"Para" in portuguese is like "to" in some phrases in English. For example: "They go to school next year" . The tranlation is: "Eles vão para a escola no próximo ano".
So, "para" is a proposition of direction and motion. In some English phrases the preposition "to" isn't used, like in "He is going home". But, in portuguese, "para" is allways used: "Ele está indo para casa".