Education in New York City is handled by the Department of Education. The city government splits the five boroughs into 32 districts. Jackson Heights, located in northern Queens, is located entirely in District 30. This school district also includes the neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars, East Elmhurst, Hunters Point, Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside. District 30 is composed of all Magnet schools, meaning that they follow a specialized curriculum. The theme of District 30 schools is culture, music, and the performing arts. The schools in these neighborhoods follow the NYC core curriculum, but offer enrichment in almost all of the core disciplines.
To get an idea of the schools in Jackson Heights, I visited P.S. 69, located on 37th Avenue, several blocks away from the Little India section of Jackson Heights. The majority of the students who attend P.S. 69 are either of South Asian or Hispanic descent. About half of the students in the school are of South Asian descent, with Bengalis constituting the majority. Nepalese and Tibetans are also represented in the student body. The other half of the student population is Hispanic, with Colombians, Ecuadorians, and Mexicans as the most common ethnicities. Religious affiliation is split along ethnic lines, with the majority of the Hispanic students being Roman Catholic and the majority of the South Asians being Sunni Muslims. Despite belonging to such different backgrounds and belief systems, prejudice was extremely rare and the children made friends regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Jackson Heights has a large and diverse immigrant community. The majority of these immigrants come from non-English speaking nations, creating a barrier upon their arrival. This barrier extends to their children. Immigrant parents raise their children to speak their native tongue. Immigrant children who cannot speak English are separated from their classmates and placed into English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
ESL programs in New York City public schools are designed to teach students to speak, read, and write English. All schools in the city offer ESL classes, where for part of the day the student sits in on regular classes and for the remainder of the day attends English language courses. Queens has the highest number of English language learning students in New York City, with over 47% of these students born in a foreign country. (DOE, 2011). This is significant in that one of every twelve students in Queens is a recent immigrant to the United States.
In P.S. 69, a high number of the students take advantage of the ESL program. According to the parent coordinator, within three to four months of exposure to English in the classroom and in the ESL intensive learning sections, students are able to understand basic English. Full comprehension and mastery of the language takes far longer, with different students picking it up at different rates. Some are able to develop mastery of the language within three years, while for others it may take their entire elementary school career and in some cases progress through to middle school. In other instances, if an ESL student shows no improvement on the proficiency exams, he or she will be required to attend extra after school sessions and possibly even summer school.
P.S. 69 attempts to involve parents through its Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The school encounters several problems, the greatest of which is the number of parents who are not native speakers of English. Many are recent immigrants to the country and have no knowledge of the language, making participation in their children’s education extremely difficult. The NYC Department of Education (DOE) attempts to increase parents’ involvement in their children’s education. Students are handed out forms in the beginning of year asking which language the parents’ would prefer to receive information and bulletins. Additionally, translators are provided upon request at PTA meetings and at parent-teacher conferences.
Many of these immigrant parents face added difficulties when attempting to assist their children outside of school. Many recent immigrants come from their home countries with little money and little education. The latter is the main problem, as the parents soon realize they are incapable of helping their children with their homework. In response to this problem, the United Federation of Teachers established the Dial-A-Teacher program. Students can call a phone number and get help for their homework over the phone from a teacher. The program is available in a variety of languages, ensuring that students can receive help regardless of the language in which they are most proficient.
While a number of programs have been established to enrich students’ education in Jackson Heights, problems still exist. Daniel Dromm, the New York City Council Representative of Jackson Heights, believes that the biggest challenge facing schools in Jackson Heights at this moment is overcrowding. The average class size in elementary schools in the area is over thirty students. While the DOE continues to discuss the importance of providing individualized attention to students, it becomes impossible to provide differentiated assignments. Parents also believe this is a wide spread problem. Their children are very happy with the quality of their teachers, but they often complain to their parents about how many other kids are crammed in one classroom.
Another common issue is that of after-school programs. Councilman Dromm has described the after-school programs as vitally important to the community. Many of the immigrants in the community must work difficult, low paying jobs for long hours in order to support themselves. Often, both parents must find employment. They cannot afford to hire a babysitter or a nanny who can pick up their children from school and watch them until they get out of work. The after-school programs, non-profit organizations, provide homework help and activities to these children until their parents can pick them up later in the day. The issue with the after-school programs is the fate of their existence, as they are often the first to receive budget cuts.
The overarching issue in all of these cases is funding. The public school system is controlled by the DOE, a branch of the NYC municipal government. Like all other branches of the city government, the education system is subject to budget revisions. Due to the recent economic downturn and recession, the issue of funding in NYC has become far more important. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in an attempt to balance the budget and increase revenue, has often attempted to cut funding to programs which are often essential in their communities. Councilman Dromm has stated that the after-school programs are often the first to receive cuts to their funding. With the city’s funds spread tightly over all aspects of life, education is often overlooked. Investment into improvements in infrastructure is rare and the mayor has expressed his desire to cut back on the number of public school teachers, based often on seniority and not on the effectiveness of the teacher.
Though the schools in Jackson Heights are often the recipients of budget cuts from City Hall, they provide a vital resource. Many immigrants come to New York City in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They recognize the need for their children to receive an education in order to ensure their future success. Education is one of the primary concerns of any parent, immigrant or not. The schools in Jackson Heights show what is right with the NYC school system: the diversity, the inclusion of all, and the stimulation that inspires students to succeed.
