AFC works to change education policy so that the public school system serves all children effectively. We publish policy reports and data analyses, testify at the City and State levels, speak out in the press to bring attention to the challenges facing the students and families we serve, and join with other advocates, parents, youth, and educators to call for change.
170 Results Found
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York, issued the following statement in response to the proposal for expanding graduation pathways for all students discussed at today’s Board of Regents meeting.
This February 2015 report describes findings made from AFC’s review of 164 New York City charter school discipline policies obtained through Freedom of Information Law requests. A significant number of City charter schools have discipline policies that fail to meet the legal requirements, leading to violations of students’ and parents’ civil rights. The report includes recommendations for state legislators to consider as they discuss raising the cap on charter schools and ensuring that charter schools serve high-needs students.
More than 50,000 middle school students – a quarter of the students in New York City’s public middle schools – have been left back at least once, and more than 8,500 students have been left back at least 3 times. Despite their significant academic and social-emotional needs, there are fewer than 450 seats in programs for over-age middle school students in the City’s traditional public and charter schools. This September 2014 policy report brings attention to the unique needs of over-age middle schoolers and provides the New York City Department of Education (DOE) with recommendations for improving outcomes for this population.
This report by The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, prepared by Advocates for Children of New York, examines the difficulties that high stakes standardized exit exams pose for many students and addresses the need for more flexible exam requirements and assessment-based pathways to a diploma.
This October 2013 policy paper calls on the DOE to include students and parents when putting the new teacher evaluation system into practice by establishing a stakeholder advisory group to provide feedback on the policy implementation process. The paper also provides examples of structures established for this purpose in other cities and states.
May 2013 report and recommendations from the New York City School-Justice Partnership Task Force. Under the stewardship of former Chief Judge Judith Kaye, the task force brought together a unique and knowledgeable group of key players from the education and justice communities who had not previously had the chance to collaborate. The report outlines a plan of action for the next mayor to reduce suspensions and school-based summonses and arrests.
This report, jointly issued by AFC and The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), sets forth key principles for a sound ELL accountability framework in New York State.
This report evaluates the success of AFC’s Project Achieve. It describes the long-term impact on staff at the foster care agencies with whom AFC partners, the children and families they serve, and the city’s child welfare system itself.
This policy paper describes the need for student and parent input in teacher evaluation in New York City, summarizes research demonstrating the validity and reliability of such measures, describes efforts other states and districts are undertaking to incorporate student and/or parent feedback into their own teacher evaluation systems, and provides recommendations to the DOE.
This article by AFC Supervising Attorney Erika Palmer and Cara Chambers, Supervising Attorney for the Legal Aid Society’s Education Advocacy Project, examines the impact of changing schools on students in foster care, discusses current laws, and describes strategies from around the country to address school mobility. It was first presented at the Practicing Law Institute’s 10th Annual School Law Institute and was published in Volume 26 of the Touro Law Review.