PTO organizations are private groups working with each specific school or district to enhance the education and lives of attending students. Their dues are paid to and kept by the treasurer of the PTO and are not shared among or paid to any other organization but used directly by and for the students.
PTAs in each school or district are subdivisions of a national association dedicated to improving children's causes with regard to their personal lives and education. The National PTA is the largest national child-advocacy organization, according to an article by Scholastic. A portion of PTA dues paid by parents and teachers is used for the required national and state fees. The national headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. and offers resources to local PTA chapters to assist their efforts.
Although PTOs and PTAs have most of the same goals with regard to helping the children in their school or district, the groups differ in many other areas. A PTA is affiliated with a national organization and often applies for a nonprofit status with the state and federal governments while each individual PTO is, most likely, a for-profit group. Alternatively, some PTO groups do file a nonprofit tax-exempt status with the federal government. The rules and regulations or bylaws of each PTO are devised and enforced by the specific organization, which differs from the national regulations that PTA chapters must abide by. PTOs are mainly concerned with the personal goings-on at the school while PTA chapters and lobbyists are involved in more pressing issues on state and federal levels such as fighting against school vouchers, raising the bar of education for the students and increased federal funding for education.
Most commonly, all parent-teacher groups are responsible for organizing fundraisers, school events, educational assemblies, guest speakers, graduation events and field trips, among other things. The groups devise plans for teacher appreciation week, book fairs, end-of-the-year field days or celebrations, parent newsletters, back-to-school nights, student and kindergarten orientation and sometimes offer parenting classes, workshops and seminars to educate the community on child-advocacy issues.