WASHINGTON, D.C., June 21, 1996 - Eighty percent (80%) of parents across the country with kids in school are solidly unaware of the active lobbying and issue positions espoused by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), according to the results of a recent national poll sponsored by the Education Policy Institute.

In fact, more than half (51%) of parents say they would be less likely to join the PTA knowing that the nation's most prominent parent-teacher organization opposes a school voucher proposal, the poll, which was conducted May 14 to 17 among parents of children in K through 12^th grade, shows.

"I think it's important that as PTA leaders across the country gather this weekend for their national convention, they need to know the rank and file members of the PTA are ignorant of what the national leadership is doing," said Charlene Haar, President of the Washington, D.C.-based Education Policy Institute.

Fully 70% of members of the PTA do not even know of the organization taking a stance on political issues, the poll shows.

Haar said one of the most important findings of the poll was that 77% of parents believe the "PTA should focus on providing a forum for parents to discuss significant issues regarding their children's education, rather than have PTA meetings almost exclusively about fund-raising activities."

"Parents' concerns are not being met by the PTA," Haar said.

What's more, Haar said, 75% of parents who don't attend PTA meetings would do so if the meetings dealt with critical educational issues such as school policies or dismissal of incompetent teachers, according to the results of the survey.

Other key findings of the poll, conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide, are as follows:

• Half (47%) of mothers would be MUCH more likely to attend PTA meetings if they dealt with substantive issues related to their child's education.
• On a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, parents with an unfavorable impression of the PTA rate "acts as a voice for parental concerns" an 8.3 in terms of importance, yet only give the PTA a 4.3 in terms of its performance in this area.
• The PTA is exceeding parental expectations only in the area of conducting fund-raisers for school activities, equipment, and supplies. That is, parents give fund-raisers a 7.7 in terms of importance, while they give fund-raisers an 8.2 in terms of how the PTA is performing in this area.
• Parents with the highest percentage holding a negative impression of the PTA are those most concerned about curriculum issues (21%), former members of the PTA (14%), and PTA members who do not attend PTA meetings (14%).
• Parents rate "acts as a voice for parental concerns about curriculum and teachers" at 8.4 in terms of importance, yet they only give the PTA a 6.7 in terms of its performance in this area.

The poll reflects the results of 601 parents of children in K through 12^th grade nationwide. Survey responses were gathered randomly between May 14 and 17, using a listed sample of known households of parents with school-age children.

The margin of error for a sample size of 601 is + 4.0 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases. Any questions relating to these findings should be directed to Charlene Haar at 202-244-7535, or Neal Rhoades and Maury Giles at Wirthlin Worldwide, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, at 703-556-0001.