Spotlight on an Odds-Beater: Port Chester is Hard-Wired for Diversity

By Catherine Kramer, Research Assistant for NYKids (Edited by Kristen C. Wilcox, Director NYKids)

At Port Chester Senior High School their foyer is lit by a globe that illuminates flags from around the world signaling their embrace of diversity. Serving an over 84% nonwhite student population and, at 18%, double the state average in percentages of English language learners (ELLs), educators at the school share a mission to offer a welcoming school climate and multiple pathways for each student to participate fully.

Even though the Port Chester-Rye Unified School District serves a relatively economically disadvantaged community in Westchester County, the school emphasizes flexibility and enrichment opportunities. At the core of what makes the school tick is educators’ purposeful efforts to live the mantra, “Trust and understanding are the fruits of learning”: A quote etched in the entry to the school building.

A key component of Port Chester’s approach is marked by their robust English as a New Language (ENL), bilingual, and special education programs that provide an accessible rigorous curriculum to students with diverse needs and circumstances.

An impressive array of options is available to provide multiple pathways to International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Regents, and Advanced Regents diplomas. These options include slower pacing (i.e., completing courses in two years rather than one) or receiving instruction through one’s native language or accompanied by a lab or second period or even a half-year course for mid-year arrivals.

Read more about Port Chester’s creative approaches to meeting their diverse students’ needs in the Port Chester Senior High School case study.