Seize élèves en septième année : élèves trop âgés dans les collèges de la ville de New York
Plus de 50 000 collégiens – un quart des élèves des collèges publics de la ville de New York – ont été abandonnés au moins une fois, et plus de 8 500 élèves ont été abandonnés au moins trois fois. Malgré leurs besoins académiques et socio-émotionnels importants, il y a moins de 450 places dans les programmes destinés aux collégiens plus âgés dans les écoles publiques et à charte traditionnelles de la ville. Ce rapport politique de septembre 2014 attire l'attention sur les besoins uniques des collégiens plus âgés et fournit au ministère de l'Éducation de la ville de New York (DOE) des recommandations pour améliorer les résultats de cette population.
The report finds that in 2011-12, the most recent school year for which data is available, while 70% of all New York City middle school students identified as Black or Hispanic, nearly 83% of middle school students who were at least one year over-age identified as Black or Hispanic. Furthermore, over-age middle school students were twice as likely to have special education needs. In addition, nearly 60% of NYC students entering middle school over-age are concentrated in just 25% of the City’s middle schools and large populations of over-age students are located in high-need communities in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
There is also a correlation between over-age status and school attendance: after the sixth grade, even one- year over-age students have lower attendance rates than their on-track peers, and attendance rates continue to decrease as students drop further and further behind. Moreover, educators and advocates report a strong correlation between significant disruptions in schooling and over- age status.
"My clients are frustrated by the lack of educational options available to them. Many over-age middle schoolers are not eligible for any of the DOE’s alternative programs and are faced with the option of staying in schools where they are incredibly uncomfortable or dropping out before they make it to high school.”
Ashley Grant, Staff Attorney for Advocates for Children of New York
The report urges the DOE to act promptly to create and expand alternative program options for over-age middle school students. The report also recommends further revising promotion policies at all grade levels; making promotion appeals more accessible to families by creating an appeals form and designating central-based staff to assist in difficult cases; and fostering information-sharing by establishing central-based supports for schools serving over-age students.
