At the High School of Language and Innovation thoughtful practices and a long school day help recent immigrants learn English while working towards a high school diploma.

The tone throughout the school is calm and inclusive. Students are polite and supportive of each other with stronger English speakers helping beginning learners. Students from diverse cultures, all speaking different native languages, get along. Some students already speak English fluently but are attracted to the school's nurturing environment.

In all classes instruction incorporates English skills development, and teachers follow a uniform set of practices. Students participate in class-wide lessons and rotate through group and independent work. The standardized structure ensures that students, especially mid-year arrivals, don't feel overwhelmed by having to learn a different set of rules for each class. "Practices are kept simple and the same in each class so it doesn't take long for a student to get good at them," said Principal Julie Nariman.

Nariman was the assistant principal of English as a Second Language (ESL) at Long Island City High School, prior to starting Language and Innovation in 2011. A former English teacher, she also taught ESL in South Korea.

At the heart of the ESL instruction is the school's use of unison reading. Each day, in every subject, students break into small groups and read aloud together from a magazine article or book. Whenever a student is unsure of the meaning or pronunciation of a word, the group "breaches", meaning they stop reading. If no one knows the word, a student looks it up on an iPad or laptop. Typically a brief discussion follows, students recite the word correctly, and then they get back to reading in unison. The practice helps students expand their vocabulary rapidly while improving their reading and speaking skills. In one class, groups were reading from articles on comets, artificial limbs and small businesses.

Monday through Thursday the school day runs longer, from 8:25 to 4 p.m. On Friday, school ends at 2 p.m. with students taking core academic courses until noon, and choosing other classes for the final two hours. Afternoon classes included art, graphic design, culinary arts, engineering and Korean language.

Students remain in the same classroom for longer than the typical 42-minute period. They spend the longest stretch of the day in their anchor class, which covers reading, writing and history. Math and science are taught in separate classrooms allowing the students to move around a bit.

Students wear collared shirts with the school emblem and pants or skirts of their choosing, other than jeans.

Language and Innovation shares space with several small high schools inside the Christopher Columbus High School building. They share use of the cafeteria, library, gym, auditorium and culinary arts room and participate on building-wide sports teams and orchestras. All must pass through metal detectors to enter the building.

Special education: There are no separate classes for students with special needs. Students receive services according to their individualized education plans.

Admissions: Priority to Bronx students or residents who have limited English proficiency and have lived in the United States less than four years. (Laura Zingmond, May, 2012)