Our Work

The Challenge

Family engagement in our schools is broken.

For too long, parents, teachers, and school administrators have failed to collaborate effectively toward the shared goal of student success. This lack of unity has obstructed progress in addressing systemic barriers to learning, especially in under-resourced schools, limiting schooling options for students. Barriers such as strained parent-teacher relationships, disempowered community voices, and overworked educators can be eliminated through collaboration.

Strained Relationships

Educators and parents lack positive working relationships and remain disconnected when it comes to collaboratively supporting student needs

Disempowered Voices

Families and educators often lack the practical knowledge to effectively organize their communities and push for institutional change, hindering parent engagement in schools. This disconnect can leave parents feeling disempowered and unsure about how to get involved in their child’s education.

Overworked Leaders

Already overworked school leaders lack the bandwidth to facilitate collaboration between key stakeholders - families, educators, and community partners.

Our Charge

“Parents are partners with educators, administrators, and school district boards of trustees in their children’s education. Parents shall be encouraged to actively participate in creating and implementing educational programs for their children.”

-Title 2, Sec. 26.001(a), Texas Education Code

Our Method

The Parent Teacher Collaborative uplifts student success through:

Building Bridges

Facilitating healing conversations to foster understanding between parents and educators
Providing training for collaboration skills to replace division with a common purpose, emphasizing the importance of family involvement in education

Amplifying Voices

Equipping families, teachers, and communities with the capacity to create change, focusing on the difference between engagement vs involvement
Offering workshops on effective organizing to make stakeholders' voices heard, providing parent engagement ideas and activities

Removing Barriers

Providing childcare, meals, and incentives eliminate participation barriers, and making it easier for parents to get involved and collaborate in their child’s education
Networking and leadership development empower sustained community action, promoting parent engagement in schools

The Possibilities

The Parent Teacher Collaborative believes that with understanding and skill-building, we can equip these communities to transform their childrens’ schools through effective parent and family engagement strategies. When families, educators, and students come together around their shared interests with empathy and purpose, they become an unstoppable force for equity and justice.

By breaking down barriers to engagement and amplifying the collective voice of those closest to students, we can address systemic inequities. Families and schools united by common purpose have the power to shape responsive policies that allow all students to reach their full potential.

As an organization dedicated to empowering families, TPTC focuses on the key aspects of engagement vs involvement, emphasizing the important roles parents and caregivers play in driving positive change in schools.

Educational Engagement Programming & Services

Our Offerings

Parent Teacher Organization Support

TPTC provides in-person and virtual consulting and coaching support to help schools build, strengthen, and sustain effective Parent Teacher Organizations. Through hands-on guidance, strategic planning, and ongoing coaching, we work alongside parent leaders and school staff to develop strong structures, improve collaboration, and increase meaningful family engagement. Our support is tailored to each school community and designed to build long-term capacity for family leadership and partnership.

Focus areas include:

Establishing or restructuring PTOs
Clarifying leadership roles and governance practices
Developing membership recruitment and engagement plans
Strengthening family and school communication systems
Coaching PTO officers and executive boards
Event planning and volunteer management systems
Budget development and financial processes
Fundraising strategy and sustainability planning
Building community partnerships and sponsorships
Aligning PTO efforts with campus priorities and student needs

Educator Family & Community Engagement Consulting

TPTC provides consultative services to districts, schools, nonprofit organizations, and education-focused businesses seeking to improve parent and family engagement efforts and/or support educators in building capacity to work collaboratively within their communities.

Services may include:

Strategic Planning for Community Engagement Efforts
Professional Learning Offerings for District/School Staff
Parent Teacher Association/Parent Teacher Organization Development
Community Resource Landscape Mapping and Analysis
Strategic Planning for Site-Based Fundraising Efforts

Youth Enrichment Programs

TPTC offers a range of after school and summer programs for K-12 students designed to strengthen academic growth, social-emotional development, and leadership capacity while deepening connections between youth, their families, and the broader school community.

Our youth enrichment model builds on the foundation of our Future Ready Experiences programs, which help students explore college, career, and life pathways through hands-on learning, real-world exposure, and family-connected experiences. We believe student success is most powerful when families are engaged alongside them, so programming intentionally creates opportunities for youth and caregivers to learn, grow, and plan for the future together.

Youth enrichment topics include:

Exploring Leadership Characteristics
Goal-Setting for Success
Communicating Effectively with Peers and Adults
Community Research and Issue Identification
Youth Entrepreneurship and Career Exploration
College and Career Awareness Activities
Family-Connected Learning Projects
Collaborative Problem-Solving with Families and Community Partners

Community Partnership Consulting

TPTC provides consulting support to schools seeking to identify, vet, and partner with community organizations, as well as to community partners looking to deepen their impact within school communities.

Our work focuses on building authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships that expand opportunities for students and families while aligning with campus priorities. We help schools and partners move beyond one-time events toward sustained collaboration that strengthens resources, relationships, and long-term community outcomes.

Consulting focus areas may include:

Identifying and mapping potential community partners
Partnership alignment with school needs and priorities
Strategic planning for school-community collaboration
Program and initiative co-design
Family and community engagement integration
Outreach and relationship-building strategies
Event and resource coordination
Partnership agreements and role clarity
Cross-sector collaboration structures
Evaluation of partnership impact and effectiveness

Parent Internship Program

TPTC’s Parent Internship Program creates structured, part-time opportunities for parents and caregivers to serve in meaningful roles within their child’s school community. The program is designed to strengthen family engagement while building workforce skills, leadership capacity, and pathways to long-term economic mobility.

Parent interns support school staff, family initiatives, and student-centered activities while gaining hands-on professional experience in a supportive environment. The program positions families as active contributors to school success while helping participants grow their skills, confidence, and career readiness.

A core component of the program is educational advancement. Parent interns are required to be enrolled in an education or training pathway, such as a GED program, high school completion program, college coursework, or trade certification. TPTC works alongside participants to support enrollment, connect them to appropriate programs, and help them navigate next steps in their educational journey.

Program components may include:

Placement in part-time, school-based internship roles
Support with family engagement events and initiatives
Assistance with PTO development and volunteer coordination
Student program and activity support
Professional skills development and workplace readiness
Leadership and communication skill-building
Goal setting and career pathway exploration
Enrollment support for GED, high school completion, college, or trade programs
Connections to educational and workforce opportunities
Ongoing coaching and reflection to support growth