From a child’s first day at kindergarten to sending the first child off to college to dealing with larger class sizes due to budget cuts, students, parents and teachers face a variety of issues as the start of the school year approaches. DePaul University experts available to provide commentary about these and other school-related topics include:

Marie Donovan, associate professor, School of Education. Donovan can discuss transitioning between grade levels, especially the more significant transitions such as from preschool to kindergarten, kindergarten to first grade, intermediate grade to middle school, middle school to high school and high school to college. She also can discuss how teachers and parents can cope with increased class sizes, as well as understanding the Illinois State Board of Education’s newly issued Common Core Standards and how they are being implemented. Donovan can be reached at (773) 325-7591, cell (312) 505-1939 or mdonovan@depaul.edu.

Harry London, assistant professor, department of teacher education, School of Education. Having been a school principal for 18 years, London can discuss numerous school-related issues, including preparing kids, parents and teachers for the return to school, dealing with bullies and how teachers can cope with bigger class sizes due to budget cuts. He can be reached at (773) 325-8669, cell (847) 306-0093, or hlondon@depaul.edu.

Dana McDermott, associate professor, School for New Learning. McDermott can discuss the transition to college for students and parents and how they can sustain the parent-child relationship during and after the transition. She also can discuss how parents, teachers and students can cope effectively with bullying in schools. She is the author of the book “Developing Caring Relationships among Parents, Children, Schools and Communities” (Sage Publications 2008). She can be reached at (312) 362-5111 or dmcderm2@depaul.edu.

Roxanne Owens, associate professor; chair, department of education, School of Education. Owens can discuss how parents can prepare their kids academically, emotionally, socially and psychologically for the return to school. “We need to do more than just start putting them to bed earlier,” Owens said. She can be reached at (773) 325-4329, cell (773) 255-0610 or rowens@depaul.edu.

Eva Patrikakou, associate professor; chair, department of counseling and special education, School of Education. Patrikakou can discuss issues related to parental involvement, including how to make the most of home-school communications and home-school partnerships, as well as establishing healthy homework habits. She can be reached at epatrika@depaul.edu.