how to be an education advocate manual - parents, let's...

What every parent needs to know

How to be an Education Advocate

A handbook for parents with children in elementary and secondary public schools in the state of Washington

Office of the Education Ombudsman June 2008 edition

TeamChild

TeamChild is a non profit agency that was founded in 1995 to workdirectly with youth who were involved in or at riskof involvement in the juvenile justice system. TeamChild provides civil legal representation and advocacy to help youth secure appropriate educational services, mental health & medical evaluation and treatment, safe and stable living situations, and other community based supports. TeamChild currently has offices in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane and Yakima counties. TeamChild also provides a wide range of community legal education and training statewide for lawyers, advocates, families and youth. For more information about TeamChild, visit www.teamchild.org.

Office of the Education Ombudsman

The Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO) is an agency within the Governors Office that provides information regarding elementary and secondary public education, promotes family and community involvement in schools, helps resolve problems between families and educators, and makes recommendations to public officials.

OEO promotes equity in education and the academic success of all students attending elementary and secondary public schools in Washington State.

All of OEOs resources and services are free and available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. For consultation over the phone with an Education Ombudsman or to receive resource materials about other education issues, call tollfree 11118888666666662222999977772222555599997777. Interpreter services are available in over 100 languages. For additional information, visit OEOs website at www.waparentslearn.org.

2008 Office of the Education Ombudsman and TeamChild. This publication can be reprinted by visiting the Office of the Education Ombudsmans website at www.waparentslearn.org.

This publication is an adaptation of portions of the manual, Make a Difference in a Childs Life: A Manual for Helping Children and Youth Get What They Need in School, written and produced by TeamChild in partnership with Casey Family Programs. For a copy of the Make a Difference manual, visit www.teamchild.org or call TeamChild at (206) 3222444.

This publication provides basic information on education law in Washington State. While it provides information about the law, it is not legal advice, and is not in any way intended to be a substitute for legal advice or representation. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer who can look at the specifics of a particular situation and apply the law.

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Office of the Education Ombudsman How to bean Education Advocate

HHHHoooowwww ttttoooo bbbbeeee aaaannnn EEEEdddducucucucaaaattttiiiioooonnnn AAAAddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee

Familyinvolvementineducation means the activeparticipation of families,legalguardians andcaring adultsin their childrens schoollives. Familyinvolvementismosteffectivein partnershipwith teachers andother school staff.

Studies haveshown that familyinvolvementis key tostudent academic achievement.Education advocacyis an essentialpartofbeingactivelyinvolvedinyourchildseducation.

Thispublicationwillgiveyou tools tobecomean advocate.You canchoosewhatstylefitsyou best.Youcandecidewhereyoucan make thebiggestimpactinyour childslife.Youcanbe an advocateonmajor,ongoingissues,suchas the creationofaneducational programfora studentwithsevere disabilities.You canalsobe an advocateonsomething thatmight take justonephonecall,likemakingsureastudentin anewdistrictgets the chance to takepartinsports.

Whateveryoudecide,the mostimportant thingis to bean activeparticipantinyourchilds education toensure his orheracademicachievement.Your advocacy actions notonlycan benefityourchildbutmay alsoresultinlonglasting schoolimprovementsand benefits to otherstudents.

3 Keysfor Goo3 Keysfor Goo3 Keysfor Goo3 Keysfor Good Advocacyd Advocacyd Advocacyd Advocacy

Thekeys tobeingagoodadvocateare:1. Developinggoodrelationshipswith schoolstaff. Schoolfamily

partnerships arecritical forstudentachievement.

2. Learning howthepublic schoolsystemworksand about theeducation policies andlaws thatapply todifferent situations.

3. Communicatingideasinways thatotherscan easily understand.

There aremanyways tobean advocate. Youcanbe an advocateonbigor small things themostimportant thingis just tobeinvolvedin theeducationofyour child.

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WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiissss aaaannnn AAAAddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee????

Anadvocatesoundslikeaveryofficialword,but allitmeansis a supporter,anally,or someonewhostandsup foranotherwhomaybecantdoit alone.

Mostpeoplerememberindividualswho advocated for them. Maybeitwasas simple as a small encouragementinschool,apositivereviewof theirworkwhen theywerestruggling,or words thatinspired them toreachbeyondwhat they sawaspossible.

