National PTA President's Letter to ABC Entertainment

October 26, 2011

Paul Lee President
ABC Entertainment
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-­‐4581

Dear Mr. Lee: I am writing about two ABC Network (ABC) television shows, Desperate Housewives and Suburgatory, that recently aired episodes focusing on Parent Teacher Association® (PTA) members (parents) in a negative light.

We understand the comedic attempt to poke fun at the everyday lives of some families but the reality is that there are millions of involved parents and families across the country that fight for the rights of all children and ensure they have the high-­‐quality education they deserve.

Consider this: out of 34 countries, American students ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Now consider that decades of research shows that parent involvement is the leading indicator to student success. In fact, the magnitude of the effect of parent involvement equals more than $1,000 in spending per pupil. While parents are working to help children succeed and return the United States to a global leader in education, ABC is mocking them and their efforts.

As a major network with enormous reach, ABC has a responsibility to its viewers and the American public to call positive attention to everyday champions of children and the state of education. Instead of providing a platform to ridicule families, ABC should take note from one of its competitors like NBC and the network’s week-­‐long programming of Education Nation.

We think this is a great opportunity for ABC to educate its viewers about PTA, as well as the significance and positive affects of family engagement. We are happy to join ABC on any programming the network may have coming up or on any daytime television talk shows to demonstrate what millions of parents and families are doing to ensure all children make their full potential a reality.

Sincerely,
Betsy Landers
President
National PTA