Mrs. Fletcher goes to Washington

When Maria Fletcher became president of New York State PTA a year and a half ago, she never envisioned sitting in a room in the United States Capitol, testifying before members of Congress. But two weeks ago, that’s just what she did.

The Valley Stream resident and former District 30 school board member was there to support the Family Engagement in Education Act, a bill that is co-sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) and Pennsylvania Rep. Todd Platts, a Republican. The bill would provide incentives to school districts to implement best practices in family engagement.

“That was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Fletcher said of her trip to Washington on May 16. “It was truly sensational.”

Fletcher met with about a dozen congressmen and woman on the Education and Workforce committee, which includes McCarthy. She testified on behalf of the New York State and National PTA, and was joined by other education advocates.

After she and fellow panelists delivered their testimony, they fielded questions from the committee members. The entire process, which began about 10 a.m. and was over shortly before noon, was videotaped. Fletcher said the experience reminded her of the Congressional hearings she has seen on television.

With only a few days notice that she would be going, Fletcher left work the afternoon before — she is an associate professor of nursing at St. Joseph’s College — and headed straight to Penn Station. There, she caught an Amtrak train to Washington and arrived about 10:30 p.m. She stayed at a hotel before her venture to Capitol Hill in the morning.

After the hearing was complete, Fletcher met with McCarthy, who has represented Valley Stream in Congress for 15 years. She then caught a train back to New York and ended her journey at the Valley Stream train station.

Fletcher said she was honored to testify in front of members of Congress, and noted that they genuinely seemed interested in what she had to say.

Family engagement in schools is a topic close to Fletcher’s heart. When her daughter first entered kindergarten at Forest Road School 30 years ago, she immediately got involved with the PTA. She was co-president for three years, and later president of South High’s PTSA for two years.

Later, she was appointed to fill a vacancy on the District 30 Board of Education and was re-elected twice, serving a total of 11 years including two as president. Fletcher also served on the Valley Stream Central High School District board.

Fletcher said the involvement of a parent or guardian in their child’s education should be more than just coming to school once or twice a year for a parent-teacher conference. During her time on the Board of Education, she said officials with District 30, and even the high school district, made a concerted effort to include parents on various planning and decision-making committees.

“I saw tremendous progress,” she said. “I think that Valley Stream schools do a very good job to make meaningful that parent involvement.”

According to McCarthy, 40 years of research has shown that the involvement of parents in education improves student achievement and graduation rates. “Family engagement is an essential component of our education system and must be a part of our strategy going forward as we work to close the achievement gap and better prepare our young people to be the leaders of tomorrow,” McCarthy said. “The bipartisan Family Engagement in Education Act is just the kind of community- and family-based solution that could help schools and students across the country in these tough economic times.”

Fletcher became president of New York State PTA in November 2010 and is serving a two-year term. She said the mission of the organization is to advocate for children in the areas of education, health and safety.

One of the organization’s primary functions is to provide local PTA units with vital and relevant information, such as new state and federal education regulations. “We try very hard to inform our members on what they need to be effective advocates,” she said. New York State PTA also provides training for local leaders.

Fletcher works with a Board of Directors, vice presidents and specialists. She is in constant communication with New York State PTA’s staff in Albany.

There are 54 PTA congresses in the United States including the New York chapter that Fletcher leads. She was chosen to represent all of them in Washington. Whatever the outcome of the bill is, she said she was pleased to have her voice heard. “This reinforced my belief that you have to be a part of the process,” she said. “If you’re not a part of the process, then you can’t be a part of the solution.”