WWWWhhhheeeerrrreeeeyyyyoooouuuuccccaaaanhnhnhnhaaaavvvveeee aaaannnniiiimmmmppppaaaacccctttt

Ifyour childis strugglinginschool,beingactiveinyour childseducationcan beone of thelongestlastinggiftsyoucan give tohim orher.

Thinkofyourcontact withschool asbuilding connectionsbetween thehealthy adultsin yourchildslife.

Those connectionscan become aweb of support.

CCCCaaaannnn IIII bbbbeeee aaaannnn aaaaddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee ffffoooorrrr mmmmyyyy cccchhhhiiiilllldddd???? Yes.Formost students,theirdaily advocateisaparentor family memberwhoisactivelyinvolvedin his/her education.Familyinvolvementineducationisveryimportant.National researchshows thatwhenfamilies andschoolswork together aspartners,students succeed. Thisis true forfamiliesofall ethnicities,incomelevels,andeducationbackgrounds,whetherinrural orurban schools. Butdontforget,other peoplecanbe advocates toolikerelatives,guardians,family friends andcommunitymembers. Remember alittle advocacy cango alongwayfor astudentstrugglinginschool.

DDDDoooo IIII nnnneeeeeeeedddd spspspspeeeecccciiiiaaaallll ttttrrrraaaaiiiinnnniiiinnnngggg ttttoooo bbbbeeee aaaannnn eeeedddducucucucaaaattttiiiioooonnnnaaaallll aaaaddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee???? No.Whileit helps toknow abouteducationlaw,you can do a lotforyourchildwithoutlegal training.Evenwhenyou donthaveall the answers,youcan workwith theschooldistrictbyaskingquestions,providinginformation,andurging those working withyourchild toprovide thebest possible education. Ifyoucannotgetwhatyourchildneeds,seekhelp from others whohavemore experience. Consider contactingotherparents,localparentgroups that workon educationissuesor thestateOfficeof theEducation Ombudsman tollfree at:18662972597.

CCCCaaaannnn IIII spspspspeeeeaaaakkkk upupupup???? Knowingwhenandhowmakesthedifference. Thereisanoldsaying thatthesqueakywheelgets the grease. Itmeans thatif weare silent,ourproblems(orour childrensproblems) wontbeaddressed.Thismightbe themostimportant thing toremember about advocacyhowtomake sureourchildrenget theeducation theyneed.Sometimes all thats neededis aconversationwith a teacher. Other timeswhatsneededisachangeinastate laworalocalschooldistrictpolicy. Eitherway,in a democracyitsup tous to speakupforour children,and tobe themosteffectiveadvocatesfor them wecanbe. Theirfuture dependson us.

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Whatyou should expectWhatyou should expectWhatyou should expectWhatyou should expect fromyour schoolfromyour schoolfromyour schoolfromyour school

Anatmosphere thatis welcomingand encouragesyou to become apartnerin yourchilds education.

Respectful,friendly treatment from school staff.

Timely,thoughtful responses toyour concerns.

Informationabouthowtohelp studentswith homeworkand supportlearning at home.

Partnershipswith community organizations that help families.

Indiverseschools:information for families translatedinto languagesinaddition toEnglish.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiissssffffaaaammmmiiiillllyyyy iiiinnnnvvvvoooollllvvvveeeemmmmeeeennnntttt iiiinnnn eeeedddducucucucaaaattttiiiioooonnnn? Whenfamiliesareinvolved,studentsachieve.

Familyinvolvementmeans the activeparticipationbyfamilies andlegalguardiansin theirchildrens schoollives.Family involvement mustbe doneinpartnershipwith teachers and otherschoolstaff.Everyparentor family member has different skills,experiencesandlifecircumstances,sowe all have differentways toparticipate,supportand enrich educationforourchildren.The mostbasickindof family involvementis tomake sure thateachstudent attends school everyday aftergettingenough sleep,eating ahealthy breakfastand dressing appropriately.

