More American Fathers Take Active Role In PTAs

March 2, 2009 9:28 a.m. EST

Chicago, IL (AHN) - More American fathers are taking an active part in the Parents Teachers Association, not just in sports activities of the schools, but also in room concerns.

The growing incursion of males into the PTA will be particularly felt middle of this year when Charles Saylors assumes presidency of the national organization, the first time a man will head it. The PTA was originally the National Congress of Mothers, established over 100 years ago. A concrete measure of the growing paternal influence in the PTA is the hike in membership to 10 percent of 5.5 million members, from 3 percent in 2004.

Saylors told the Chicago Tribune, "Half the parents in the world are men. Let's talk about this, guys... The PTA shouldn't be left to just one parent. It should be a family activity."

Ahead of Saylors in giving male participation in the PTA is Byron Garrett, who was appointed first male chief executive in 2008. He was one of those who worked that started the initiative Men Organized to Raise Engagement in June 2008.

The National Center for Fathering, in a recent survey, discovered that more fathers are now participating in classroom events by bringing their children to school and performing volunteer work compared to 10 years ago.

One prominent father observed as taking seriously his role as a father to school-age children is U.S. President Barack Obama, who often takes his daughters Malia and Sasha to their school and attended a PTA conference a few days after he won the presidency in November.

Peter Spokes, president of the NCF, explained the key to having more males involved in PTA is to alter the known PTA vocabulary. "Historically if we talked about parents, it meant moms... What we found is in the last decade we're starting to change the vocabulary from 'parents' to 'moms and dads' and talk to dads as dads," said Spokes.