In late October, dozens of parents from across the city came together to share our priorities about the coming school year. We spoke about our experiences heading back to school. From services for special needs populations to overcrowded classrooms (John B. Kelly reported 38 kindergarteners in one class!) to concerns about classroom instruction – these are the areas we need to focus our attention. GAMP parents raised concerns about loss of transportation for middle schoolers especially as a recent Facilities Master Planning process seemed to indicate a shift away from neighborhood schools. Above all, parents raised concerns about a lack of attention to equity, where schools just blocks away can be vastly different in academic offerings and investment.
This forum is about your back to school experiences. What’s happening at your school? What are your top priorities as we dive into the school year?
Parents United for Public Education 
I was pleasantly surprised this year with the level of parental involvement in my son’s kindergarten class at E.M. Stanton. My son started kindergarten this year and I was reminded of how critical it is to start education right from the beginning. This year, all the K parents in my school seem to be very engaged and very involved in their child’s education. I hope that this will continue all the way through 8th grade as I notice that parental involvement seems to decline as students get older. So far, the school year is off to a good start, at least for our K class.