Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcast

We discuss why recess is important for students’ physical health—as well as their social and emotional development—and take a look at what schools and families are doing to protect and enhance recess time at school. Researcher and dad, William Massey, explains the benefits of recess, what high-quality recess looks like and how parents can get involved in recess. PTA leader and school board member,...

We dive into parents’ top concerns about middle school with Phyllis Fagell—school counselor, therapist, author and mother of three. She gives us a deeper look at what is going on with middle schoolers developmentally and how families can address adolescent friendship issues, social media use and bullying. We also offer practical tips and ways both families and schools can best support our tweens.

We sit down with Bibb Hubbard—a mother and founder of Learning Heroes—to explore the research around what families and kids think about student academic achievement, how schools and districts can improve the way they share information with families, and what families can do to gauge if their child is on track and advocate for a more accurate picture of their progress. Liz Goshorn gives a mother’s...

Get the inside scoop on school discipline in America from former U.S. Secretary of Education and President of the Education Trust John B. King, Jr. We discuss the dangers of policies that keep children out of regular classroom learning, and what approaches schools can use to help students become responsible, thriving adults. King shares lessons learned from his personal and professional experience...

Find out what Notes from the Backpack is all about! Hosts LaWanda Toney and Helen Westmoreland give listeners a preview of what they can expect when they tune in to National PTA’s new podcast series.