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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More than 119,000 NYC students—roughly one in nine—experienced homelessness during the 2022–23 school year, the eighth consecutive year in which more than 100,000 public school students were identified as homeless.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the anticipated announcement that New York City will limit shelter stays to 60 days for newcomer families.
Today, Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to the New York City Council’s passage of Intro 857-A, expanding disaggregated data in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) reporting to include metrics on students in foster care.
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.
This research brief, prepared by AFC on behalf of the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, summarizes the research literature on exit exams and calls on New York State to decouple Regents exams from high school graduation requirements.
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.
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.
Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York, issued the following statement in response to the Chancellor’s announced changes to literacy instruction in New York City Public Schools.
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 2024 Executive Budget.
Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) issued the following statement in response to the release of the New York City Department of Education (DOE)’s special education data report for the 2021–22 school year.