Supporting Immigrant Teens

The International Network for Public Schools (INPS) — a network of high schools in New York City and across the country — supports recently arrived immigrant teens who are learning English.

“These schools offer protection, education and possibility for immigrant youth during a political moment in which their identities are under siege,” notes Counseling and Educational Leadership Professor Reva Jaffe-Walter, who was recently awarded a three-year, $70,000 William T. Grant Foundation sub-award from a New York University grant. The funding will support her study of the critical elements that contribute to the success of schools within the INPS in improving the outcomes of immigrant youth.

Collaborating with colleagues from NYU and the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, Jaffe- Walter is looking at how high schools can best serve immigrant teen English learners, who historically struggle more in school than their younger counterparts.

“This research will explore the key practices that help explain the schools’ successes, examine the academic challenges facing recently arrived immigrant students, and identify strategies educators have used to address these challenges,” explains Jaffe-Walter.