Over the years, immigrant families and high school students complained that Family Welcome Centers of the New York City Schools did not serve them well.
The Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project and the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center conducted a participatory action research project to explore the experiences of young people that enrolled in high-school through the Family Welcome Centers.
The student-led research discovered that the system designed to help them systematically disadvantaged them. The students documented problems with access, language barriers, poor information and referral procedures, and patterns of inappropriate school placements.
The research report, Left Out recommended reforms for use by immigrant advocacy organizations and the school department. The report led the Office of Student Enrollment to acknowledge the issues at Family Welcome Centers and work with Flanbwayan and consider the student’s recommendations.