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.
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Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to Mayor de Blasio’s announcement about offers to New York City Pre-K programs.
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.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the New York City Department of Education (DOE)’s announced grading policy for the 2019-20 school year.
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.
Advocates for Children joined 40 other organizations in calling on Mayor de Blasio to prioritize and fund necessary mental health services for all students.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the release of the Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the cancellation of the June Regents exams and the release of guidance from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) modifying graduation requirements for impacted students.
AFC wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, expressing our strong opposition to any waivers of federal laws protecting students with disabilities pursuant to the pandemic.
Advocates for Children joined 11 other organizations in calling on Chancellor Carranza to ensure that students who are homeless have access to the Regional Enrichment Centers when they open next week. While we do not question the decision to close schools in light of the current public health emergency, we are deeply concerned about the disproportionate impact long-term closures are likely to have on the more than 100,000 City students who are homeless.
AFC joined 18 organizations committed to school stability and educational success for students in foster care in a joint statement in response to an ACS draft policy, urging the City to guarantee busing or other comparable transportation for students in foster care who need it to remain in their schools.