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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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    Reaching Every Reader: The Path Forward
    Illustration of a stack of book on a blue background. Report title is overlaid.
  • Policy Report
    • Reaching Every Reader: The Path Forward

    This report summarizes key takeaways from the December 2021 Literacy Summit—a day-long virtual event jointly hosted by AFC, the NYC Department of Education (DOE), and the ARISE Coalition—and makes clear recommendations for improving reading instruction in New York City schools. The report was accompanied by a Call to Collective Action signed by 70 organizations.

    May 2, 2022

    Not Yet for All: How the Next Administration Can Make Preschool Truly Universal
    Midsection of a young girl playing with educational toys. (Photo by Yan Krukau from Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Not Yet for All: How the Next Administration Can Make Preschool Truly Universal

    This January 2022 data brief found that preschool students with disabilities are being underserved by 3-K and Pre-K for All and are being denied access to special education programs and services to which they have a legal right—with disparities based on race, school district, housing status, and language of instruction.

    Jan 20, 2022

    Police Response to Students in Emotional Crisis: A Call for Comprehensive Mental Health and Social-Emotional Support for Students in Police-Free Schools
    Silhouette of a male student walking down a row of books in a library.
  • Policy Report
    • Police Response to Students in Emotional Crisis: A Call for Comprehensive Mental Health and Social-Emotional Support for Students in Police-Free Schools

    This report explores data on police responses to more than 12,000 “child in crisis” interventions, where a student in emotional distress is removed from class and transported to the hospital for psychological evaluation. A disproportionate share of these interventions involved Black students, students attending District 75 schools, and students attending schools located in low-income communities of color. We call on the City to end the criminalization of students in emotional crisis by eliminating police from schools and investing in behavioral and mental health supports and services.

    Jun 3, 2021

    Building a Network of Support: The Case for a DOE Office for Students in Foster Care
    Students line up on socially distanced dots painted on the sidewalk to wait their turn to have their temperatures checked before entering Middletown High School.
  • Policy Report
    • Building a Network of Support: The Case for a DOE Office for Students in Foster Care

    This May 2021 AFC and Legal Aid Society report highlights the urgent need for the Department of Education to launch a small office focused solely on the needs of students in foster care. Currently, the DOE does not have an office, team, or even a single staff member dedicated to supporting the 6,000 New York City youth in foster care, a group of students particularly in need of specialized support.

    May 4, 2021

    Delayed Interventions: Early Indicators of the Pandemic’s Impact on Infants and Toddlers
    A toddler sits on the floor with legos and blocks. (Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Delayed Interventions: Early Indicators of the Pandemic’s Impact on Infants and Toddlers

    This January 2021 data brief examines the steep decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in the number of infants and toddlers referred to the New York City Early Intervention (EI) program to address concerns about their development. As a result of the drop in referrals, thousands of young children with developmental delays or disabilities missed the chance for intervention at the time it is most effective.

    Jan 15, 2021

    Student Homelessness in New York City, 2019–20
    Close up of students writing on exam answer sheets in a classroom.
  • Issue Brief
    • Student Homelessness in New York City, 2019–20

    The New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS), a project of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), posted new data showing that more than 111,000 New York City students—approximately one in ten children enrolled in district or charter schools—were identified as homeless during the 2019-20 school year. In the Bronx, approximately one in six students was homeless.

    Dec 3, 2020

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