38 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • DECEMBER 26, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
kids & education
Advocates call on NYC school staff to be
better educated in Dream Act process
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
adomenech@qns.com
@AODNewz
DOE report fi nds that a record number of NYC
students are receiving computer science education
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
adomenech@qns.com
@AODNewz
More than 160,000 students received
some form of computer science education
during the 2018-2019 school year, a
record high, the DOE reports.
Th at number represents a 72 percent
increase in the number of students from
receiving computer science education since
the Computer Science for All initiative was
launched in 2016. During its fi rst two years,
the number of New York City high school
students taking an AP computer science
class quadrupled from 1, 137 to 5,190.
“Computer Science for All means a
record number of students are learning
to code, program, design, use new
technologies, and are set up to succeed
in a 21st century world,” said Schools
Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “We
celebrate the progress we have made,
acknowledge the hard working teachers
who make this a reality, and double down
on our commitment to bringing computer
science education to every one of our
schools by 2025.”
Since the initiative launched, 1,900
teachers in 800 schools across the city
have been trained in computer science
through Computer Science for All. Th e
number of students receiving CS education
in the 2018-19 school year was
163,734, in the 2017-18 school year it was
134,429 and 93,146 in 2016-17.
Th e ultimate goal of the program is
to bring computer science education to
every school in the city by 2025. Th e jump
has been attributed the city’s eff orts but
also schools launching or expanding their
own computer science programs.
“Where you live shouldn’t determine
whether your child has access to the technology
and skills to succeed in the 21st
century,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a
statement.“Computer Science for All is
working – over 160,000 students participated
last year and we will reach all 1.1
million students by 2025. Th e face of the
future is New York City public school students
and we’re going to make sure they
have the tools they need to succeed.”
Photo Credit: Daniel Brennan
Advocates want more New York City
school staff to be better educated in how
to guide undocumented high school
seniors through Dream Act application
process.
Th e Dream Act grants undocumented
students access to state grants and scholarships,
like the Excelsior scholarship, to
help fi nance higher education. Th e act
was signed by Governor Cuomo into law
in April aft er state legislators passed the
bill in January. Th e bill was introduced by
state lawmakers every year since 2013 and
was fi nally aft er to pass aft er Democrats
took control of the state Senate, which had
not been done in over a decade.
“Applying to college has been a roller
coaster of an experience for me,” said
Jessica Garcia, from Make the Road, a
nonprofi t focused on fi ghting for immigrant
rights causes. Garcia read a statement
from named Anais Fierros who was
undocumented during her high school
years during a rally on the steps of Tweed
Courthouse. Fierros wrote during the
college application process her dreams
of becoming a nurse were repeatedly
crushed when she fi rst learned that her
status would prevent her from taking the
state nursing board and the selection of
scholarships for undocumented students
was a fraction of the amount that her
Native New Yorker classmates could apply
to. Th e idea of applying for jobs so that she
could support herself through school was
“out of the question.”
Th e Dream Act was fi nally opening a
door, though. But Fierros has not gotten
more information on the fi nancial support
available to her because her guidance
counselors “are not fully informed.” Th e
application is a two-part process where
students have to fi rst prove their eligibility.
Th en students need to fi ll out an a
New York state Higher Education Service
Corporation Process application to then
be able to apply for individual grants and
scholarships.
According to Schools Chancellor
Richard Carranza, since the passage of the
Dream Act coaches at 150 high schools
were trained in the Dream Act eligibility
and the New York state Higher Education
Service Corporation Process. Th e HESC
is the entity in charge of the application
process and has yet to report on the
number of students taking advantage of
the DREAM Act, according to Politico.
Chancellor Carranza added that the DOE
1,400 educators from over 300 schools
received training on the application processes.
“We look forward to continuing our
partnership and to share resources on the
Dream Act as widely as possible and we
hope that our students and families will
take advantage,” said Carranza. “College
is for everyone.”
But that eff ort has not been enough.
According to Assemblymember Carmen
De La Rosa, lead sponsor of the bill
during this past legislative session, there
were “fl ukes” in “getting the information
out” aft er the bill became law.
It is unclear exactly what those fl ukes
were but the Assemblymember added
that a shortage of social workers and guidance
counselors at New York City Schools
was part of the problem. As well as the
fact that guidance counselors might fi nd
it diffi cult to understand the legal jargon
in the application process.
“Th ey need training to fi gure that out
they are not immigration lawyers,” said
De La Rosa. “Th ey don’t know what an
S visa versus a V visa is.” Educator training
would also include clarifying who is
eligible, what the process looks and the
what the timeline is the for the Dream Act
application process.
Th is story fi rst appeared on amny.com.
Richard Carranza
/amny.com
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