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.
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    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

    Pushing Out At-Risk Students: An Analysis of High School Discharge Figures
    Midsection of a student wearing a backpack and standing behind a wire fence. (Image by WOKANDAPIX on Pixabay)
  • Policy Report
    • Pushing Out At-Risk Students: An Analysis of High School Discharge Figures

    This report by the Office of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and Advocates for Children of New York examines data documenting students in New York City who have been designated as “discharged” from the school system, an indicator that has received little public attention. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of these discharges may have been forced “push-outs” of students who have a legal right to remain in public schools.

    Nov 21, 2002

    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

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

    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

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

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

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