Immigrants from around the world learn English while taking challenging academic classes at the International High School at LaGuardia Community College. All students take college courses and many earn a two-year-college degree in addition to their high school diploma.

All high school classes are taught in English. Students who speak very little English are paired with more advanced students who speak their native language; most teachers speak more than one language as well.

The school has the friendly and welcoming tone of a close-knit community. “Everybody is accepted here,” said one student. Students, who come from 60 countries and speak 52 different languages, may take part in theater, music, and dance groups that showcase their native cultures and explore the immigrant experience. During the school’s Food Festival, students and teachers bring food from their native countries to share.

Students work in small groups on projects and make presentations of their work each year. Teachers circulate around the classroom from one group to another, rather than lecturing in the front of the room. All teachers are trained in English as a Second Language and are also certified in their subject area; many teachers are multilingual and can provide translations in several different languages.

Founded in 1985, the school was the first to adopt practices now shared by the Internationals Network for Public Schools. Classes last for 70 minutes, instead of the typical 42, to allow students to better digest the material. There are many opportunities for students to practice their speaking skills. Students of all levels of English proficiency are grouped together in class, and teachers allow students to choose from activities with varying levels of difficulty. Teachers make an effort to connect class material with real world experiences and students’ lives. In one English class we visited, students were reading short stories by Junot Diaz that dealt with issues of immigrant communities. Math and science classes tend to be less rigorous than classes in the humanities, but according to Principal John Starkey, International is working to further develop the school’s math and science offerings.

Each student has the same advisor and the same team of teachers for two years. Students meet with their advisors once a week. Working with the same students for two consecutive years allows the faculty to get to know the students well.

Most high schools require students to take five Regents exams to graduate, but at the International High School, students only take the English Regents exam. In addition, they must present a portfolio of their work to a panel of teachers, staff, and peers. The portfolio includes a research paper, a literary essay, a science project, a math project, a creative peace, a native language project, and a written self evaluation.

Students may take part in sports teams with two other schools, Robert F. Wagner and Middle College High School. 11^th and 12^th graders have internships at government agencies, businesses, schools, hospitals, and community-based organizations.

Special education: Students with special needs are fully integrated into the general education classrooms.

College admissions: Students take courses ranging from biology to drawing at LaGuardia Community College, and some are offered in their native languages. More than half of all students stay at International for its fifth year program, in which they take only college classes and may earn an Associate’s Degree.

International has a well-staffed college office. Most graduates continue their education, either at CUNY or at private colleges.

Admissions: International is open to students who have lived in the United States for fewer than four years. (Pauline Zaldonis, December 2012)