Sahrash Azam, 17, and Ayesha Azam, 15, are both traditional Pakistani Muslim students who wear scarves that cover the head and neck at all times [hijab], in school at the Internationals School at Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Both sisters moved to the United States in 2005 with their parents, and after studying one year at a middle school located on Ditmas Ave. in Brooklyn, they were referred by their teachers to the International School, where both are doing very well. Although it was not their first choice, the sisters agree that "this is the school for new immigrants like us with minimal English-language skills or late entry English language learners."

Sunbal Hussain, also 9th grader at the school, was referred to the International school by her sister, Sumon Hussain, who is in 10th grade there. Sunmbal says, "I found this school better than regular public schools."

There are 16 Pakistani students studying at the International School just a handful out of many new Pakistanis who migrated to the United States with minimal English language skills, and who are not aware that they can learn English and become high school graduates at the same time.

According to the Pakistan Embassy in Washington D.C., There are 700,000 Pakistani Americans living in different parts of the United States, most of them are based in Brooklyn, New York. Midwood, a neighborhood in South Brooklyn is also known as "Little Pakistan" because of its large Pakistani population. The community resides on Coney Island Avenue and in the surrounding area.

The International High School about a mile-and-half away from "Little Pakistan" at Prospect Heights sits near the Brooklyn Museum, and across from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The school is part of the Internationals Network for Public Schools (INPS), a nonprofit organization that develops and supports a group of small public schools that educate and graduate newly arrived immigrants and late-entry immigrant students from more than 90 countries.

The schools, which are part of the Department of Education (DOE), are open to New York City residents who have lived in the United States four years or less when entering high school and whose native language is not English.

When asked what newly arrived immigrants with minimal English language-skills who want to go to high school should do, Zeshan, a high school student, said: "One needs to pass the GED test, which will be equivalent to high school." General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of five rigorous subject tests which (when passed) certifies that the student has high-school level academic skills.

Like Zeshan, who was raised in Brooklyn and was not aware of Internationals Network for Public Schools, Shahbaz Ahmed, who recently migrated to the United States along with her 18-year-old daughter, did not know that this group of schools offers a good opportunity for her daughter to be educated despite her minimal English-language skills.

In fact, many immigrants, especially those who are entering as freshmen in high school, are not well informed about these schools.

"We have 9 more schools like the one at Prospect Heights in New York City and all of them are part of Department of Education (DOE)," said Dr. Claire E. Sylvan, executive director of the Internationals Network for Public Schools (INPS). She further added that "INPS, in partnership with local schools, supports 10 public high schools New York City, three of which are in Brooklyn, and one in Oakland, California."

"Internationals have almost tripled the number of affiliated high schools since 2004, while sustaining a dynamic network in order to ensure the schools' continued success in providing recent immigrant English language learners (ELLs) with a high quality education and pathways to college," Dr. Sylvan told a group of ethnic reporters at a meeting in the International High School at Prospect Heights.

A study about quality education for English language learners in New York City conducted by the New York Immigration Coalition states that English language learners nationwide face huge obstacles in achieving academic success. About two-thirds of children who have not learned English are living in poverty, compared to only one-third of English proficient children.

The report further states that the ELLs who were not born in the United States face additional obstacles: not only must they learn a new language, but they must also adjust to a new country and school system – all the while trying to catch up academically to meet graduation and promotion requirements.

The findings of the ELL report show that they are not a monolithic population. They come from a variety of backgrounds with a diversity of skills and needs that will impact the type of programs and services they need. Thus, in planning ELL programs it is important that schools compile and analyze the specific needs of elementary, middle and high school ELLs.

Vanessa Jerome, a 9th grader at International School at Prospect Heights, says that "you don't feel 'humiliated' if you don't speak English at our school and everybody is being treated equally." She added that she learns a lot due to the friendly environment.

Maria Santos, executive director of Office of English Language Learners of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) told a group of ethnic reporters that during the 2008-2009 academic year, 14 percent of student populations in public schools are ELLs, 41 percent report speaking a language other than English at home and 6 percent of the student's populations, almost 63,350, consist of newly arrived immigrants.

"Twenty-eight percent ELLs are in high schools (9-12)," she said, adding that 57 percent of these ELLs are native born and 43 percent are foreign born.

Ms. Santos urged the reporters to provide more detail about the high schools, so that parents, students and families could make well informed decisions when choosing where to send their children to high school.

New York Immigration Coalition emphasizes the needs for immigrant high school students and says in its report that high school ELLs also tend to be recently émigrés who often need targeted support to help them adjust and meet graduation standards in a shorter span of time. High schools that are successful with ELLs often incorporate trained guidance counselors and dropout prevention programs in their ELL plans.

Surprisingly, the high school graduation rate of INPS schools is higher than regular public schools.

"It's because all the resources are being spent on a particular population of students," said Eric Nedelstern, Chief Schools Officer for DOE.

"What I appreciate about International schools is the holistic approach to the students. We don't place instruction in one box and a student's personal issues in another box," says Lee Pan, principal at International High School at LaGuardia Community College. "We can take care of students as one whole person. Similarly, at Internationals schools, there is no division of responsibility for teaching a student English and teaching him or her subject content."

"English proficiency was a problem before coming to the International School at Prospect Heights but not anymore," said Vanessa Jerome and added, "I am looking forward to go to college after graduating from the high school."

"Schools in the network are much more focused on the future of the students," said Ms. Nedda de Castro, assistant principal at the Prospect Heights school, "we put a lot of time in and out of the classroom helping our students explore, select, and apply for college and scholarships."

Ms. de Castro told reporters that they expect every student to apply to college. "We also help each student complete their college financial aid forms. This year, we have at least five students who have been granted full scholarships to attend the college of their choice.

Sahrash Azam, who has been at the school for three years, wears traditional Muslim outfits and a hijab, a Muslim head scarf. "It happened a few times that my school mates cursed and when they saw me, they apologized, because they even respect religious values at this school," she commented.

"When she came from Pakistan she was good in every subject area except English. Now that she has overcome her English language obstacle, she expects a bright career ahead of her.

This story was written as part of an education reporting fellowship granted by New York Community Media Alliance.