January 2013

North Carolina PTA members can stay informed by viewing bills introduced during this session. View bills introduced this week.

Governor Pat McCrory has nominated three new members for the State Board of Education. Read more about the nominees in The News & Observer Under the Dome blog.

As a PTA leader and advocate for children, please take the time to get to know your elected officials at the local, state, and federal level.  Your elected officials want to hear about the important work that your PTA does to help every child’s potential become a reality. If you are interested in learning more about who represents you, use the interactive maps and search tools provided on the North Carolina General Assembly website.

North Carolina General Assembly begins long session on January 30, 2013. If you are interested in learning which committees your state representative and senator are assigned to, the information is available on the NCGA website. Review the House Standing Committees and Senate Standing Committees. Speaker Tillis previewed NC House priorities today. You can view the entire news conference on WRAL.com.

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the University of California, Irvine have confirmed that parent involvement is a critical factor in a child’s academic success. Researchers reviewed data from more than 10,000 students, parents, teachers, and school administrators. Their study focused on how family social capital and school social capital impact academic achievement. The study concluded that students with high levels of family social capital and low levels of school social capital performed better than students with high levels of school social capital but low family social capital. According to NCSU, parents can increase their family