The government's pledged billions have given hope to school administrators, teachers, and parents--hope that, finally, there will be adequate funding for school infrastructure, resources for professional development, and educational opportunities that will allow students to shine. I believe that ultimately we will see a change for the better, but the short-term picture is disheartening.

Thus far, we are seeing states trimming education budgets to plug gaps elsewhere. Local budgets, which rely on tax revenue for school funding, have been hit hard due to the recession. Schools are cutting teaching positions even as the need for more teachers grows. And remaining teachers may be reassigned to an area that they haven't taught in previously.

In "As School Budgets Dip, Class Sizes Grow," Time magazine reports on the increased class size expected in the coming school year. In Los Angeles, for example, kindergarten through third-grade classes will grow by four students, and fourth through twelfth grades will grow by two.

Research may vary on the degree of benefit to students in smaller classes, but parents and teachers alike know that larger groups of children require more general oversight with fewer opportunities for one-on-one time.

Parents like Californian Cheryl James plan to volunteer in their children's classrooms. Says James, "If you get more people in the room--trying to get their hand up, trying to get their question answered, trying to get someone to stop kicking the back of their chair--there are going to be more problems."

It's volunteers like Ms. James who will help make a difference in these changing times. I'm betting there are a lot of parents like her out there. I would love to hear from you about them.