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Theideaoffamilyparticipationin U.S.schoolsbeganin the late1800s.While familiesandschoolsworking together seemedlikeagoodidea formanyreasons,people didnt realize thata sidebenefit wouldbestronggainsin student learning.However,nationalresearchin thelast 40 years has demonstrated that themorefamiliesparticipatein the educationof theirchildren,themorestudentssucceed.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiisssstttthhhheeee sssscccchhhhoooooooollllssssrrrroooolllleeee???? Schools shouldextendahandtofamilies. Someschool districts haveadoptedfamilyinvolvement policies while othersare moreinformalaboutinteractingwith families.Schools thatreceivefederal TitleIfunds arerequired bylawtohavefamilyinvolvementactivities,and somereceive specialfunds to helpwith thoseefforts.Thereis no WashingtonStatelawthatsaysschoolsmustinvolvefamilies,but themostsuccessful schools do.

HHHHoooowwww ddddoooo IIII ccccrrrreeeeaaaatttteeee aaaa ppppaaaarrrrttttnnnneeeerrrrsssshhhhiiiipppp wwwwiiiitttthhhh tttthhhheeee scscscschhhhoooooooollll mmmmyyyy cccchhhhiiiilllldddd aaaatttttttteeeennnnddddssss???? Treatitlikeanyrelationship.Rememberits goingtotake someworktobe successful.

Inyour advocacy,yourelikely tofindyourselfacross the table from thesameschooldistrictpersonnelmore thanonce. You should try to figure outhowtobuildgoodrelationshipsasyou advocate forwhatyourchildneeds tosucceed.

Aninvolvedparentisaninformedparent. Makesure thatyou become familiarwith the wayyour school andschooldistrict

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Nationalresearch shows thatwhen parents andschools worktogether as partners,students succeed.

functions. Understanding theway school districts are structured,includingwhomwithin adistricthas authority to make decisions,will help youbeaneffectiveadvocate.

GeGeGeGetttt iiiinnnnvvvvoooollllvvvveeeedddd iiiinnnn yyyyoooourururur cccchhhhiiiillllddddsssseeeedddducucucucaaaattttiiiioooonnnn There are anumberofways tobeanactiveparticipantinyour childseducation:

i Start therelationship outright:letschool officialsknowyourespect themand willworkwith them.

i Attendmeetings,parent teacherconferences,and school events.

i Checkin with teachersregularly,not justwhen theresa problem.

i Knowas muchasyoucanaboutyourchilds education.Askfor andlookoverschoolrecords andprogressnotes tobetterunderstand howyourchildis doingandwhathe orshemight need.

i Followuponreportedproblems.

i Respond to allschoolcommunicationspromptly.

i Askyourchildregularly howheor she thinks things are

going.

i Lookforchances tohelpyourchildcommunicate his or her thoughts and feelings to teachers andothers.

i Let theschoolknowyouwillfollowuponimportant issues concerningyourchild.

i Ifaproblemarises,alwaysaskforandlisten to the schoolssideof theissue.

i Makesure the school has information needed toprovide therightkindofeducationforyourchild. Give the school thiskindofinformation everychanceyouget.

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Educationisabasic,constitutionalrightinWashington. Students cannotbe deniedan equal educationalopportunitybecause of theirrace,nationalorigin,disability,pregnancy,or juvenilecourtinvolvement. Youngpeoplehavearight toeducationalservices until they are 21yearsold. Theseservicescanbe providedin a regularhighschool,analternativehigh school,aGEDprogram,orahighschoolcompletion programat alocalcommunitycollege.

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Itis theparamount dutyof thestateto makeampleprovisionfor theeducation ofallchildren residingwithinits borders

HHHHoooowwww bbbbiiiigggg iiiisssstttthhhheeee WWWWaaaashshshshiiiinnnnggggttttoooonnnn SSSSttttaaaatttteeee PubPubPubPublllliiiicccc SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll sysysysyststststeeeemmmm???? Lookatthebiggerpicture.

There are295school districtsand2,278 schoolbuildingsin thestateofWashington.Schooldistrictscaninclude justone schoolor,asin the caseof theSeattleSchool District,as many as 100 schools.Therewere1,028,319students enrolledinpublic schools in theyear2007.

Over75%ofstudentsare enrolledinWesternWashington school districts. NearlyonequarterofWashingtons public schoolstudents areenrolledin KingCounty.

