The European Congress of American Parents, Teachers, and Students was founded in 1958 by a group of parents and teachers who saw great value in gaining affiliation with the National PTA.

OUR ROLE: European PTA, founded in 1958, continues to:

- Advocate for interests that improve the education of children at American schools in Europe. Please look to our list of resolutions for evidence of our advocacy efforts and positions since 1958.

- Train local school PTA leaders at installations within all of the United States European Command, to include USAREUR, USAFE, and USNAVEUR.

- Represent common interests of local schools to DoDDS-Europe, DoDEA, the National PTA, and to United States Congress.

- Conduct activities and events that complement the overall DoDDS-Europe educational program (see below).

FUNCTIONAL LEVEL: State-level PTA

- In addition to 50 state-level PTA organizations, the National PTA recognizes European PTA along with the Washington D.C. PTA, and two organizations that represent military parents stationed in the Pacific and in the Virgin Islands.

- With this status, European PTA advocacy efforts reach every office in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as European PTA represents common interests of constituents from virtually all of the fifty United States.

DEMOGRAPHICS: Final School Year 05-06 membership size and extent throughout DoDDS-Europe:

- Over 56 of the 99 DoDDS-Europe schools are registered with European PTA.

- Over 8,000 individual European PTA members.

GOALS:

- Strengthen European PTA ability to advocate for children through education and training.

- Increase awareness of the value that European PTA provides to parents, teachers, and students.