Field trips to Alicia Keys’ Broadway show and The Jewish Museum, followed by writing assignments. A 1,500-word essay on any education topic. A 10th-grade seminar where students learn about different career paths in the education sector.
At Brooklyn International High School in Downtown Brooklyn, public school students from 32 different countries are exploring careers in education, as New York City embarks on a hiring blitz to meet a growing demand for teachers — whether to meet the needs of shifting student demographics or a new requirement to lower class sizes.
Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos suggested she had been thinking about the issue since she led the school system’s efforts to take in migrant students.
“I was relentless in saying that, as we welcomed thousands of migrant children into our school system, that we needed to be innovative with our approach to building the bilingual teacher pipeline,” she said during a school visit Tuesday with CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez. “And there’s no better place to do that than in our international schools.”
Brooklyn International is one of 22 public schools offering an education career program through FutureReadyNYC, a signature initiative of the Adams administration, education officials said. Students earn college credits and job credentials, and participate in paid internships. In total, there are 135 schools in FutureReady citywide focused on healthcare, technology and other career paths — with plans for an expansion this fall.
The career track in education is particularly timely. Independent budget analysts predict New York City will need to hire 17,000 new teachers to comply with the state law to lower class sizes. By fall 2028, classrooms will be capped between 20 and 25 students, depending on grade level.
“So many of them want to become teachers,” the chancellor’s first deputy, Dan Weisberg, said of high school students. “It’s a job they see and for many of them, they love. The FutureReady education pathway is definitely a major piece of the puzzle of how we open up our talent pipeline, for sure.”
“We don’t know yet how many more will have ed[ucation] pathways for the next cohort, but it was a significant number that applied to have education pathways.”
About 100 Brooklyn International students are on the education career track, according to Megan Minturn, the school’s FutureReady coordinator. Another 50 students are expected to join the program this fall when the school launches its second career track in human and social services — focused on jobs such as being a social worker or counselor.
Citywide, about 15,000 students are participating in FutureReady.
Luis Ruiz, 27, is a graduate of Brooklyn International who participated in College Now, another partnership between the city’s public schools and the City University of New York. Just a couple of weeks away from earning his master’s degree in teaching English as a second language, he is back at his alma mater mentoring students like him who immigrated from South America to the United States.
Ruiz, who is originally from Guatemala, said many of his students are from Ecuador and Venezuela: “I feel like I can connect with them because I was once in their shoes.” More than 62% of Brooklyn International students speak Spanish as a home language, according to school data.
Amy, a Brooklyn International student who is from Senegal, said she had been stressed over career decisions after high school, but her 10th-grade seminar helped her choose what she may want to do in the future. For now, her plan is to become a social worker.
“Because I love helping,” she said. “I came here three years ago, and I feel connected when I help immigrants.”
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