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.
192 Results Found
The following is a statement by Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York, in response to the release of graduation rate data for the class of 2016.
This December 2016 report analyzes access to high school-level career and technical education (CTE) programs for students with disabilities in New York State. Based on data findings and interviews with professionals, special education advocates, and parents of students with disabilities, the paper makes recommendations for addressing barriers to CTE.
AFC submitted comments in response to the New York State Education Department’s proposed plan to promote inclusion among preschool and school-age students with disabilities.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding access to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for students with disabilities and English Language Learners (ELLs). CTE is shown to help keep at-risk students – such as ELLs and students with disabilities – engaged and on-track for graduation; but while students with disabilities and ELLs generally do well in the city’s CTE programs, both groups are underrepresented among CTE students.
AFC testified before the New York City Council Committees on Education and Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services about the need to make certain that our public schools are prepared to provide all students, including those with dyslexia and other disabilities, with appropriate, evidence-based literacy instruction.
AFC presented this white paper at the 2016 national conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). The paper discusses the rights of students with disabilities to behavioral supports, and individual and systemic advocacy strategies that provide support for students with disabilities instead of excluding them from school.
This report documents the need for urgent and sustained action to improve literacy levels for low-income students with disabilities and prepare schools to teach reading effectively for all students. It reviews research and case stories indicating that students with a wide range of disabilities are capable of learning to read if they receive appropriate instruction, discusses the key elements for teaching reading effectively, highlights a number of promising programs in NYC, and provides recommendations for implementing systemic change.
In February 2016, the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, coordinated by AFC, issued an updated policy brief identifying barriers to CTE instruction for students with disabilities and ELLs and providing recommendations to NYSED and the Board of Regents for creating accessible CTE programs that will benefit these students.
AFC testified at a New York City Council Committee on Higher Education oversight hearing on teacher training in New York City’s post-secondary institutions, emphasizing the need to better prepare new teachers to support the needs of students who are struggling to learn to read and students with behavioral challenges.