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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.

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Recommendations for Improving the Education of New York City Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic
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  • Policy Report
  • Recommendations for Improving the Education of New York City Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic

    Advocates for Children of New York released a set of essential recommendations for New York City’s school reopening plan, urging the Department of Education (DOE) to ensure that students with disabilities have the support they need when schools reopen, whether they are learning in a school building or remotely.

    Aug 18, 2020

    AFC Urges DOE to Follow State Guidance & Let 21-Year-Old Students Stay in School
    Rear shot of a young woman writing in a notebook; textbooks are piled in the background. (Photo by RF._.studio via Pexels)
  • Press Statement
  • AFC Urges DOE to Follow State Guidance & Let 21-Year-Old Students Stay in School

    Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), issued the following statement in response to new State guidance strongly encouraging school districts to provide over-age high school students the opportunity to return to school next year to finish meeting graduation requirements and to prepare for their transition out of high school.

    Jun 25, 2020

    Invest in Education, not Criminalization
    Exterior of a public school building. (Photo by sangaku, iStock)
  • Issue Brief
  • Invest in Education, not Criminalization

    This June 2020 policy brief summarizes the proposed cuts to education funding in the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget and the devastating impact these cuts would have on schools and students. The brief urges Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to reject cuts to education and ensure schools have more resources—not less—to address the challenges caused by the pandemic.

    Jun 23, 2020

    Protect Graduation Opportunities for Students Aging Out During COVID-19
    Rows of high school graduates in caps and gowns, viewed from behind. (Photo by Mat Hayward, Adobe Stock)
  • Issue Brief
  • Protect Graduation Opportunities for Students Aging Out During COVID-19

    This June 2020 policy brief shows that there are approximately 3,700 students in New York State who will age out of school this year and lose their chance to earn a diploma. They are disproportionately students of color, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners. The brief calls on the State Education Department to issue guidance directing districts to allow all students aging out of school without a diploma to return to high school next year.

    Jun 15, 2020