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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.

More than 115 Organizations Call for Changes to New York State’s School Funding Formula
  • Sign-On Letter

    • 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 More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those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.
    Desks facing a chalkboard in an empty classroom. (Photo by maroke, Adobe Stock)

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    Sixteen Going on Seventh Grade: Over-Age Students in New York City Middle Schools
    Male teenager hides his head in his arms as he sits on the floor of a classroom.
  • Policy Report
    • Sixteen Going on Seventh Grade: Over-Age Students in New York City Middle Schools

    More than 50,000 middle school students – a quarter of the students in New York City’s public middle schools – have been left back at least once, and more than 8,500 students have been left back at least 3 times. Despite their significant academic and social-emotional needs, there are fewer than 450 seats in programs for over-age middle school students in the City’s traditional public and charter schools. This September 2014 policy report brings attention to the unique needs of over-age middle schoolers and provides the New York City Department of Education (DOE) with recommendations for improving outcomes for this population.

    Sep 9, 2014

    AFC Submits Comments on Disproportionality under IDEA to the U.S. Department of Education
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  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Submits Comments on Disproportionality under IDEA to the U.S. Department of Education

    AFC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education regarding disproportionality under Section 618(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our comments focus on racial disproportionality in the identification, placement, and discipline of children with disabilities in New York City.

    Jul 29, 2014

    AFC Testifies at City Council Hearing on Charter School Management and Accountability
    New York City City Hall Building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies at City Council Hearing on Charter School Management and Accountability

    AFC testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education on the need to improve charter school accountability and oversight, particularly with regard to discipline policies and the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of students with disabilities and English Language Learners. AFC supports the Council’s bill calling for reports to the DOE on student demographic data for all co-located schools.

    May 6, 2014

    AFC Testifies on the New York City Fiscal Year 2015 Preliminary Budget
    New York City City Hall Building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies on the New York City Fiscal Year 2015 Preliminary Budget

    AFC testified before the New York City Council Committees on General Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Women’s Issues about the impact of the FY 2015 Preliminary Budget on early learning programs, and the importance of providing adequate funding for high-quality early childhood education programs for young children from low-income backgrounds.

    Mar 24, 2014

    AFC Submits Testimony on the 2014–2015 State Education Budget Proposal
    New York State capitol building
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Submits Testimony on the 2014–2015 State Education Budget Proposal

    AFC submitted testimony for the New York State Education Budget Hearing, applauding the Governor’s call to make pre-k truly universal, but pointing out that the funding in the budget proposal is insufficient to reach this goal. AFC calls on the Legislature to support Mayor de Blasio’s plan to expand pre-k rapidly in NYC and also makes recommendations regarding the Governor’s preschool special education reform, special education waiver, after-school, and anti-discrimination proposals.

    Jan 28, 2014

    Rethinking Pathways to High School Graduation in New York State: Forging New Ways for Students to Show Their Achievement of Standards
    Graduating students smiling and laughing with diplomas
  • Policy Report
    • Rethinking Pathways to High School Graduation in New York State: Forging New Ways for Students to Show Their Achievement of Standards

    This report by The Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, prepared by Advocates for Children of New York, examines the difficulties that high stakes standardized exit exams pose for many students and addresses the need for more flexible exam requirements and assessment-based pathways to a diploma.

    Dec 12, 2013

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