NYC Schools To Add More Bilingual Programs For Students

TWO BRIDGES, NY — City officials announced Thursday that 42 public schools would get new bilingual language programs starting in fall 2018 to help support the thousands of NYC students who aren't native English speakers.

Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said Thursday that dozens of schools throughout the city would get additional funding to launch the new programs. More than 142,000 students, or about 12.5 percent of city students, are English language learners, according to city data from the 2015-16 school year.

In total, schools around the city will get 48 new dual language or transition bilingual education programs. The expansion includes the city's first-ever Albanian language program which will open at a Bronx school. The program expansion will cost $1.2 million, according to the Department of Education.

"Every family in our City, including immigrant families and undocumented students, deserves a high-quality education, and language should never be a barrier to equal access," Carranza said in a statement. "When I started Kindergarten, I only spoke Spanish and my parents trusted public schools to teach me English — I want to make sure every English Language Learner in New York City has the same experience I did growing up."

Carranza made Thursday's announcement at Public School 1 in Chinatown. More than a quarter of students at the school, located at 8 Henry St., are English language learners. The expansion will include new programs in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Urdu, city officials said.

You can see the full list of schools that are getting new programs here.

Image credit: Courtesy of NYC DoE