Stack of books against a blurred background. (Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash)

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.
    Closeup of student holding a pencil in class

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    Missed Potential: English Language Learners Under-Represented in New York City Career and Technical Education Programs
    Three students in a classroom working on a technical project. (Photo by Vanessa Loring from Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Missed Potential: English Language Learners Under-Represented in New York City Career and Technical Education Programs

    This data brief analyzes city and state data showing that English Language Learners (ELLs) are under-represented in career and technical education (CTE) programs at New York City high schools. The report makes recommendations for steps the DOE can take to address barriers for ELLs.

    Jul 24, 2017

    Obstacles and Opportunities: Creating Career and Technical Education Pathways for Students with Disabilities
    A boy repairing a motherboard
  • Policy Report
    • Obstacles and Opportunities: Creating Career and Technical Education Pathways for Students with Disabilities

    This December 2016 report analyzes access to high school-level career and technical education (CTE) programs for students with disabilities in New York State. Based on data findings and interviews with professionals, special education advocates, and parents of students with disabilities, the paper makes recommendations for addressing barriers to CTE.

    Dec 8, 2016

    Discipline for Students with Disabilities: Support Rather than Exclusion
    Close-up of an open book. (Photo by Bilakis via Pexels)
  • 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

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