AFC testified before the City Council’s Education Committee about diversity in NYC schools. Ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds have access to high-achieving schools and programs is critical, but is only one step. As the City Council strives to ensure that every school and program in NYC serves a diverse group of students, the City and DOE need to prepare schools to provide an excellent education to these students. Schools need resources, training, and the development of specialized programs to meet the needs of all students, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

AFC submitted comments to the New York State Education Department regarding proposed amendments to the State’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver. AFC commented on amendments addressing testing for students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

This report, jointly issued by AFC and The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), sets forth key principles for a sound ELL accountability framework in New York State.

There are more than 15,000 students in the New York City public schools who came to this country having missed two years or more of schooling. These students – known as Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) – present particular challenges for educators trying to raise the 40% on-time graduation rate for English Language Learners (ELLs). This report examines the data on the SIFE population, profiles twelve immigrant students who should have been identified as SIFE by their schools, and uses their experiences to show how the New York City Department of Education and individual schools try and often fail to meet their needs.

This 2009 report by AFC and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) studied the restructuring of two large Brooklyn high schools to understand how the small schools movement impacted English Language Learners (ELLs). The report illustrates how as a result of this movement, ELLs—who experience some of the lowest graduation rates in the city—are left with fewer and fewer options or are simply left behind.

Over 60% of children in New York City public schools are immigrants or the children of immigrants, but this 2009 report shows that immigrant families face significant obstacles to participating in their children’s education. The report, written in collaboration with immigrant advocates and community groups throughout the city, shows that many immigrant parents remain shut out of school activities and leadership opportunities. The report offers a number of concrete solutions for building stronger and more meaningful partnerships between schools, immigrant parents, and community leaders.

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, prepared by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition on behalf of The Equity Monitoring Project for Immigrant and Refugee Education (EMPIRE), finds that translation and interpretation services are still inadequate in City schools. The report highlights major gaps in language access during parent-teacher conferences and  important school events.

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.

This 2006 report by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition revealed serious lapses in the provision of language assistance services to parents with limited English proficiency.