WWWWhhhheeeerrrreeee ddddoooo scscscschhhhoooooooollll ddddiiiiststststrrrriiiiccccttttssssggggeeeetttt tttthhhheeeeiiiirrrr mmmmoooonnnneeeeyyyy???? Theyaccess state,federal,localandprivate sources.

Budgetpercentagesin school districtsvary. Hereisan example:

70%fromstatefunds. 10%federalfundsforspecialprograms suchasTitleI

andbilingual education. 16%localproperty taxes asapprovedbyvoters. 4%other sources suchas grants.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiissssaaaa LLLLeeeevvvvyyyy???? Leviesareapprovedbyvoters.

Inaddition tostate,federalandprivate sources,school districtsraise moneyforschoolsbyaskinglocalvoters topass schoollevies. Leviesarelocalproperty taxes that homeownersin eachcity approvebyvote.Theselocallevies usuallymakeup 15 20%of theschooldistrictbudget.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt ddddooooeeeesssstttthhhheeee SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll BBBBooooaaaarrrrdddd ddddoooo???? SchoolBoardDirectorsplayamostimportantrole.

Schoolboard members(alsocalledDirectors) areelectedby citizens of theircommunities. There are fivememberson a schoolboardexceptin thestateslargestdistrict,Seattle PublicSchools,where the board hassevenmembers.School Boardpositions areunpaid although some Directors arereimbursed for theirexpensesin some districts.

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Youcan callyour Boardmembers andlet them knowyourideas, concerns,orhowparticular district policies directly affectyourchild.School Board members want tohearfrom voters.Alwayssenda letter tobackup yourphoneorinperson conversation witha school board member.

Together,the Board makesdecisions that affect staffand students of theirschooldistrictsuchaspolicies,procedures,anddistrictbudgetexpenditures.

Otherimportantrolesinclude:hiring andevaluating the Superintendent,creating avision,settinggoalsfor theschool districtandrepresentingvotersof theircommunity.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt ddddooooeeeesssstttthhhheeee SSSSupupupupeeeerrrriiiinnnntttteeeennnnddddeeeennnntttt ddddoooo???? Heor sherunsthe school district.

TheSuperintendentishiredand evaluatedby theSchool Board. Heorshe manages the daily operations of the school district,hiresandsupervisesprincipals,develops the annualbudgetforSchool Boardapprovalandoversees staffand academicprograms.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt ddddooooeeeessssllllooooccccaaaallll ccccoooonnnnttttrrrroooollll mmmmeeeeaaaannnn???? Eachschooldistrictisdifferent.

Citizensin each school districtelectschoolboardmembers.School Boardssetpoliciesandmake decisions on a broadrangeofeducationissueswithin their ownparticulardistrict.Thisiscalled localcontrol. Thisiswhypolicies,procedures

and schoolprogramscanvaryfromoneschool district toanotherin thestateofWashington.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt aaaarrrreeee SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll DDDDiiiiststststrrrriiiicccctttt PoPoPoPolllliiiicccciiiieeees?s?s?s? Knowandfollowdistrictpolicies.

EachSchoolBoarddevelopsandadopts asetofrules toprovidestandards forstaffand studentsin the district.DistrictPolicies(orBoardPolicies)coveranumberof topicsincluding districtoperations,academicprograms,curriculum,enrollment,attendance,discipline,etc.Districtpolicies arepublicdocuments andcanbe viewedby

anyone.They are typicallyavailable at the districts central officesoron the districts website. Mostdistrictshavea clerkthatworks for theSchool Board andanswersquestions from thepublic.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt iiiiffff mmmmyyyy ddddiiiiststststrrrriiiicccctttt ppppoooolllliiiicccciiiieeeessssddddoooonnnntttt wwwwoooorrrrkkkk oooorrrr ddddoooonnnntttt eeeexxxxiiiistststst???? You caninfluencechange.Only theSchoolBoard cancreate newpoliciesormakechanges toexistingones.Thevoicesofparents,familymembersandvoters,ingeneral,areveryimportant in thepubliceducation system. Youcan makeabig differencein thequalityofchildrenseducationby speakingout

aboutwhatisneededin theschooldistrictandwhy. Makesureyou take time toread andunderstanddistrictpoliciesandproceduresbeforepersonally orpublicly approachingBoardmembers ordistrict administrators.

