In some New York City public schools, learning English doesn’t mean giving up your native tongue.
There are about 90 dual language public schools in New York City that aim to make students proficient in two languages. P.S. 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is one of them.
The student body is nearly all-Latino and almost half are designated ‘English Language Learners.’ The school has won the trust of immigrant families by immersing the students in both English and Spanish, but its report card from the city’s Department of Education was mixed.
Fi2W reporter Ramaa Reddy Raghavan investigated the school’s dual language program. In this podcast episode, she speaks with Fi2W executive producer John Rudolph about the challenges facing a school that has won accolades for its success in child development but struggles to meet the goals of the D.O.E’s standardized tests. Listen:
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Ramaa Reddy Raghavan is a Feet in Two Worlds education reporting fellow. Her work, and the work of other Fi2W fellows, is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundationwith additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.