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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.

Leading the Way for NYC Schools: Recommendations for the Next Administration
  • Policy Agenda

    • Leading the Way for NYC Schools: Recommendations for the Next Administration

    Based on our experience helping thousands of NYC families each year, we urge the next Mayor to take on big challenges with bold ideas and stand firm in the face of threats to students’ civil rights.
    Closeup of student holding a pencil in class

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    Access (Still) Denied: An Update on the Physical Inaccessibility of New York City Public Schools
    a public school where the entrance is at the top of a flight of stairs
  • Policy Report
    • Access (Still) Denied: An Update on the Physical Inaccessibility of New York City Public Schools

    This interactive report finds that only 31.1% of schools are fully accessible to students, parents, educators, and community members with physical disabilities as of the start of the 2023-24 school year. The report calls on the City to invest $1.25 billion—roughly 5-6% of its capital budget—in the forthcoming five-year Capital Plan to improve school accessibility.

    Aug 23, 2023

    Rising Enrollment, Shrinking Support: The Urgent Need to Protect Programs for Immigrant Students Amidst Funding Threats
    A girl sits with her backpack, looking at a textbook, outside a schoolyard. (Photo by Mary Taylor via Pexels)
  • Issue Brief
    • Rising Enrollment, Shrinking Support: The Urgent Need to Protect Programs for Immigrant Students Amidst Funding Threats

    The June 2023 brief shows the urgent need to reject proposed cuts and provide targeted investments to support immigrant students and families, including the more than 18,000 new students in temporary housing—most of whom are recently arrived immigrants—who have enrolled in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) in the past year.

    Jun 20, 2023

    Falling Short: NYC’s Failure to Provide Mandated Services for Preschoolers with Disabilities
    A female occupational therapist works with a young boy, using play-doh to work on the boy's gross motor skills. (Photo by FatCamera, iStock)
  • Issue Brief
    • Falling Short: NYC’s Failure to Provide Mandated Services for Preschoolers with Disabilities

    This June 2023 data analysis shows that 37% of all preschoolers with disabilities—a total 9,800 children—went the entire 2021–22 school year without receiving at least one of the types of services the DOE was legally required to provide, a systemic violation of students’ rights. The report analyzes DOE data, which likely significantly understate the magnitude of the problem, and makes recommendations for needed changes moving forward.

    Jun 6, 2023

    Building on Potential: Next Steps to Improve Educational Outcomes for Students in Foster Care
    Students writing in their notebooks. (Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Building on Potential: Next Steps to Improve Educational Outcomes for Students in Foster Care

    This January 2023 report provides an overview of the current — and dire — state of education for students in foster care in New York City. The report analyzes City data obtained through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request and makes recommendations for how the City can better support students in foster care now that the DOE’s new foster care team is up and running.

    Jan 25, 2023

    More than Translation: Multi-Faceted Solutions for Communicating with NYC’s Immigrant Families
    Parent holds a sign at a rally reading 'Quiero participar! I want to participate!'
  • Issue Brief
    • More than Translation: Multi-Faceted Solutions for Communicating with NYC’s Immigrant Families

    This June 2022 data analysis estimates that more than 329,000 public school students do not have a parent who speaks English fluently and calls for investments in a permanent, central system for immigrant family communications at the Department of Education (DOE). The analysis uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) to illustrates the need for multi-faceted approaches to communication that go beyond making translated documents available online.

    Jun 9, 2022

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