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.

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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    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

    AFC Testifies Before the City Council Committee on Education about Remote Learning
    New York City City Hall Building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies Before the City Council Committee on Education about Remote Learning

    AFC testified before the City Council Committee on Education about remote learning and the impact of COVID-19 on the City’s schools, focusing on the challenges our clients have experienced and the need for the DOE to address the barriers students are facing so they can participate in remote summer school.

    May 27, 2020

    AFC & the ARISE Coalition Testify on the New York City FY 2021 Executive Budget
    New York City City Hall Building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC & the ARISE Coalition Testify on the New York City FY 2021 Executive Budget

    AFC and the ARISE Coalition (coordinated by AFC) testified before the New York City Council Committee on Finance about the importance of rejecting proposed cuts to schools and investing in education initiatives that will help students get needed support when they return to school, including funding for preschool special education classes, direct mental health support for students, guaranteed transportation for students in foster care, support for English Language Learners, and more.

    May 21, 2020

    100+ Organizations Call for Extended Eligibility for 12th Graders Aging Out in 2020
    Student wearing a class of 2020 mortarboard, viewed from behind. (Photo by Rebeca Alvidrez on Unsplash)
  • 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

    AFC & the NYIC Education Collaborative Respond to Proposed DOE Grading & Promotion Policy
    Close up of a red pencil making a large
  • Sign-On Letter
    • AFC & the NYIC Education Collaborative Respond to Proposed DOE Grading & Promotion Policy

    Advocates for Children joined more than 30 other signatories in providing feedback and recommendations on the DOE’s proposed grading policy for the 2019-20 school year. In light of the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19-related school closures, the letter urges the DOE to give course credit to all students this semester in lieu of a grading system, and to design a separate system to provide needed support to students who have fallen behind.

    Apr 24, 2020

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    A new school year begins!

    Our Back to School resource hub has deadlines, helpful links, and more need-to-know information for students, families, and professionals as the school year gets started.

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