Advocates for Children of New York works on behalf of children who are at greatest risk for school-based discrimination and/or academic failure due to poverty, disability, race, ethnicity, immigrant or English Language Learner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems.
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Spotlight
AFC Submits Comments on Disproportionality under IDEA to the U.S. Department of Education
07.29.2014 | Yesterday AFC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education regarding disproportionality under Section 618(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our comments focus on racial disproportionality in the identification, placement, and discipline of children with disabilities in New York City. Both citywide... Read more
Updated Resources for Immigrant Families
07.18.2014 | AFC has a newly updated "Know Your Rights" guidebook for immigrant families in the New York City public schools! The guide is available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu, and covers topics such as enrolling in school, services for English Language Learners and students... Read more
AFC Testifies on Graduation Pathways and Career and Technical Education
07.16.2014 | Today AFC is testifying before the New York State Assembly Committee on Education regarding Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New York State (NYS). To respond to the graduation crisis in NYS, we must create both instructional and assessment pathways that take into account the postsecondary aspirations and learning styles of all... Read more
Statement in response to the release of New York State’s graduation rates for the 2009 cohort
06.23.2014 | The graduation rates released today show little progress for the State as a whole, with a disturbing decrease in the percentage of English Language Learners receiving a diploma. With 25% of students in New York State leaving high school empty-handed, we have a graduation crisis that will require creativity and commitment to resolve.... Read more
AFC in the News
Balancing Special-Education Needs With Rising Costs
07.28.2014 | New York Times | Most of the 190,000 special-education students in the city — and roughly 12,000 being educated privately at public expense — are not as severely disabled. Told of Dylan’s case, supporters of special-needs families and others said they could not understand why the city would fight it, because Dylan’s family had wanted... Read more
New York cyberbullying law violates First Amendment, state appeals court says
07.02.2014 | Student Press Law Center | Advocates for Children of New York, which signed the amicus brief alongside SPLC, is pleased with the ruling, said Dawn Yuster, the group’s School Justice Project director. “Advocates for Children strongly supports positive approaches to discipline, such as ones that improve the school climate and keep kids... Read more
Report shows growing special ed challenge
07.02.2014 | Capital New York | The Department of Education faces a daunting challenge in accommodating a large and growing population of special needs students, statistics in an Independent Budget Office report released Tuesday revealed...“These numbers remind us that students with special needs are not a minor sub-population,” said Kim Sweet,... Read more
Five big takeaways from the latest treasure trove of NYC school data
07.01.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | The percentage of English language learners with a disability is similar to the overall share of city students with a disability. But advocates said it was still alarming to see the numbers. “These students are often among the most poorly served in the system,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for... Read more