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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    School Year Filled with Missed Communications: Despite Chancellor’s Regulation, Immigrant Parents Still Face Language Barriers
    A parent drops a child off at school. (Photo by dusanpetkovic1, Adobe Stock)
  • Policy Report
    • School Year Filled with Missed Communications: Despite Chancellor’s Regulation, Immigrant Parents Still Face Language Barriers

    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.

    Jun 27, 2007

    So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners
    Sneakered feet of a student standing on a pile of books to reach a higher library shelf.
  • Policy Report
    • So Many Schools, So Few Options: How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners

    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.

    Nov 28, 2006

    An In-depth Look at Free Tutoring Services Under the No Child Left Behind Act in New York City: A Focus on English Language Learners
    Young boy sits in a classroom, looking at the camera
  • Policy Report
    • An In-depth Look at Free Tutoring Services Under the No Child Left Behind Act in New York City: A Focus on English Language Learners

    This 2006 policy brief provides an analysis of NYC Department of Education (DOE) statistics regarding student eligibility and enrollment in Supplemental Education Services (SES) and outlines the results of a survey of all 2004-05 DOE-approved SES Providers.

    Jun 1, 2006

    Serving Those Most In Need Or Not? A Report on the Implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)’s Supplemental Education Services in New York City
    Woman looks over the shoulder of a young girl filling out a worksheet. (Photo by Monstera Production via Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Serving Those Most In Need Or Not? A Report on the Implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)’s Supplemental Education Services in New York City

    This report examines the results of surveys that were conducted to assess the implementation and effectiveness of Supplemental Education Services (SES). These tutoring and remediation services were provided for the first time in 2002-03 to over 240,000 eligible children in schools “in need of improvement.” The results of the surveys show major problems with implementation of SES in New York City, especially for students with disabilities and those classified as English Language Learners.

    Oct 1, 2003

    Creating a Formula for Success: Why English Language Learner Students Are Dropping Out of School, and How to Increase Graduation Rates
    Teenage girl sitting on the floor of a library, reading a book. (Photo by Ludovic Delot via Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Creating a Formula for Success: Why English Language Learner Students Are Dropping Out of School, and How to Increase Graduation Rates

    This report, released jointly by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition, analyzes the educational outcomes of English Language Learners (ELLs) since the implementation of new graduation standards. The report shows that the majority of children who have utilized bilingual or ESL programs with enough time and support have become proficient in English and have the highest rates of success on the new state tests. The report also shows that students currently enrolled in these programs – many of whom are very recent arrivals in the country or are students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) – fare the worst under the new standards, with more of them dropping out than graduating.

    Jun 18, 2002

    Report from the Front Lines: What’s Needed to Make New York’s ESL and Bilingual Programs Succeed
    Teenager sits in a classroom doing schoolwork. (Photo by World Sikh Organization of Canada via Pexels)
  • Policy Report
    • Report from the Front Lines: What’s Needed to Make New York’s ESL and Bilingual Programs Succeed

    This report by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition focuses on one of the ingredients most fundamental for English Language Learners (ELLs): their teachers, and the resources they possess to teach ELLs. It also addresses the impact of new graduation and promotion standards for ELLs, the challenges teachers face, and steps the NYC public schools need to take to overcome these challenges.

    Feb 7, 2001

    Playing by the Rules When the System Doesn’t: Immigrant Families and Summer School in New York
    Two boys lean over a picture book, one with a pen in hand. (Photo by Andrew Ebrahim via Unsplash)
  • Policy Report
    • Playing by the Rules When the System Doesn’t: Immigrant Families and Summer School in New York

    This report, jointly released by AFC and the New York Immigration Coalition, discusses findings from surveys conducted during the summer of 2000 to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the Year 2000 Summer program, an integral part of the NYC Board of Education’s updated promotion policy.

    Aug 25, 2000

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    Celebrate AFC's 2026 Spring Benefit!

    On Tuesday May 5, 2026, join us to honor John & Amanda Waldron and AFC client Aidan Parrish

    Learn more and buy tickets