Academics & Enrichment Archive

From field trips to science programs to music and plays, we know parent groups support all sorts of activities to make learning more exciting for kids. You'll find tons of enrichment ideas in the articles below. Find more helpful tools and info on the Academics & Enrichment resources page. (For articles about planning great teacher appreciation programs, go to the

• 100th Day of School T-Shirt Ideas

  11 interesting ways that students can decorate a shirt.

• 100th Day: Say It With a Shirt

• 5 Ideas To Help Kids Love Reading

  Fun ideas to help support literacy at your school.

• PTOs and the School Technology Gap

  Parent groups are a major source of technology funding at schools. How can you help without breaking the bank?

• How Your PTO Can Help Raise Test Scores

  Boosting test scores is a priority for many schools. Here are academic project ideas to help students prepare for standardized testing.

• How PTOs Can Help on Testing Days

  Seven ideas to help support students before, during, and after big tests.

• One Year, 2 Million Minutes Spent Reading

  A PTO program that inspires students to hit the books earned this group the 2014 Parent Group of the Year award for Outstanding Focus on Academics & Enrichment.

• Family Event: A Science Night for the Whole Community

  PTO Today's 2014 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event brought together school and community members with its free Family Science Night.

• New England's Best School Field Trips

  Parent groups often have a big hand in executing successful school field trips. Here are some of the best that New England has to offer.

• How PTOs Make Their School Music Programs Sing

  From paying for teacher time to organizing performances, parent groups help bridge the gaps in music education.

• Racing To Read

  The Iditarod, a major hometown event, serves as the inspiration for a schoolwide literacy program.

• 17 Ways To Mark 100 Days of School

  Is your school approaching the 100th day of school? Here are simple ways to celebrate the occasion.

• Create a Teacher Grant Program for Your School

  From technology to music enrichment, an effective PTO-run teacher grant program can help increase a school’s offerings and close budget gaps.

• How Parent Groups Support Academics

  From helping with basic needs to providing academic enrichment, there are many ways PTOs and PTAs work with teachers to help students learn.

• Teaching Gardens Help Expand the Landscape of Learning

  PTOs and PTAs around the country are helping schools take their learning experiences outdoors, where kids get lessons they can use in and out of the classroom.

• Student Gardeners Enjoy Fruits of Their Labor

  At a school garden club in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a parent volunteer finds that students are fans of fruits and veggies when they help with the planting.

• Academics & Enrichment: A Community STEM Effort

  A yearlong effort to provide science enrichment as well as a communitywide STEM event earned this group the award for Outstanding Academics & Enrichment Effort in the 2013 Parent Group of the Year search.

• Family Event: A Creative Approach To Learning Science

  PTO Today's 2013 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event winner created a CSI-style Mystery Science Night that showed science being used in a practical way.

• After Cutbacks, Parents Run School Drama Club

  Following budget cuts at a San Diego school, parents decided that the show must go on.

• 6 Ways To Get Kids Reading

  Help inspire a love of reading with these fun ideas and events.