Tiempo for 10/15/23: Migrant enrollment in NYC public schools

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- On this episode, we continue our focus on the migrant crisis in New York City.

One of the heartfelt wishes for the parents of migrant children is a quality education for their young boys and girls. And one of the greatest challenges for city leaders and administrators involves placing those fertile young in schools across the five boroughs.

Look some of the statistics compiled by the Department of Education:

More than 19,000 new school-aged children in temporary housing have enrolled in New York City public schools. Most but not all those new students are migrant children.

There was an enrollment surge this summer.

Since July, roughly 25-hundred students now in temporary housing enrolled for this academic school year. Remember, most of those new students don't speak English and that provides insight on the next set of numbers.

Those students are now enrolled in English language learners classes. Data from the Department of Education shows last year, students in those classes had only a 15- percent proficiency in math and 12-percent proficiency in reading.

This year, the math proficiency increased to 21- percent while the reading proficiency dropped to 11-percent.

Eyewitness News reporter Darla Miles got an up-close look at the reality behind those numbers. She got rare access inside a New York City middle school and heard directly from educators about the demanding task of teaching the new arrivals.

Plus, we often talk to city leaders and immigration advocates about services and housing and schooling for the new arrivals. We decided to talk to the immigrants themselves - in their language, in their new surroundings - to learn about their dangerous past and the opportunistic future.

And it's the end of Hispanic and Latin American Heritage month. We'll take a close look at the disturbing numbers that highlight the link between Latinos and Alzheimer's disease.

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Tiempo airs Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m. on Channel 7.