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Policy Resources

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.

More than 115 Organizations Call for Changes to New York State’s School Funding Formula
  • Sign-On Letter

    • More than 115 Organizations Call for Changes to New York State’s School Funding Formula

    Every child in New York State has the right to a sound, basic education—and providing such an education requires adequate and equitable funding. More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those who have the greatest needs.
    Desks facing a chalkboard in an empty classroom. (Photo by maroke, Adobe Stock)

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    Still Waiting, After All These Years… Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in New York City Public Schools
    Elementary students sitting on a rug in a classroom. (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)
  • Policy Report
    • Still Waiting, After All These Years… Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in New York City Public Schools

    This report from the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Coalition looks at the history of special education services in the New York City school system and at the differing views regarding how children with disabilities should be treated, i.e., via segregation or inclusion.

    Nov 1, 2001

    Report from the Front Lines: What’s Needed to Make New York’s ESL and Bilingual Programs Succeed
    Teenager sits in a classroom doing schoolwork. (Photo by World Sikh Organization of Canada via Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Report from the Front Lines: What’s Needed to Make New York’s ESL and Bilingual Programs Succeed

    This report by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition focuses on one of the ingredients most fundamental for English Language Learners (ELLs): their teachers, and the resources they possess to teach ELLs. It also addresses the impact of new graduation and promotion standards for ELLs, the challenges teachers face, and steps the NYC public schools need to take to overcome these challenges.

    Feb 7, 2001

    Playing by the Rules When the System Doesn’t: Immigrant Families and Summer School in New York
    Two boys lean over a picture book, one with a pen in hand. (Photo by Andrew Ebrahim via Unsplash)
  • Policy Report
    • Playing by the Rules When the System Doesn’t: Immigrant Families and Summer School in New York

    This report, jointly released by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition, discusses findings from surveys conducted during the summer of 2000 to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the Year 2000 Summer program, an integral part of the NYC Board of Education’s updated promotion policy.

    Aug 25, 2000

    Educational Neglect: The Delivery of Educational Services to Children in New York City’s Foster Care System
    Black and white photo of a young girl with her head resting on her arms.
  • Policy Report
    • Educational Neglect: The Delivery of Educational Services to Children in New York City’s Foster Care System

    This report is based on the results of surveys of foster parents, case workers, educators, social workers, and children in the foster system. It finds that the main institutions in the lives of children in foster care fail to put into place the fundamental building blocks that could help them meet with educational success.

    Jul 20, 2000

    Analysis of the Board of Education’s Change of Policy Regarding the Retention of Students
    Young girl writes on the chalkboard in a classroom. (Photo by RDNE Stock project via Pexels)
  • Issue Brief
    • Analysis of the Board of Education’s Change of Policy Regarding the Retention of Students

    This issue brief examines the September 1999 amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-501, which changed the promotional criteria for virtually every grade level. The brief argues that the blanket retention policy, coupled with the evisceration of the parental right to notice and the elimination of the entitlement to enrichment services, spells serious trouble for New York City students.

    Jan 12, 2000

    Neglected Buildings, Damaged Health: A ‘Snapshot’ of New York City Public School Environmental Conditions
    Façade of a New York City Public School. (Photo by Halytskyi Olexandr, Adobe Stock)
  • Policy Report
    • Neglected Buildings, Damaged Health: A ‘Snapshot’ of New York City Public School Environmental Conditions

    This report examines the results of a survey of school conditions carried out by the NYC Healthy Schools Working Group and provides a snapshot of the environmental conditions in NYC public schools. It examines the results of years of neglect of infrastructure for children and reveals disturbing new information about the environmental health of school occupants.

    Oct 1, 1999

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