Parent-Teacher Academy to Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary April 10

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Parent Leadership Academy and the Teacher Leadership Academy will hold a joint graduation ceremony of the year-long Parent Teacher Leadership Academy program Tuesday, April 10, in the Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center beginning at 6 p.m.

Participants will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the PTLA program at the ceremony. PTLA began in 2007 as a collaboration between the Tuscaloosa City and County school systems, UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships and faculty in the colleges of Education and Human Environmental Sciences.

“I am truly excited to honor the graduates for their efforts this year and also pay tribute to the academy as a whole for its success during the past ten years,” said Dr. Holly Morgan, leader of the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy and director of community education in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships.

The inaugural Parent Leadership Academy class began with 20 members from the two Tuscaloosa area school systems but has now grown to over 200 members.

In the past 10 years, the program has expanded to include teachers and now offers six distinct academies: elementary parent, elementary teacher, pre-k parent, Hispanic parent, middle school parent, and middle school teacher.

Six school districts in central and west Alabama (Alabaster City, Fayette County, Lamar County, Sumter County, Tuscaloosa City and Tuscaloosa County) participate. Beginning with the 2017–2018 school year, the academies are offered at both the elementary and middle school levels.

At the end of each year of activities, a special recognition/graduation program is held. This year, a special recognition of the PTLA graduates of the inaugural 2007 year will take place during the ceremony.

Graduates of the 2017–2018 class will be awarded diplomas, and representatives will make comments about the value of the program. Speakers include William Vining, Westwood Elementary; Junell “Nellie” Christian, Rock Quarry Elementary; Latasha Hubbard, Vance Elementary; Consuelo Rivera, Creek View Elementary; Sabrina Crummie, Eastwood Middle School; and Rochelle Tolliver, Livingston Junior High School.

Each year, classes design and execute special projects with the purpose of improving the overall educational experience in the schools. This year, a record 50 PTLA projects were conducted. Projects addressed key areas that parents and teachers developed and were designed to promote cooperation between community members, students, parents, teachers and school administration.

As a requirement of the academy, each project is aligned with at least one goal of the school’s improvement plan. Several of the many outstanding projects will be highlighted during the program.