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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.
    Closeup of student holding a pencil in class

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    AFC Testifies on School Climate and Discipline
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies on School Climate and Discipline

    Today AFC is testifying before the New York City Council Committees on Public Safety and Education, and the Sub-Committee on Non-Public Schools, regarding school climate and discipline. AFC supports the passage of both Intro. No. 730, amending the Student Safety Act, and Intro. No. 719, requiring the DOE to report on the ratio of School Safety Officers (SSOs) to Guidance Counselors in each school.

    Apr 14, 2015

    AFC Testifies on Overcrowding in Schools
    Red lockers in a school hallway.
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies on Overcrowding in Schools

    AFC testified before the City Council Education Committee about the problem of overcrowding in schools and about the charter school cap. We believe it is premature to raise the cap on the number of charter schools before putting laws and practices in place that protect students’ civil rights in the context of school discipline and ensure that charter schools serve high-needs populations.

    Mar 3, 2015

    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

    AFC Submits Comments on Disproportionality under IDEA to the U.S. Department of Education
    Pencil laying on an open spiral-bound notebook. (Photo by PNW Production via Pexels)
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Submits Comments on Disproportionality under IDEA to the U.S. Department of Education

    AFC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education regarding disproportionality under Section 618(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our comments focus on racial disproportionality in the identification, placement, and discipline of children with disabilities in New York City.

    Jul 29, 2014

    AFC Testifies on the Draft School Discipline Code for 2013-14
    Tweed Courthouse, the headquarters of the Department of Education.
  • Testimony & Public Comment
    • AFC Testifies on the Draft School Discipline Code for 2013-14

    AFC testified at the Discipline Code hearing, which offers the opportunity for students, parents, teachers, and advocates to offer input into the draft of the discipline code which will go into effect during the 2013-2014 school year. AFC called for the discipline code to include meaningful information regarding behavioral supports for students with disabilities. Though students with disabilities make up 12% of the NYC public school population, they receive almost 1/3 of all suspensions.

    Jun 6, 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

    Report of the New York Hearing on the Crisis in Public Education
  • Policy Report
    • Report of the New York Hearing on the Crisis in Public Education

    This report examines the May 1984 public hearing on Our Children at Risk: The Crisis in Public Education that was organized by Advocates for Children of New York and co-sponsored by Statewide Youth Advocacy. The hearing focused on three areas that are key to inequity: the denial of equal access to school resources, the denial of equal quality in the learning process, and the denial of open futures in the link between school and work.

    Jan 29, 1985

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    Responding to Proposed Changes to the U.S. Department of Education

    This proposed restructuring violates federal law and is the latest step in an ongoing effort to dismantle the Department of Education. Learn more about what this means.

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