FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Regents Convene Forum on Immigration and Education on Monday, May 20, 2013
The New York State Board of Regents will convene a forum, "Education Equity: Immigration and Education in New York State", on May 20, 2013 at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, New York.听 The forum will include discussions on ways to increase educational opportunities for English language learners and undocumented students. 听
"There are hundreds of thousands of students in New York who have been condemned to a life of poverty simply because they were brought to the United States as children," Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said.听"Their immigration status is determined solely by the status of their parents, and they鈥檙e being denied opportunities that the rest of America takes for granted. It makes no sense. It鈥檚 an on-going tragedy that not only hurts these students, it hurts our society."
"Young New Yorkers who are willing to work hard and study hard should not be denied educational opportunities simply on the basis of their parents鈥 immigration status," said State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. "And English language learners should have every opportunity to succeed. Our goal is to make sure all students graduate ready for college or a career, and then make sure they can actually go to college or find jobs." 听
The forum will include remarks from the New York Immigration Coalition and three panels on:
Adult Education - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and High School Equivalency:
On June 15, 2012, President听Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to provide听the opportunity for certain undocumented youth in the country to be afforded a pathway to secure听U.S. work authorization.听The Regents will hear from a panelist who has received Deferred Action听and from community-based and local organizations that are providing key adult education and high school equivalency preparation services to immigrant communities to better prepare them to contribute to New York's economy and/or to apply for Deferred Action.
DREAMers Act - Expanding Access to 快猫成版视频:
The Regents have proposed legislation to give undocumented students who graduate from high school the opportunity to access higher education opportunities by making state financial aid available to them.听The Education Equity for DREAMers Act would honor New York's long history of providing broad access to higher education opportunities. The Board will hear from New York students who would be able to attend college with enactment of this important law.听
Educator Preparation - Ensuring College and Career Readiness for New York's Immigrant Students:
Approximately eight percent of New York's students are English language learners. The Board of Regents and the State Education Department are changing how teachers and principals are certified to ensure that educators have the skills required by the Common Core and today's diverse classrooms.听The new Educating All Students certification exam takes aim at the achievement gap and will assess whether new teachers and principals understand how to address the learning needs of English language learners.听The Regents will hear from panelists from multiple sectors that prepare teachers to educate our diverse population.
Forum Information:
WHEN: 听听听听听听听听听听 Monday, May 20, 2013
TIME: 听听听听听听听听听听听听 3:00 PM 鈥 5:00 PM
WHERE: 听听听听听听听听 LaGuardia Community College
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Little Theater
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 31-10 Thomson Avenue
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Long Island City, NY 11101
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