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As National Bilingual & Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month draws to a close, we’re honoring the decades of dedicated advocacy of AFC staff and our community partners on behalf of NYC’s immigrant students and English Language Learners (ELLs).

New York is a wonderfully diverse city, and our public schools reflect that: 40% of all NYC public school families speak a language other than English at home, and last year, there were more than 140,000 ELLs enrolled in NYC public schools, or 14.5% of all students.

In the mid-80s, AFC started our Immigrant Students' Rights Project (ISRP), the only project in New York City staffed by attorneys specializing in the educational needs of immigrant students and ELLs.

Today, ISRP remains dedicated to fighting for individual students and their families, teaching immigrant families about their rights and options in the NYC schools, and partnering with immigrant-serving organizations to advocate for policies that lead to better outcomes for ELLs and immigrant students. 

Even before the pandemic, ELLs and immigrant students were consistently left behind, with graduation rates far below their peers. COVID-19 only amplified existing inequities, as many immigrant families struggled with illness and loss, unemployment, food and housing insecurity, and barriers to remote learning.  

That is why, over the years, AFC's Immigrant Students' Rights Project has focused resources and expertise on this population. Working closely with immigrant communities, we have played a critical role in the development of laws and policies to provide families with translation and interpretation, address barriers faced by immigrant students enrolling in school, and create programs targeted to meeting immigrant students' particular needs.

While these changes have made a positive difference for multilingual families in NYC, there is much work to be done. AFC’s Immigrant Students’ Rights Project continues to fight for immigrant students and ELLs, protecting their education rights and addressing their needs in school.