In another recent competitiveness report Thailand ranked 54th out of 56 countries globally for English-language proficiency, the second-lowest in Asia.

ECONOMIST: Education in Thailand

Fifty-five percent of New York students met the English Language Arts proficiency standards in 2012 by scoring at least a 3 on a scale of 1 to 4, and 65 percent scored at least a 3 on the math tests.

WSJ: Some NY parents to boycott new, harder state tests

Another is the 2008 executive order requiring city agencies to implement language access for New Yorkers with limited English proficiency.

WSJ: NYC offers other cities immigrant outreach ideas