Op-Ed | What to know to ensure your child succeeds as they head back to school

School is back! This week, our children will gather their school supplies, fill backpacks, and greet their friends as they kick off the 2025-2026 school year. Our public schools are the best of our city — a place where children from every walk of life can get a world-class education. And from pre-K to our selective high schools and technical training programs, New York City students have every opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed, with the quality of our teachers unmatched anywhere in this nation. As the largest school district in America, our young people deserve the best chance to fulfill their promise and potential no matter what school they attend. And we know, that to make New York City the best place to raise a family, we must continue to invest in our education system.

As part of first-day back at school celebrations, I will be joining students at HBCU Early College Prep High School in Queens. Early College Prep is the perfect example of what we’re trying to do for our students and their families. It is a school that honors our students’ rich backgrounds and histories, provides rigorous instruction, meets local needs, and prepares our students for the future. Students at HBCU Early College will get a head start on college with the opportunity to graduate with an associate’s degree from a Historically Black College or University. At this school, and so many others, we are giving our students an A+ education and a chance to prepare for the future.

This year will also see some big changes in our schools. Students will be required to put away their phones from bell to bell. We know that phones disrupt our concentration, interfere with actual in-person interactions, and negatively affect young peoples’ mental health. Of course, we are not asking students to permanently give up their phones; that doesn’t make sense in today’s technology-driven world, and we know that parents need to stay in touch with their children.

With this rule change, our students can be present and concentrate on doing their schoolwork in school, instead of being absorbed in their screens, texting, or scrolling on social media. Our goal is to maintain a safe and productive learning environment for everyone, and this change will protect our kids during school hours, ensure our teachers can teach without distraction, and give parents peace of mind that their kids are learning. This new policy is designed to make learning and social interactions easier and was developed in close collaboration with the needs of our students, schools, and families.

We are also bringing our city one step closer to universal after school programming through “After-School for All,” our vision to create 20,000 additional K-5 after-school seats for New York City Public School students, bringing the total number of seats to 184,000 by the start of the 2027 school year. And this school year alone, we are investing an additional $21 million to bring 5,000 new K-5 after-school seats online at 40 schools that never had after-school programming. That means that starting this fall, 5,000 children in neighborhoods with the most need will have a safe and nurturing place to go to when the school day is over.

Additionally, as part of our “Best Budget Ever,” we have invested $300 million in early childhood education. We are also supporting students with disabilities of all ages, including by expanding our programs for students with autism. I know from first-hand experience how important early intervention is. As a child, I struggled to read and kids made fun of me. I felt like I was the dumb student and was always embarrassed when the teacher called on me to read aloud. But the truth was I didn’t realize I had dyslexia until years later. I wish I received the help I needed sooner.

We are also opening seven brand new schools for the 2025-2026 school year. With these new schools we are opening even more doors of opportunity for students, no matter what zip code they live in. These new schools will be located across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, and bring innovative learning and career education to students across these boroughs, including STEM, early college prep, health care career education, engineering, arts, and math.

Further, we are investing in our kids’ future with our FutureReadyNYC program, preparing students for careers in high-growth fields like health care, technology, business, and education. Over 15,000 students are enrolled in FutureReadyNYC schools, and we are making sure they receive internships from New York City employers and opportunities to earn early college credit too.

Parents and families entering the new school year can be confident that their children will be able to succeed with the help of our incredible teachers and our New York City Public Schools’ team. Our students in grades 3 to 8 have made great strides in English language arts and math, and the NYC Reads program has fundamentally transformed how students learn to read — scoring big with an 8.3-point increase in test scores for Black students and a 7.1-point increase for Hispanic students. As a result, this year, we will be expanding both NYC Reads and NYC Solves to middle schools so we can reach more students.

We understand that we do have areas that need improvement, however, and we will address them by providing students with the support they need as early as possible in their schooling. We owe it to our young people, their families, and teachers to ensure that our students have a bright start to their future. It doesn’t just take a village to raise a child; it takes a city. And this school year, we are ensuring that New York City remains the best place to receive an education and raise a family.