August 2011 – The Duval County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTA’s) announced today that it will receive funding from National PTA to train its members, educators, administrators and community leaders on the implementation of Common Core Standards in classrooms.
The Duval County, PTA is part of National PTA’s Common Core State Standards Initiative. Through their involvement, the Duval County PTA will meet with key state and local decision-makers, engage the media and train parents with key advocacy skills to support the Standards. 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.
This selection marks the first time PTA’s have competed by submitting grant applications to receive National PTA training and advocacy support. The Duval County PTA, was selected by National PTA based on its organizational background, project goals and objectives, organizational capacity, advocacy capacity, member communication and community engagement.
“We are pleased that Duval County now joins the National PTA’s effort to advocate for the implementation of the Common Core Standards, which 45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted. These standards will allow our children to compete academically and in an increasingly global economy,” said Betsy Landers, National PTA President.
More than 18,000 local PTA members have been trained on Common Core Standards. In addition to Duval County, National PTA Wave III Common Core Standards Initiative selectees include local school districts in Pinellas County; Jefferson County, Kentucky; Springdale, Arkansas and the states of Delaware and Michigan.
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. National PTA’s latest effort will officially launch on September 17, 2011 in Tampa, FL.
