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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.
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    So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners
    Sneakered feet of a student standing on a pile of books to reach a higher library shelf.
  • Policy Report
    • So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners

    This joint report by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition uses enrollment data from the New York City Department of Education to examine the representation of English Language Learners (ELLs) and immigrant students in both small and large schools, as well as the extent to which small high schools have not been created in areas with large and growing immigrant student populations.

    Nov 28, 2006

    Up Against the Odds: New York City’s Homeless Children Lose Out in School
    Calculator on an open math textbook. (Photo by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay)
  • Policy Report
    • Up Against the Odds: New York City’s Homeless Children Lose Out in School

    This 2006 report found that the New York City Department of Education (DOE) must increase its efforts to ensure the protection of homeless students’ legal rights to education. The report underscores the importance of providing education to children and youth experiencing homelessness and the need for increased coordination among city agencies and the DOE to provide services to these students.

    Sep 1, 2006

    An In-depth Look at Free Tutoring Services Under the No Child Left Behind Act in New York City: A Focus on English Language Learners
    Young boy sits in a classroom, looking at the camera
  • Policy Report
    • An In-depth Look at Free Tutoring Services Under the No Child Left Behind Act in New York City: A Focus on English Language Learners

    This 2006 policy brief provides an analysis of NYC Department of Education (DOE) statistics regarding student eligibility and enrollment in Supplemental Education Services (SES) and outlines the results of a survey of all 2004-05 DOE-approved SES Providers.

    Jun 1, 2006

    In Harm’s Way: A Survey of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students Who Speak About Harassment and Discrimination in NYC Schools
    Three smiling teenagers outside a school. (Photo by Sheilby Macena, Adobe Stock)
  • Policy Report
    • In Harm’s Way: A Survey of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students Who Speak About Harassment and Discrimination in NYC Schools

    This report examines the results of a survey to determine whether many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in New York City experience a safe and supportive learning environment. The report also examines the current state of the law meant to protect students from harassment and discrimination in schools.

    Oct 24, 2005

    Leaving School Empty Handed: A Report on Graduation and Dropout Rates for Students who Receive Special Education Services In New York City
    Teenage boy leans against a wall, arms crossed.
  • Policy Report
    • Leaving School Empty Handed: A Report on Graduation and Dropout Rates for Students who Receive Special Education Services In New York City

    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.

    Jun 1, 2005

    Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System
    Two students walking down the street, their backs to the camera.
  • Policy Report
    • Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System

    AFC first piloted the Project Achieve model at Louise Wise Services (LWS), a private preventive services and foster care agency in New York City, from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2004. Our work at LWS demonstrated that the project is a viable, effective model, capable of replication at any child welfare agency.

    Mar 1, 2005

    Holding Back Students Damages Their Educational Progress: An Advocacy Report
    Close-up of an open book. (Photo by Bilakis via Pexels)
  • Law Review Article
    • Holding Back Students Damages Their Educational Progress: An Advocacy Report

    This 2005 article, published in the Clearinghouse REVIEW Journal of Poverty Law and Policy and written by AFC Executive Director Jill Chaifetz and Program Associate Rachel Kravitz, describes research that demonstrates why retention policies are damaging to students and presents methods for advocating against retention.

    Jan 31, 2005

    An Overview of Research on the Effectiveness of Retention on Student Achievement for New York City School Children
    Close-up of a student's hands taking a multiple-choice exam (Photo by smolaw11, Adobe Stock)
  • Policy Report
    • An Overview of Research on the Effectiveness of Retention on Student Achievement for New York City School Children

    This paper analyzes 25 years of research documenting the failure of single-test retention policies, looking in particular depth at New York City’s past failed retention policies and the current data on Chicago’s retention policy. The paper was accompanied by a sign-on letter in opposition to the Mayor’s announced policy to hold back fifth graders on the sole basis of their scores on standardized tests.

    Sep 27, 2004

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