Stuck in the Middle: The Problem of Overage Middle School Students in New York City - July 2008
Today, the Out of School Youth Coalition, a coalition composed of social service providers, advocates and researchers, released a new report documenting the problem of overage middle school students in New York City. The report was written by Advocates For Children of New York (AFC).
In recent years, community-based providers and school officials that serve students in the public school system have been noticing a disturbing number of sixteen-year-old seventh graders or seventeen-year-old eighth graders who are appearing (or staying) in middle schools across the city. The NYC DOE does not make data on overage middle schoolers publicly available, but educators and advocates working in this field have evidence that the population is substantial. In nine middle schools in the Bronx that serve a combined student population of over 6,000 students, 26% of the students are overage.
The report profiles a diverse cross-section of overage middle school students, identifies promising practices for addressing the problem, and provides detailed recommendations to the DOE. Click here to read the full press release and here to download the report.
DEAD ENDS: THE NEED FOR MORE PATHWAYS TO GRADUATION FOR OVERAGE, UNDER-CREDITED STUDENTS IN NEW YORK CITY - December 2007 An estimated 138,000 of the 1.1 million New York City students are overage and under-credited (OA/UC) and are out of school or at-risk for dropping out of school. In response to this problem, the New York City Department of Education has begun creating new programming specifically for these students. The city has two divisions, the Office of Multiple Pathways to Graduation (OMPG) and District 79, that offer alternative educational options to meet the needs of the OA/UC population. However, according to a briefing paper paper released by Advocates for Children of New York, Inc. pathways to graduation have not been created for all students and some students are left with dead ends under the current system. The briefing paper specifically examines the ability of the OMPG schools to meet the instructional needs of English Language Learners (ELLs), students with special education needs, students who are older with few or no credits, and students who are pregnant and parenting.
Advocates for Children's Public Service Announcement
This past spring seven students came together to create a public service announcement (PSA) about a student's right to remain in school until age 21. Many of the students were current and/or former AFC clients who had direct experience with being illegally pushed out of school. Working with Manhattan Neighborhood Network's Youth Channel and AFC staff, the youth used their experiences to create the PSA which has been airing on MNN throughout the summer months. If you would like more information about this PSA, please contact Christie Love at clove@advocatesforchildren.org
The Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College and Columbia Law School is holding their Third Annual Equity Symposium
Equal Educational Opportunity: What Now? Reassessing the Role of the Courts, the Law and School Policies after Seattle and CFE.
AFC’s Executive Director, Kim Sweet will be on the panel on November 12th.
For more information about the Symposium, click here.
TRANSITIONING TO NOWHERE:AN ANALYSIS OF THE PLANNING AND PROVISION OF TRANSITION SERVICES TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NEW YORK CITY- September 2007 New York City. Approximately 13,000 students with disabilities exit the New York
City public school system each year. The New York City Department of Education is
responsible for preparing these individuals for independent living, vocational training,
employment, higher education, and the other post-secondary opportunities awaiting
them. Despite this obligation, the Department does not have sufficient systems or
programs in place to prepare students with disabilities for their transition to life after
high school, according to a report released by Advocates for Children of New
York, Inc.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children, said, "For students with
disabilities, transitioning to adulthood is likely to require more thought and planning
than it does for others. The Department of Education is stranding thousands of the
most vulnerable students without the support they need to prepare for their futures.
We call on the Department to commit the resources necessary to address this serious
problem."
Please click here for the press release and here to download the report.
AFC, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the EMPIRE Collaborative Release a Report on Language Barriers Faced By Immigrant Parents - June 27, 2007 Almost a year and a half after Mayor Bloomberg announced a new policy to eliminate communication barriers between schools and immigrant parents, hundreds of thousands of parents are still estranged from the city's public schools because the city has not fulfilled its promise for translation services, according to the report released today.
The report documented that two out of three parents are not receiving the most critical school document, their child's report card, in a language that they can understand. Similarly, over one third (37%) of the parents surveyed did not receive translated notices to attend parent-teacher conferences. Sixty percent of parents surveyed were not aware of the translation and interpretation services available to them.
The report's findings are based on almost 900 parent surveys, 14 focus groups with over a hundred parents, and over 100 school, registration centers, and borough high school fair site visits.
Please click here for the press release and here to download the report.
The Riverside Theatre honors Advocates for Children - June 10, 2007 The Riverside Theatre will honor Advocates for Children as part of its "Salute to the Family" - 9th Annual Family Arts
Please click here to view the invitation for more details about this event.
To view earlier AFC News stories, please visit our News Archives.
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