Policy Resources

Four schoolboys (ages 8-9) huddling in classroom. (Photo by Cavan for Adobe, Adobe Stock)

Policy Report

Learning Together: Lessons in Inclusive Education in NYC

This report from the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Coalition, coordinated by AFC, examines a group of programs in NYC public schools that prove that integration of children with disabilities into general education classrooms is not only possible, but also desirable for children with many different types of disabilities and with differing needs.

Oct 1, 2002

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

Elementary students sitting on a rug in a classroom. (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)

Policy Report

Still Waiting, After All These Years… Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in New York City Public Schools

This report from the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Coalition looks at the history of special education services in the New York City school system and at the differing views regarding how children with disabilities should be treated, i.e., via segregation or inclusion.

Nov 1, 2001

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

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

Black and white photo of a young girl with her head resting on her arms.

Policy Report

Educational Neglect: The Delivery of Educational Services to Children in New York City’s Foster Care System

This report is based on the results of surveys of foster parents, case workers, educators, social workers, and children in the foster system. It finds that the main institutions in the lives of children in foster care fail to put into place the fundamental building blocks that could help them meet with educational success.

Jul 20, 2000

Young girl writes on the chalkboard in a classroom. (Photo by RDNE Stock project via Pexels)

Issue Brief

Analysis of the Board of Education’s Change of Policy Regarding the Retention of Students

This issue brief examines the September 1999 amendments to Chancellor’s Regulation A-501, which changed the promotional criteria for virtually every grade level. The brief argues that the blanket retention policy, coupled with the evisceration of the parental right to notice and the elimination of the entitlement to enrichment services, spells serious trouble for New York City students.

Jan 12, 2000

Façade of a New York City Public School. (Photo by Halytskyi Olexandr, Adobe Stock)

Policy Report

Neglected Buildings, Damaged Health: A ‘Snapshot’ of New York City Public School Environmental Conditions

This report examines the results of a survey of school conditions carried out by the NYC Healthy Schools Working Group and provides a snapshot of the environmental conditions in NYC public schools. It examines the results of years of neglect of infrastructure for children and reveals disturbing new information about the environmental health of school occupants.

Oct 1, 1999

Young boy in a classroom, looking glum. (Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva via Pexels)

Policy Report

The Educational Needs of Children in Foster Care: The Need for System Reform

This 1998 report provides an overview of the educational needs of children in foster care and explores the major barriers to educational success confronting children who are caught up in the child welfare system.

Nov 6, 1998

Policy Report

Gifted Education in New York City: An Analysis of Segregation in New York City’s Gifted Programs

This 1998 report examines the under-representation of Black and Latino students in New York City’s gifted programs, describes barriers to access for students from historically marginalized communities, and explores possible solutions.

Aug 5, 1998

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