Empowering Our Families
September 19, 2025
Dear Families and Colleagues,
As both a lifelong educator and a New York City Public Schools parent, I know firsthand the importance of family empowerment. Parents and guardians must be welcomed, respected, and valued in our school communities. This is one of the three commitments I made when I first became Chancellor, along with student safety and educator support. So, as we start the year, here are a few ways we’re ensuring families are at the table:
To our staff, thank you for your dedication and hard work on behalf of our students. To our parents and family members, thank you for your collaboration and for trusting us with your children. We are all partners in this work.
In partnership,
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
Chancellor
The Chancellor’s Spotlight:
Our Family Connectors are actively supporting our communities: building relationships, making connections, and increasing access to critical resources. The experience is a meaningful one, both for the families receiving support and for the Family Connectors themselves.
As one Family Connector put it, “Being a Family Connector has literally changed my life, because it has allowed me to learn information that I never knew existed.” Thank you, Family Connectors, for your leadership!
NYCPS News and Resources:
Welcome Back to School!
September 4, 2025
Dear Families and Colleagues,
Welcome back! I’m thrilled to be starting the 2025-26 school year, and I hope you are as well. As both an educator and a parent, I’ve experienced many first days of school—but this one has special meaning for me, because it’s my first “first day of school” as Chancellor. Our community has so much to accomplish together this year, and I can’t wait to get started.
First, we’re going to continue to expand upon our key initiatives: NYC Reads, NYC Solves, Student Pathways, and NYCPS Cares. NYC Reads and NYC Solves, which reimagine literacy and math instruction, are coming to 186 additional schools, and our FutureReadyNYC program, which offers high-demand career pathways for our high schoolers, will grow to 50 more schools. NYCPS Cares, our newest initiative, is all about creating a culture of care in our communities; as part of this work, we’ve launched student-led anti-bullying and anti-vaping campaigns, along with a program called Family Connectors, in which family members and community volunteers help other families access city resources.
These initiatives are already having an impact—just look at our 2025 state exam results, which show promising gains in both reading and math. The percentage of students scoring "proficient" in grades 3-8 grew 7.2 points in literacy and 3.5 points in math, leading to our highest proficiency rates in these subjects since 2012. I’m immensely proud of our students, staff, and families, whose hard work and commitment are directly reflected in these results. We certainly have more to do, but these improvements show we’re on the right track.
This year, we’ll build on this progress by emphasizing intellectual curiosity and academic rigor, filling our classrooms with rich discussion, deep thinking, and lots of "Aha!" moments. We are also implementing the new state law prohibiting student use of personal internet-enabled devices during the school day, which will help minimize distractions so students can fully engage. Sparking our students' love of learning is a key ingredient in fulfilling our mission: to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in their careers and communities.
I’m so excited to begin this journey with you as my partners. Thank you to our staff, our families and parent leaders, and our entire New York City Public Schools community for your dedication to our students. Happy first day of school, and here’s to an incredible year ahead!
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
Chancellor
NYCPS News and Resources:
Preparing for the 2025-2026 School Year
August 29, 2025
Dear Families and Colleagues,
It’s that time of year again! We wrapped up our phenomenal Summer Rising programming, teachers will soon set up their classrooms, and on September 4, our schools will be filled with students ready to learn.
They’ll be building on some incredible progress—on the 2025 New York state exams, proficiency rates increased by 3.5 percentage points in math and 7.2 percentage points in reading! I’m immensely proud of the entire NYCPS community—educators, families, and students—who implemented NYC Reads, NYC Solves, and all our academic initiatives that led to these results.
As the new school year begins, we are poised for another year of learning, growth, and discovery. Families, here are some important reminders as we prepare to return to school on September 4:
For more information and a back-to-school checklist, visit schools.nyc.gov/BackToSchool. You can also reach out to your school’s Parent Coordinator with any questions or concerns; you can locate their contact information with our “Find a School” tool.
I can’t wait to see you all very soon and to celebrate the first of many amazing days in the 2025-2026 school year!
In partnership,
Melissa Aviles-Ramos
Chancellor
The Chancellor’s Spotlight:This July and August, the Summer Rising site at River East Elementary in East Harlem was buzzing with excitement and learning. Thanks to our partnerships with multiple community-based organizations, students participated in enrichment ranging from swimming to dance—activities that Fernando, a Summer Rising student, noted as highlights of the summer. He also found the academics engaging, saying, “My teacher made learning fun.”
Nominate a person or program for The Chancellor’s Spotlight
here.
NYCPS News and Resources: