The Madison Area Council of Parent-Teacher Associations served as a liaison between the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA's) of individual schools in the city of Madison and two larger organizations, the Wisconsin Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. and the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, with which it was affiliated. The council was composed of its elected officers and committee chairmen, the principals of member schools, and the president and a delegate of each local PTA. In addition to assisting and coordinating local units, the council through its elected officers and committees worked on a citywide level to promote the welfare of children and to encourage cooperation between educators, parents, and the general public. Beginning in the late 1960's, however, with the establishment of a parents' advisory group by Madison Superintendent of Schools Douglas Ritchie, the council's influence waned. At the same time, local school PTA's began to act more independently. The council disbanded in June, 1972.
