An education advocate is a trained professional or experienced parent who helps families navigate the education system. Advocates assist with processes such as special education evaluations (Evaluation Team Reports, or ETRs), Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and Section 504 Plans. Their role is to ensure that students receive the appropriate support they need for success.
What Do Advocates Do?
Advocates provide a range of services based on your child’s specific needs. They can help parents:
Identify and articulate concerns to the school team
Understand education policies, procedures, and legal rights
Make sense of assessment results and their implications
Learn about different types of interventions and support strategies
Understand progress monitoring data to track growth
Negotiate for changes in services based on student data
Why Are Advocates Important?
The main goal of an advocate is to empower parents and facilitate effective communication with the school team. Advocacy can:
Reduce stress for families by guiding them through complex educational processes
Equip parents with knowledge to actively participate in the team’s decision-making
Ensure that a child’s needs and parent concerns are clearly communicated
Request appropriate services, accommodations, and modifications for students
When Might You Consider an Advocate?
You may want to seek the support of an advocate if:
You feel the school is not adequately addressing your concerns
You are struggling to understand your child’s intervention plan or progress monitoring data
Your child’s ETR, IEP, or 504 meetings feel overwhelming or unproductive
How to Find a Qualified Advocate
Before hiring an advocate, it is important to make sure they are a good fit for your family by asking about:
Their background in special education and advocacy
Whether they typically work with children who have similar needs to your child’s
Their experience with ETR, IEP, and 504 meetings and their approach to those processes
What specific services they provide and which might be a good fit for your family
Avoid Red Flags
Be cautious of advocates who:
Lack experience in special education
Set unrealistic expectations
Use an overly adversarial approach
Demonstrate unprofessional behavior, like frequent disorganization or poor communication
Advocacy Resources for Families
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (copaa.org)
Wrightslaw (wrightslaw.com)
Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
(ocecd.org)
Navigating the education system can be challenging, but you are not alone. A qualified advocate can partner with you to provide support through your child’s educational career.
Dr. Jennifer Murphy is an independently licensed school psychologist and the director of assessment at her private practice, Achievement Advantage Assessment & Services. She specializes in psychoeducational assessments, focusing on learning differences and executive functioning. Dr. Murphy is an active member of the Northern Ohio Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NOBIDA).
