Students who are English Language Learners are not well-served in the city's new, small high schools, according to a report released today by Advocates for Childrenand the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. When Mayor Bloomberg took office in 2002, 28.5 percent of students learning English graduated from high school in four years; now,  only 23.5 percent of English Language Learners graduate on time.

The report, called Empty Promises, takes a close look at two large Brooklyn high schools with established programs for English Language Learners. After the schools were characterized as failing by the Department of Education, they were dismantled and replaced by numerous small high schools sharing the old high-school campuses. Notably, the small schools were permitted by the DOE to exclude English Language Learners (and high-need special education students) until 2007.

Tomorrow, the Center for New York City Affairsreleases Pass or Fail: What's Next for New York City's High Schools?, a comprehensive report on small-school reforms and school choice. The  morning event will feature Chancellor Kleinand a panel of education thinkers, including NYU's Pedro Noguera and the DOE's Eric Nadelstern, moderated by the report's senior editor (and Insideschools founding editor) Clara Hemphill. We'll post a link to the report tomorrow.

(Editor's Note: In the interest of disclosure, I'm among a team of reporters who also contributed to the project.)