U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 16

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Feb 16, 2012, 12:01 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16: AMERICA'S FIRST SCHOOL

Profile America — Thursday, February 16th. This month marks the anniversary of America's first public school — the Boston Latin School — in 1635, long before there was a United States. And this month in 1897, Phoebe Hearst and Alice Birney founded what is today known as the Parent Teacher Association, or PTA. Originally called the National Congress of Mothers, the organization now encourages both mothers and fathers to take part in school activities to improve the quality of their children's education. Today, there are nearly 39 million youngsters enrolled in classes from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, about 4 million of them attend private schools. Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:	Chase's Calendar of Events 2007, p. 135
	National PTA
	Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 221

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau