FAQs
What is Internationals Network for Public Schools?
Internationals Network for Public Schools is a non-profit organization that was founded as a result of the tremendous success of the first four International High Schools in New York City. Internationals Network for Public Schools’ mission is to provide quality education for recently arrived immigrant English language learners (ELLs) by developing and sustaining a strong national network of innovative public high schools based upon the Internationals Approach, as well as more broadly utilizing our practitioner experience and policy expertise.
How many International High Schools are affiliated with the Internationals Network?
Internationals currently has 10 high schools in New York City, a school in Oakland, CA, and is opening a 12th school in San Francisco in August 2009. A 13th school in New York City is now in the planning stages, and will be opening Fall 2010.
How does Internationals Network support the International High Schools?
Internationals Network supports the International High Schools in a variety of ways. The following are the Network’s major program areas:
- Leadership Development
- Professional Development
- Curriculum Development
- Model Adaptation
- College Readiness
- I-START
- New School Development
- Advocacy and External Relations
Are International High Schools part of the public school system?
Yes, all International High Schools in New York City and in California are part of the public school system and receive the standard amount of per pupil funding allocated by the local Departments of Education. Internationals Network provides extra resources and support to its schools through its own fundraising and partnership efforts.
How are International High Schools different from other public schools?
Student Body: International High Schools serve an English language learner (ELL) population exclusively. Our two Pan American International High Schools in New York City primarily serve students who share Spanish as a common language.
Instruction and Structure: Our schools infuse language development throughout content area classes. Instruction is primarily organized around collaborative projects through which students develop their linguistic and academic skills. Classes are heterogeneous (not leveled by students’ proficiency in English, literacy levels, or academic proficiency). The key organizational structure in Internationals High Schools is the interdisciplinary team of teachers that take responsibility for the same group of students. These teams work together to plan curriculum and instruction and make decisions regarding the academic, linguistic and social and emotional development of their students.
Governance: Schools are governed collaboratively by stakeholders in the school community. Faculty leadership is developed through teams, committees and leadership groups that continuously generate new leadership and ensure both stability and continuous innovation. Localized autonomy is tightly meshed with responsibility for student outcomes. Decision-making is driven down to those who have first hand data on students while holding them accountable for the results of their work.
Are there any admission requirements for your schools?
To be eligible to attend an International High School, a student must live in the local community, be in the United States for four years or less, and qualify as an English learner.
Does Internationals charge tuition?
As public schools, the International High Schools do not charge tuition.
Are International High Schools bilingual?
Traditional bilingual programs are organized to include students with a common native language whose teachers speak to entire classes in the students’ native language for some or part of the time and give reading and writing assignments in the common native language. Bilingual programs often aim to build on the cultural and linguistic knowledge and strengths that immigrant English learners bring to the classroom. Our schools and teachers incorporate these approaches to building on students’ prior linguistic and cultural knowledge.
In our diverse language schools, students come from various native language backgrounds. Schools utilize that diversity instructionally by grouping students heterogeneously, rather than in classes on the basis of their native language. Teachers, while often bilingual, speak in English to the whole class, so as not to exclude any student. In all classes, students spend most of their time actively talking in small groups. Teachers conversely spend most of their time facilitating students’ work in small groups, rather than engaging in “chalk and talk” from the front of their room.
In our two Pan American International High Schools, we also incorporate a Humanities/Native Language Arts class in Spanish. Schools also provide a variety of other programs including a French Heritage Language program for francophone students.
Assignments and reading materials in most International High School classes are distributed in English. Students use English as well as their native language to work together with their peers to complete academic projects and may read native language materials for their projects. Projects often include opportunities for students to present orally in English from their first year in our schools.
Our students are, or become bilingual. Many of our teachers are bilingual. But our program is not a traditional bilingual program.
Are International High Schools ESL programs?
English as a Second Language (ESL) programs focus on English language acquisition, and group their students into leveled classes according to their English proficiency. Although they sometimes teach English through the content areas, ESL programs always devote specific classes to English acquisition in leveled groups
Our teachers utilize many of the same language development techniques as ESL teachers, such as scaffolding, paraphrasing, and use of visuals. They also construct opportunities for students to use their native language, and recognize that both languages will be developed as students acquire academic content and skills. However, in our schools, all teachers are teachers of language as well as content and are fully responsible for both the linguistic and academic growth of their students. Teachers may have more expertise as language or subject area teachers, but that expertise is disseminated through the team structure and other professional development activities. In our schools, all teachers share equal responsibility for students’ language acquisition. All classes are designed to promote English language acquisition (there is not a specific English as a Second language class) and all teachers are continually improving their skills in this area. All of our students are learning English as a second Language. But our program is not a traditional E.S.L. program.
So which are you, bilingual or ESL?
We are neither, and we are both. We are a hybrid utilizing best practices from both approaches. The old paradigm of defining programs for English learners based on the language spoken by a teacher in front of the room needs to be updated to take into account new models of student-centered instruction such as the Internationals Approach.
How big are International High Schools?
International High Schools are small, so that individual students are personally known and students do not “slip through the cracks.” At full enrollment (9-12 grades), our schools total between 300 and 475 students. The small school size also permits leaders to work closely with faculty to create strong learning communities so teachers can perform at high levels.
What are the academic levels of the students who enter your schools?
Students who come to International High Schools range from having little previous formal education to being above grade level in their native language. Some students have never been to school because of conditions in their home country while some have attended quality schools in their countries, but have no proficiency in English. All of our schools have or are developing summer programs, after school and Saturday programs and in-school support programs to provide extended learning opportunities to students. Students may need more time to learn their new language and/or to acquire basic reading, writing and numeracy skills that they missed in their own country. The schools recognize that a great deal of extra work must be done with our students to prepare them for college, and students must come prepared to work hard to improve their academic skills.
Can I schedule a visit to one of the International High Schools?
All International High Schools are available for visits by appointment only. Many of the schools have scheduled/set dates for visitors. If you would like to visit any Internationals’ schools, please email Thomas Thomson.
If we are interested in having an International High School in our area, whom should we contact?
Please email Liliana Vargas, Director of School Development or call (212) 868-5180.
