The Effect of New Immigrant High Schools on Immigrant Students’ Academic and Social Performance: Causal Evidence from New York City Public High Schools

Over the past fifteen years, English Language Learners (ELLs) have comprised between 12 and 17 percent of the New York City student population. Since these students face different educational challenges than their native-born and English proficient counterparts, the New York City Department of Education uses a variety of English language instruction methods to help students succeed socially and academically. This study evaluates the effectiveness of newcomer and immigrant secondary education programs in New York City. Additionally, by using a rich administrative data set, as well as student-level surveys, this study examines the effect of newcomer/international high schools on academic outcomes and students’ attitude about their learning environment.