Councilmember Rita Joseph Joins CACF to Highlight Needs of English Language Learners
The in-depth discussion highlighted the recommendations in CACF's new collective case study on English Language Learners
New York, NY (September 30, 2025) —The Coalition of Asian American Children and Families (CACF) released its new collective case study and policy recommendations on the needs and lived experiences of New York City’s English Language Learners (ELLs) on Monday with a virtual panel of education and community experts.
ELLs account for 17 percent of New York City’s public school enrollment — which in 2022-23 amounted to more than 134,000 students. A large and growing share of the ELL population comes from the city’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, which spans 30+ ethnic groups and speaks 50+ languages. Despite this linguistic diversity, the New York City Department of Education only translates official materials into the 12 most commonly spoken languages in the nation’s largest school system.
“Language has always been a barrier in filling out school applications and communications are often available in languages that are not spoken at home. Many parents are also not familiar with the structure of New York City public schools because it's such a large system,” said Councilmember Rita Joseph, the Chair of City Council’s Education Committee said in her opening remarks. But despite those challenges, Chair Joseph also uplifted the beauty and diversity of the city’s ELLs. “I want to remind every young person around the city who speaks another language, and who shares another culture — that's a superpower.”
Throughout the hourlong conversation — which can be watched on CACF’s YouTube channel here — panelists focused on the need to support not only ELL students but their entire families as they navigated the nation’s largest school system. In addition to Chair Joseph, the discussion featured Dr. Sabrin Abedin (Bronx ELL Director and Advisor on the Chancellor’s Advisory Council to Boldly Reimagine Multilingual Education), Teresa Baik (Director of Education, Korean Community Services), and Aqida Rama (an alum of CACF’s Asian American Student Advocacy Project, the primary author of our case study, and a recent NYC public schools graduate).
Significantly, CACF’s case study found that:
Academic achievement gaps persist when instruction and materials are not tailored to individual students’ English proficiency.
Resource shortfalls leave schools without bilingual staff, culturally relevant curricula, or mental health professionals.
Parental engagement is hampered by insufficient translation and interpretation services.
Cultural and social stresses — including isolation, trauma, mental health challenges, housing insecurity, and caregiving duties—undermine attendance and performance.
Social isolation and miscommunication persist
“Isolation and miscommunication are major barriers for ELL students,” said Teresa Baik, Director of Education at CACF member organization Korean Community Services. “They might be hearing one thing from a student or from a fellow parent or a student leader or a school teacher, but it might not be the correct information,” she noted. “I just think there needs to be more spaces where parents and kids are involved and it's shared in their language that they speak at home.”
In her remarks, Aqida – the case study’s author and a recent public school graduate –- movingly detailed her own experiences interpreting for her Bangla-speaking parents as a young child.
“They deeply cared about my education, but they were intimidated by the school system,” Aqida, now a college student, recalled. “Looking back, I wish my school had done more to meet them halfway, and if there had been some language accessible meetings, or even just a staff member who could speak with them in their language and walk them through any of their confusions, I feel like they would have been a lot more confident and felt included.”
“Aqida’s family’s story is an all too common one”, said Dr. Abedin. “Too often, families are left to navigate an already complex system without anyone on site who can communicate with them in their preferred language. The shortage of culturally responsive staff can often make an intimidating process feel even more isolating.”
Closing the ELL achievement gap
Discussing the findings of the collective case study, Aqida found that “many students attend schools that lack bilingual staff, inclusive mental health services and diverse learning materials. Parents are often excluded from education, from the education process due to lack of language support and students experience and students experience high levels of emotional stress, isolation and external responsibilities like caregiving or housing instability, all of which affect their school success.”
Providing educators and staff with inclusive training is key
Dr. Abedin also said that in addition to educators, support staff must also be trained to engage with ELLs and limited English proficient parents. “Connection doesn't solely we shouldn't rely solely on words. A warm tone and a simple smile can really go a long way for our families,” she said.
A spotlight on the need to uplift parents and guardians
“'There are so many different ways we can engage parents. I’ve always said this, but education should not be just about the child, it should include the parents on this educational journey,” said Councilmember Joseph.
That sentiment was echoed by Dr. Abedin. “Family engagement is foundational to the success of our ELL students — but true engagement goes beyond inviting families to events. “I think it's truly about making them part of the day to day life of the school. So whether it's inviting them into classrooms to share their stories, or creating spaces where they can showcase their strengths and/or cultures, families are partners in this work,” she said. “We need to create welcoming environments where all families – regardless of language proficiency or immigration status – feel seen, heard and respected.”
Ensuring ELLs get the funding they need
Panelists also honed in on the need for dedicated funding for ELLs, especially for those who speak home languages that are not among the 12 most widely spoken in the city.
“Equitable funding is crucial, and schools with high concentrations of ELLs need additional support,” said Dr. Abedin.
That support for funding was strongly seconded by Councilmember Joseph.
“We must see ELLs as an integral part of New York City's future workforce as well and civic life, that meaning holding ourselves accountable for ensuring that they graduate, not just with English proficiency, with skills and confidence to succeed in college and career,” said the councilmember. “I don't like unfunded mandates. I don't like to say, ‘we should be doing this’ and there's no money to do it. We want to make sure that we're fully funding our programs.”
Be sure to download the full collective case study here.
For any questions or to be connected with a member of CACF’s Education Policy team, please email Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator, at lgandhi@cacf.org.
