A parent coordinator serves as the school’s point person for students’ families, but beyond that, the position is loosely defined. Given the vastness and variance of the city’s school system, this means the job could look completely different from one school to the next, a revealing measure of the needs of the parents — and how accustomed they are to having those needs met.

In one school, the parent coordinator might help families figure out how to apply for food stamps or translate for parents who do not speak English. In another, they manage droves of parental demands and try to keep the peace in times of stress.

“I can’t tell you how many times my phone rings and they’re crying, or they walk into my office and they start crying — the parents,” Ms. Austen said of high school application season. “I just try to keep as much humor in it as possible.”

At Andries Hudde, a middle school on the edge of Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood where many students come from poor families, the parent coordinator, Zoraida Clemente, has a very different set of challenges. Many of the families at her school do not have the time or flexibility to drop in for frequent meetings or to volunteer. So she tries to compensate.

“My role is to help the parents be as informed as possible so they can feel safe and reassured, or know how to follow up with their children,” Ms. Clemente said. “They may not be involved, but as long as they’re informed, they can be effective.”