and leadership and infused the PTA culture with a renewed focus on the arts statewide. In the midst of California’s largest ever budget crisis, parents will play a crucial role in regaining state education funding that has been lost in the past two years, and the arts seek to be part of this effort. Parents equipped with knowledge and skills have the greatest potential to advocate successfully for change at the school, community, district, county, and state levels. Renewed support would launch the second year of the pilot program, adding two more districts and four more schools to those that were part of the first year’s pilot.