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NYC schools fail to protect students with disabilities from lengthy suspensions

Showing that New York City public schools are routinely violating federal laws designed to protect students with disabilities from excessive punishment, particularly in suspension cases, investigations reveal that schools often fail to consider whether a student’s behavior is linked to their disability or a lack of required services. These failures disproportionately impact Black and Latinx … Continue reading NYC schools fail to protect students with disabilities from lengthy suspensions

Marina Marcou-O’Malley wins City & State 2025 budget poll

AQE’s Co-Executive Director, Marina Marcou-O’Malley, correctly predicted the budget would be finished on the night of May 8, winning City & State’s 2025 budget poll. This was both a reflection of her years of experience in the field and the fact that the governor kept introducing new things as part of the negotiations. She praised … Continue reading Marina Marcou-O’Malley wins City & State 2025 budget poll

NY Budget Put Politics Over Progress, Leaving Children and Families Behind

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 9, 2025) — In response to the finalization of the New York State Budget, public education advocacy organization Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement: “At a time when federal policies are gutting support for working families, New York had the opportunity to lead. This budget could have delivered real change: … Continue reading NY Budget Put Politics Over Progress, Leaving Children and Families Behind

Tell Congress: No Federal Vouchers, No Cuts to School Funding

Our public schools are under attack! Billionaires are trying to use their influence to push for funding cuts and a voucher scam that’s going to hurt our public schools and line their pockets. We need your help to stop them. Right now, Congress is pursuing massive federal funding cuts to essential education, health and human … Continue reading Tell Congress: No Federal Vouchers, No Cuts to School Funding

Responding to the Senate Education Committee vote on S460

Statement from New Pride Agenda, Make the Road New York, NY Working Families Party and Alliance for Quality Education on today’s senate education committee vote on S460 Statement from Kei Williams, they/them, New Pride Agenda; Mateo Guerrero he/they, Make the Road NY; Ana Maria Archilla, she/her, NY Working Families Party, Marina Marcou-O’Malley, she/her, Alliance for … Continue reading Responding to the Senate Education Committee vote on S460

Hochul’s Late Budget Has Cut New York City’s Families Off From Child Care Support

“Starting today children in New York City are being cut off from the child care vouchers families rely on, all thanks to the political impasse that Governor Kathy Hochul has orchestrated over the late state budget — now the latest budget New York has had in 15 years,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O’Malley, Co-Executive … Continue reading Hochul’s Late Budget Has Cut New York City’s Families Off From Child Care Support

AQE Responds to Governor Hochul’s Proposal to Weaken New York’s Substantial Equivalency Law

New York’s leaders should reject any deal that weakens substantial equivalence and the state’s responsibility to ensure a sound basic education for all students. Every young person – regardless of the school they attend – has the right to an education that includes core subjects like English and math. These subjects are not just academic … Continue reading AQE Responds to Governor Hochul’s Proposal to Weaken New York’s Substantial Equivalency Law

Tell Governor Hochul to Protect Education Standards for ALL Students

Governor Hochul is preparing a deal that would weaken learning standards for thousands of New York students. Once again, she is playing politics with their education. She’s proposing changes that would allow religious schools to continue operating without teaching core subjects like English and math to the “sound basic education” standards, and would roll back … Continue reading Tell Governor Hochul to Protect Education Standards for ALL Students

AQE Responds to Governor Hochul’s Budget Announcement

Black, brown, lower-income, and immigrant communities needed transformative investments: an updated Foundation Aid formula to ensure equitable school funding, significant investment in universal child care, and real economic justice. Instead, the announcement of the budget deal reflects incremental progress and continued compromises, leaving too many uncertain about their future. This repeated cycle of uncertainty over … Continue reading AQE Responds to Governor Hochul’s Budget Announcement