Here are two slightly older articles about the challenge the Newburgh School District faces teaching ESL students.

From the New York times, November 1, 2006: For Hispanic Parents, Lessons on Helping With the Homework

Here in this city of 30,000, where 36 percent of the school population is Latino, most of them Mexican immigrants, the school district is working hard to help parents immerse themselves in school from kindergarten on.

Carmen Vazqueztell, the district’s director of bilingual education, runs six workshops a year for parents, instructing them on monitoring homework and reading to children in Spanish, then having the children paraphrase the stories. Peter Gonzalez, the district’s bilingual liaison, pinch-hits for parents and helps students do homework.

And from the Times Herald-record, August 6, 2007 Course helps kids to grow; Literacy program uses books, gardens

The Newburgh School District, Orange County's largest and most diverse, is trying something new with its older elementary kids this summer. It's called "To Grow From Who We Are," a four-week multimedia literacy program that encourages students to explore their identities as they practice new language skills.

"This is about finding our roots," says Carmen Vazqueztell, the district's director of bilingual education. Hence the tiny gardens.

Students planted their window boxes on the first day of the program, the same day they started reading "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman.
...
The City of Newburgh, which anchors the school district, is three-quarters minority, with a large Spanish-speaking population. In the past 10 years, the number of English as a second language, or ESL, students enrolled in Newburgh schools has nearly doubled. The district enrolled more than 1,500 ESL students last year -- more than the total number of kids in the average Orange County high school. Of those, 94 percent are Hispanic, but there also are Chinese, Uzbekistani and Jamaican students.

This summer program sounds truly innovative and inspirational. Carmen Vazqueztell is doing great work for the Newburgh community.