During the 2001-02 school year, AFC piloted a project called the Domestic Violence Education Advocacy Project (DVEAP) that provided individual school-related advocacy for children who had been exposed to domestic violence or abuse and who were having significant problems in school. These children were unable to perform up to their academic potential as a result of suffering from undetected and untreated trauma-related illnesses. AFC found that the public school system, in particular the special education system, bears the brunt of this problem.
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
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 More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those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.161 Results Found
This report assesses the manner in which special education services are delivered to children in NYC who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, with a particular focus on the delivery of services to poor children and children of color.
This report examines the results of surveys that were conducted to assess the implementation and effectiveness of Supplemental Education Services (SES). These tutoring and remediation services were provided for the first time in 2002-03 to over 240,000 eligible children in schools “in need of improvement.” The results of the surveys show major problems with implementation of SES in New York City, especially for students with disabilities and those classified as English Language Learners.
This report from the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Coalition, coordinated by AFC, examines a group of programs in NYC public schools that prove that integration of children with disabilities into general education classrooms is not only possible, but also desirable for children with many different types of disabilities and with differing needs.
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.
This 1998 report uncovers and addresses some prevailing problems in New York City public schools with regards to asthma.
This 1992 report argues that the special education system in the New York City public schools is by nature segregated and second rate. It offers recommendations for achieving a more inclusive, effective education for all children.
This paper endorses the placement of children with behavioral and emotionally handicapping conditions in the least restrictive environment.
This 1990 report discusses the considerations and rights of inclusion, the process of obtaining inclusion for a disabled child, the appeal process, and the issues arising from inclusion for particular disabilities.
This report examines the May 1984 public hearing on Our Children at Risk: The Crisis in Public Education that was organized by Advocates for Children of New York and co-sponsored by Statewide Youth Advocacy. The hearing focused on three areas that are key to inequity: the denial of equal access to school resources, the denial of equal quality in the learning process, and the denial of open futures in the link between school and work.