Stack of books against a blurred background. (Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash)

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.

Call to Action to Sustain Education Programs Funded with Expiring Federal COVID-19 Relief
  • Sign-On Letter

    • Call to Action to Sustain Education Programs Funded with Expiring Federal COVID-19 Relief

    More than 170 organizations are calling on New York leaders to save critical education programs currently supported by temporary federal stimulus funding set to run dry in 2024.
    Young students sitting in a circle, several raising their hands. (Photo by RDNE Stock project via Pexels)

    416 Results Found

    Filter By
    • Topic
    • Resource Type
    AFC & Girls for Gender Equity Call for a Restorative Reopening Plan for the 2020-21 School Year
    High school teacher and students in a science classroom, wearing protective face masks. (Photo by Rich Legg, iStock)
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC & Girls for Gender Equity Call for a Restorative Reopening Plan for the 2020-21 School Year

    Advocates for Children and Girls for Gender Equity (GGE) shared recommendations with Chancellor Carranza for a developing reopening plans are trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, grounded in restorative practices, and geared towards developing healing-centered school communities.

    Aug 28, 2020

    Recommendations for Improving the Education of New York City Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic
    Yellow and blue colored pencils
  • Policy Report
    • Recommendations for Improving the Education of New York City Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic

    Advocates for Children of New York released a set of essential recommendations for New York City’s school reopening plan, urging the Department of Education (DOE) to ensure that students with disabilities have the support they need when schools reopen, whether they are learning in a school building or remotely.

    Aug 18, 2020

    30+ Organizations Call on Mayor de Blasio to Prioritize Educational Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness
    Close-up on kneeling student placing a book in a backpack. (Photo by RDNE Stock Project via Pexels)
  • Sign-On Letter
    • 30+ Organizations Call on Mayor de Blasio to Prioritize Educational Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness

    AFC joined more than 30 organizations in reminding the Mayor and the City of its legal obligation to provide transportation for students who are homeless, and expressing our disappointment that the City’s school reopening plan does not prioritize students who are homeless for in-person instruction.

    Aug 4, 2020

    AFC Urges DOE to Follow State Guidance & Let 21-Year-Old Students Stay in School
    Rear shot of a young woman writing in a notebook; textbooks are piled in the background. (Photo by RF._.studio via Pexels)
  • Press Statement
    • AFC Urges DOE to Follow State Guidance & Let 21-Year-Old Students Stay in School

    Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to new State guidance strongly encouraging school districts to provide over-age high school students the opportunity to return to school next year to finish meeting graduation requirements and to prepare for their transition out of high school.

    Jun 25, 2020

    Invest in Education, not Criminalization
    Exterior of a public school building. (Photo by sangaku, iStock)
  • Issue Brief
    • Invest in Education, not Criminalization

    This June 2020 policy brief summarizes the proposed cuts to education funding in the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget and the devastating impact these cuts would have on schools and students. The brief urges Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to reject cuts to education and ensure schools have more resources—not less—to address the challenges caused by the pandemic.

    Jun 23, 2020

    Protect Graduation Opportunities for Students Aging Out During COVID-19
    Rows of high school graduates in caps and gowns, viewed from behind. (Photo by Mat Hayward, Adobe Stock)
  • Issue Brief
    • Protect Graduation Opportunities for Students Aging Out During COVID-19

    This June 2020 policy brief shows that there are approximately 3,700 students in New York State who will age out of school this year and lose their chance to earn a diploma. They are disproportionately students of color, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners. The brief calls on the State Education Department to issue guidance directing districts to allow all students aging out of school without a diploma to return to high school next year.

    Jun 15, 2020

    Load More
    Send us a message