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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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    • Coalition
    Diploma Coalition Calls for Immediate Action to Ensure No Student Loses the Chance to Graduate due to COVID-19
    A computer screen shows the classes a student must complete through her school’s remote learning platform.
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • Diploma Coalition Calls for Immediate Action to Ensure No Student Loses the Chance to Graduate due to COVID-19

    The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma wrote to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the Board of Regents, urging them to take immediate action to ensure that no student loses the chance to finish high school due to the pandemic.

    Feb 4, 2021

    Diploma Coalition Urges New York State to Extend COVID-19 Regents Exam Exemptions in 2020–21
  • Sign-On Letter
    • Diploma Coalition Urges New York State to Extend COVID-19 Regents Exam Exemptions in 2020–21

    As students returned to remote or hybrid learning in fall 2020, the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma urged State education officials to extend COVID-19 exemptions to Regents exams through the 2020–21 school year so that high school students and educators could focus on preparing for students’ future success rather than preparing for high-stakes tests. In December, over 1,000 individuals from around New York State signed a petition joining in this request.

    Dec 9, 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
  • Sign-On Letter
    • 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 and an accompanying sign-on letter call 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

    100+ Organizations Call for Extended Eligibility for 12th Graders Aging Out in 2020
    Student wearing a class of 2020 mortarboard, viewed from behind.
  • Sign-On Letter
    • 100+ Organizations Call for Extended Eligibility for 12th Graders Aging Out in 2020

    More than 100 education and advocacy organizations and over five dozen parents and educators from across New York State sent a letter to the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department, urging them to give students who are aging out of school this year the opportunity to return to high school for the 2020-21 school year, rather than lose their chance to earn a high school diploma because of COVID-19.

    May 11, 2020

    Diploma Coalition Submits Study Questions for Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Requirements
    Close up Graduate student put hands up and celebrating with grad
  • Policy Agenda
    • Diploma Coalition Submits Study Questions for Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Requirements

    In response to Chancellor Rosa’s announcement that New York State would form a Blue Ribbon Commission to re-examine high school graduation requirements, the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma (coordinated by AFC) submitted a list of stakeholder groups and study questions that are critical to consider as the state works to identify graduation requirements that are comprehensible, rigorous, and that meet the needs of all learners.

    Jun 20, 2019

    Diploma Coalition Urges New York State to Move Forward with Proposed Commission to Re-Examine Graduation Requirements
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • Diploma Coalition Urges New York State to Move Forward with Proposed Commission to Re-Examine Graduation Requirements

    The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma sent a letter to State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, Chancellor Betty A. Rosa, and the Board of Regents, urging them to move forward with a 2017 proposal to convene a State Commission to examine high school diploma requirements and to propose meaningful, rigorous pathways to a diploma that do not rely on high-stakes tests.

    Nov 14, 2018

    Diploma Coalition Comments on Pathways to a High School Equivalency Diploma
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • Diploma Coalition Comments on Pathways to a High School Equivalency Diploma

    The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma (coordinated by AFC) submitted comments in support of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) proposal to amend Section 100.7 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to establish a new pathway to a high school equivalency diploma. The Coalition made several recommendations to avoid pushout of high school students.

    Mar 2, 2018

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