This briefing paper profiles nine young adults who were able to earn their high school diploma only because the local diploma, which the state is phasing out, existed. The paper calls on officials to develop alternative pathways to earn a regular high school diploma.
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.
More than 115 Organizations Call for Changes to New York State’s School Funding Formula
Every child in New York State has the right to a sound, basic education—and providing such an education requires adequate and equitable funding. More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those who have the greatest needs.24 Results Found
An estimated 138,000 New York City students are over-age and under-credited and are out of school or at-risk for dropping out. The New York City Department of Education began creating new programming specifically for these students, but some students are left with dead ends under the current system. This briefing paper examines the ability of the new schools to meet the instructional needs of English Language Learners (ELLs), students with special education needs, students who are older with few or no credits, and students who are pregnant and parenting.
This report examines the graduation outcomes of the more than 170,000 children currently classified as having disabilities and in need of special education services in New York City, based on federal, state, and city data from the school years between 1996-97 and 2003-04.
This report, a joint release from AFC, the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, the Urban Institute, and the Civil Society Institute, highlights the urgent need to address the impending crisis of minority groups not graduating from high school at troubling rates.