Internationals Network for Public Schools

June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and our Network school students showed up and showed out.

Yesterday, PAIHS Elmhurst students took the stage at NYC Public Schools' Immigrant Heritage Month celebration at Tweed Courthouse, performing alongside powerful immigrant voices from across the city. The Dream Team Club from IHS at Prospect Heights was also invited and honored. This student-led group advocates for the rights of immigrant and undocumented students, supported by New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC).

Internationals Network Executive Director Lara Evangelista was there representing the Network and celebrating our students.

This is what it looks like when schools open their arms and let students shine.

Grateful to New York City Public Schools, Project Open Arms Director Tamara Mair for organizing such a meaningful event, and Commissioner Faiza Ali of NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs for joining in the celebration.

🌍 Happy Immigrant Heritage Month!

"What we ask students to do as learners, we do ourselves as adults."

That was one of the key ideas shared by Internationals Network Executive Director Lara Evangelista at NewSchools Venture Fund Summit 2026, on the panel Rethinking Teaching from the Inside Out.

Internationals was proud to be part of the conversation throughout the Summit, from a shout-out in Frances Messano's opening remarks, to a session spotlighting Albuquerque International's approach to school design, to Lara's discussion on reimagining the teaching profession that impacts multilingual learners and all students.

At the heart of it all is a belief Internationals has long held: when we design for students and educators together, everyone benefits.

Watch the full Summit recordings: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtA15W69lN178t0OXzir43benBnYsKZsy&si=sCkHhyvcEEUgRdMq

New York just took a major step to protect immigrant and newcomer students. Last Friday, Internationals Network's Executive Director Lara Evangelista joined Governor Kathy Hochul at a press event highlighting new laws that codify every child's right to a free public education regardless of immigration status and ensure schools remain safe, welcoming places to learn.

Lara was there to represent our schools and the newcomer and multilingual learner students we serve. In response to the new laws, she said: "These protections are an embodiment of the long-standing commitment by the Governor and the state of New York to uphold the rights of all students — especially immigrant and refugee youth — to learn and thrive in supportive school environments."

We are grateful to Governor Hochul for ensuring these rights are now written into state law.

🔗 https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-highlights-new-laws-protect-new-yorkers-and-stand-against-ice-overreach

📷 Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

To the Class of 2026: Today, you graduate high school. Congratulations! 🎉

88% of your class graduated, likely the highest rate in school history. Among you are 6 Maryland Merit Scholars, 26 Seal of Biliteracy recipients, and 12 MSDE Meritorious Service Award honorees who each gave 100 or more hours in service to their communities. Together, you earned $1,971,681 in scholarships.

These are not just numbers. They represent the work, dedication, and resilience of an extraordinary group of young people. We could not be prouder.

CCL is often framed as a workforce strategy. At Internationals Network, it's something more. It's a strategy to:

💡 Harness students' imaginations
🧭 Develop their agency
🔓 Equip them to build choices and take advantage of opportunities

When designed with multilingual learners at the center, CCL shifts from sorting and limiting options to expanding opportunity, serving as a lever for dignity, choice, and long-term possibility.

🔗 Read the brief: https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2

Internships within Internationals Network schools are built differently.
Since the founding of the first school in 1985, internships have been paired with a classroom-based seminar that:

📚 Supports student growth and reflection through out the experience
🎯 Includes project-based assessment or public exhibition of learning
⏱️ Treats internship as embedded learning, not just clocking hours

🔗 Read the brief: https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2

Educators across Internationals Network agree: CCL works best when it starts early.
Students begin exploring careers as early as 9th grade through:

🏫 Workplace visits
💼 Career-focused learning throughout high school
🌟 Capstone internships by senior year

"Career-connected learning should not wait until 11th or 12th grade... it has to start much earlier through different touchpoints." — Melissa de León, principal, International High School at Lafayette, Brooklyn, N.Y.

🔗 Read the brief: https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2

Internationals Network envisions CCL as a continuum of cumulative experiences:

👀 Exposure: career talks, workplace visits, job shadowing
🛠️ Application: real-world projects and collaborative problem-solving
🏢 Immersion: internships, apprenticeships, professional mentorship
🎓 Acceleration: college credit, industry credentials, dual enrollment

Together, these build postsecondary and career momentum that extends beyond high school.

🔗 Read the brief: https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2

High-quality CCL for multilingual learners is not simply a programming choice. It's a school design challenge. Inclusive models for newcomers integrate:

✅ Student choice and equitable access
💬 Embedded language and academic support
📋 Labor market relevance
🎓 Credentials that open multiple postsecondary options

🔗 Read the brief: https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2

Now available: Learning Brief 4-2

How do schools especially designed for newcomer adolescents design equitable opportunities for career-connected learning?

Our latest Learning Brief continues Series 4, Career-Connected Learning for Transnational Youth, exploring how equity-oriented CCL works in practice across 27 Internationals Network schools through:

🗺️ Intentional school design
🤝 Interdisciplinary collaboration
🌱 Partnerships that expand students' aspirations and access to meaningful careers

🔗 Read Learning Brief 4-2 https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/publications/ -brief-4-2