A Statewide survey and Listening Tour by the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York in collaboration with the Alliance for Quality Education
We believe lasting change begins in conversation – at kitchen tables, in classrooms, and among students who know firsthand what they need to thrive. This is your invitation to be part of that dialogue and help chart what comes next.
Quick links:
What We’re Doing
Throughout April, May, and June 2025, we are embarking on a tour to hear directly from families, educators, and community members about YOUR priorities for New York’s public education and child care systems.
Grounded in the belief that public schools are the foundation of a more just, inclusive, and hopeful future, this tour will center the voices of those who rely on these systems every day. From large cities to small towns, from indigenous and farming communities to often overlooked neighborhoods and inner suburbs, we have always worked to ensure that state policy reflects the realities of all communities, not just those with the most visibility.
Here’s what we’re doing:
- Hosting community conversations to hear what’s working, what’s not, and what’s needed to move forward
- Visiting local schools to see firsthand what students and educators are experiencing
- Distributing a statewide survey to gather a compendium of voices and stories to power future advocacy
- Building a growing network of New Yorkers committed to advocacy and change
Take the survey
After 30 years of advocacy, New York public schools had more equitable funding this year. While advocates are pushing for additional improvements, budget changes could lead to reductions in some of this important funding. We want to hear your thoughts about your community’s education needs.
Join a stop on our listening tour
Why It Matters
For too long, the voices of under-resourced communities have been left out of decisions shaping education policy. Too often, those decisions prioritize narrow academic measures over the full range of supports students need to thrive – like stable funding, inclusive environments, access to child care, and mental health services. Over the last several years, New York’s schools have experienced increased funding, as a decade long fight was concluded. At the same time, a global pandemic highlighted issues that needed systematic investment and resolution.
As New York confronts growing challenges in both education and child care, amidst uncertainty in the federal context, it’s critical that policies are guided by the people most impacted. This tour reflects our commitment to education justice across New York State. We’re working to ensure that public systems reflect the values and needs of the communities they serve, and that every child, in every region, can access a high-quality, fully funded education and care from their earliest years on.
At each tour stop, we’ll hold community conversations to better understand local needs and possible solutions. In some communities, we’ll also visit schools to deepen our understanding of what’s happening on the ground.
This tour will spotlight the real conditions students and working families are facing, including but not limited to:
- Funding uses and potential shortages
- Programs, services and staffing issues
- Mental health and student support services issues
- Local concerns that often go unheard in statewide discussions
Why We’re Doing This
This tour will spotlight the real conditions students and working families are facing – issues like funding gaps, staffing shortages, limited access to programs and services, mental health needs, and local concerns that often go unheard in conversations in Albany.
By gathering data, stories and insights from every corner of New York, we hope to surface common themes and diverse perspectives so that future decisions in Albany are grounded in communities’ realities. This is about jointly building a better future together.
Our goals are clear:
- Listen and learn from parents, students, caregivers, and educators
- Ensure advocacy reflects the full diversity of New York’s education and child care needs
- Inform local and state policy decisions with real community experiences
- Create space for ongoing, community-led dialogue and action – from school board meetings to statewide forums
This tour is part of a broader strategy for lasting, community-centered change – rooted in equity, transparency, and respect for the people living these challenges every day. Our goal is to make sure that families and students are recognized not just as stakeholders, but as essential partners in shaping New York’s future.
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