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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 More than 115 organizations are calling on Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to revamp New York’s outdated school funding formula to ensure schools have the resources necessary to provide a high-quality education to all students, with particular attention to those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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    Discipline for Students with Disabilities: Support Rather than Exclusion
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  • White Paper
    • Discipline for Students with Disabilities: Support Rather than Exclusion

    AFC presented this white paper at the 2016 national conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). The paper discusses the rights of students with disabilities to behavioral supports, and individual and systemic advocacy strategies that provide support for students with disabilities instead of excluding them from school.

    Mar 14, 2016

    A is for All: Meeting the Literacy Needs of Students with and without Disabilities in the New York City Public Schools
    Two young girls sit back-to-back in a library, each reading a book.
  • Policy Report
    • A is for All: Meeting the Literacy Needs of Students with and without Disabilities in the New York City Public Schools

    This report documents the need for urgent and sustained action to improve literacy levels for low-income students with disabilities and prepare schools to teach reading effectively for all students. It reviews research and case stories indicating that students with a wide range of disabilities are capable of learning to read if they receive appropriate instruction, discusses the key elements for teaching reading effectively, highlights a number of promising programs in NYC, and provides recommendations for implementing systemic change.

    Mar 10, 2016

    Creating CTE Programs that Benefit Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners 
  • Policy Report
    • Creating CTE Programs that Benefit Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners 

    In February 2016, the Coalition for Multiple Pathways to a Diploma, coordinated by AFC, issued an updated policy brief identifying barriers to CTE instruction for students with disabilities and ELLs and providing recommendations to NYSED and the Board of Regents for creating accessible CTE programs that will benefit these students.

    Feb 12, 2016

    Civil Rights Suspended: An Analysis of New York City Charter School Discipline Policies
    An empty school desk.
  • Policy Report
    • Civil Rights Suspended: An Analysis of New York City Charter School Discipline Policies

    This February 2015 report describes findings made from AFC’s review of 164 New York City charter school discipline policies obtained through Freedom of Information Law requests. A significant number of City charter schools have discipline policies that fail to meet the legal requirements, leading to violations of students’ and parents’ civil rights. The report includes recommendations for state legislators to consider as they discuss raising the cap on charter schools and ensuring that charter schools serve high-needs students.

    Feb 12, 2015

    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

    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

    Essential Voices, Part II: Engaging Students and Parents in the Implementation of a New Teacher Evaluation System
    Male student sitting in the class and raising hand up to ask question during lecture. (Photo by Jacob Lund, Adobe Stock)
  • Policy Report
    • Essential Voices, Part II: Engaging Students and Parents in the Implementation of a New Teacher Evaluation System

    This October 2013 policy paper calls on the DOE to include students and parents when putting the new teacher evaluation system into practice by establishing a stakeholder advisory group to provide feedback on the policy implementation process. The paper also provides examples of structures established for this purpose in other cities and states.

    Oct 31, 2013

    Keeping Kids In School and Out of Court: Report and Recommendations
  • Policy Report
    • Keeping Kids In School and Out of Court: Report and Recommendations

    May 2013 report and recommendations from the New York City School-Justice Partnership Task Force. Under the stewardship of former Chief Judge Judith Kaye, the task force brought together a unique and knowledgeable group of key players from the education and justice communities who had not previously had the chance to collaborate. The report outlines a plan of action for the next mayor to reduce suspensions and school-based summonses and arrests.

    May 30, 2013

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