NYC Public Schools releases new report on strengthening multilingual programs

CITYWIDE —  A NEW REPORT ON MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IN THE CITY’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS shares five key priorities in strengthening this program. The report is the fruit of the Multilingual NYC Advisory Council’s inaugural year. The Council, which the New York City Public Schools established in June 2024, was tasked with conducting a comprehensive analysis of the state of multilingual education across the system.

The Council’s report, titled “Boldly Reimagining Multilingual Education,” identified key opportunities and challenges in ensuring that every NYCPS student has access to a clear pathway toward multilingualism and global citizenship: Provide equitable access to language programs; promote a culture of inclusion and belonging for multilingual and immigrant students and families; strengthen and expand a culturally and linguistically responsive workforce; foster multilingual and immigrant family and community leadership and advocacy; and recognize multilingualism as a core competency throughout one’s education, career and civic readiness.

The NYCPS reports that 44% of students speak a language other than English at home and one in five students identified as English Language Learners (ELLs) across the system. In addition to the 566 bilingual education programs offered in 12 languages, NYCPS is supporting 28 new programs this academic year, including its first Albanian language program.  

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