News

NEW YORK, NY November 29, 2006 —Advocates for childrens' and immigrants' rights say immigrant students are not benefitting from the city's efforts to create smaller high schools. The New York Immigration Coalition and the group, Advocates for Children, say English language learners account for just five percent of the student popularion in more than half of the city's 200 new, small, high schools.

REPORTER: Chung-Wha Hong is executive director of the Immigration Coalition.

HONG: There's about 140,000 students in our system who need extra help with English so for them to be represented at such low levels is going to have long term consequences where the drop out rates will get even worse.

REPORTER: The Education Department says the schools are now taking a greater share of English Language learners, based on data for this year's entering 9th graders.