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Akey togood advocacyis beingawareofhowother peoplerespond toyou. What does the otherperson see andfeel? Tocommunicateeffectively,youneed tofigureout thebestway togetyourpointsacross,and that meansbeingawareof things thatcaninterferewithyour message.

PracticeusingPracticeusingPracticeusingPracticeusing different tonesofdifferent tonesofdifferent tonesofdifferent tonesof

voicetovoicetovoicetovoiceto communicate ideascommunicate ideascommunicate ideascommunicate ideas

Trysaying this sentence outloud to yourself,and make theword thatis highlightedhighlightedhighlightedhighlighted the strongestword. As youlisten toyourself,thinkofhowthe meaningchanges whenyouemphasize differentwords:

WhyWhyWhyWhy wasshe suspended?

Why waswaswaswas she suspended?

Whywas sheshesheshe suspended?

Whywasshe suspendedsuspendedsuspendedsuspended?

While thebasic meaningof the sentence stays the same,emphasison a particularwordwill convey aperspective andwilloftenimply something thatisnt saidby thewords alone.

WWWWhhhhaaaattttsssstttthhhheeee bbbbeeeestststst wwwwaaaayyyy ttttoooo lllleeeetttt tttthhhheeee scscscschhhhoooooooollll kkkknnnnoooowwww wwwwhhhhaaaatttt IIII nnnneeeeeeeedddd ffffoooorrrr mmmmyyyy cccchhhhiiiilllldddd???? Thinkabout HHHHOWOWOWOWyouare communicating asmuchas WWWWHHHHAAAATTTT youare communicating.

TTTThhhheeee HHHHoooowwww ooooffff ccccoooommmmmmmmununununiiiiccccaaaattttiiiioooonnnn Studies haveshown thatpeoplepaymore attention tobody languageand tone ofvoice than to the actualwordsspoken.

Mostpeople dont thinkmuch about the toneof theirvoice and theway they move theirbodies.

A.Yourtoneofvoice

Listen toyourownvoice and thinkabouthowyou useit. Do you talklouderwhenyou are trying tomake apoint or thinksomeonedisagreeswithyou? Whenyoufindyourselfin that situation,slowdown and takeabreath. Seeifyou canmake yourselfspeakmore softlyfora fewminutes.

Doyousometimes usea sarcastic tonewhenyoudont agreewith thelisteners position? Takea second toaskyourselfif thewayyou are talkingwith theotherpersonwill helpor hurtyourefforts toaccomplish things for yourchild.Ifyou aregoinginto asituationwhereyouknowyou willbe discussing adifficult topic,practice thewayyou wouldlike tosay things aheadof time. Picka sentence andpractice sayingitoutloudwithdifferent tones. Softenyourvoice,change thepace,and try emphasizingdifferentwords.Listen towhatyou thinkwouldbe the most effectiveway to getyourpoint across.

7


CheckingforCheckingforCheckingforCheckingfor understandingunderstandingunderstandingunderstanding

Math teacher:Math teacher:Math teacher:Math teacher: IthinkJames can succeed.All childrencan learn. Ifeel he justisntpaying attentionin class.

ParentParentParentParent: Imsoglad to knowyoufeelhe can succeed. Ijustwant to makeitclear thatIthinkhe needsextrahelp todoit. Doyou knowwhatImeanbyextra help?

B.Yourbodylanguage

Itsamazing what thebodycan saywithoutwords. The problemis thatbodylanguage doesnt alwayssay thesame thing toeveryone.

When someoneputsher handsonherhips duringa conversation,oneperson mightunderstand that to meanshe isangry,while anothermightread the action tomeansheis committed toworkingon the topicbeingdiscussed, anda thirdpersonmightseehands placed on thehipsas asign thatsheis tired!

The sameis trueforactionssuchascrossing ones arms,slouchinginachair,standingveryclose toanotherperson,or backing away.

Thinkaboutyourownmannerismsorhabits. Doyoueverroll youreyeswhensomeone sayssomethingyou dont agree with? Doyou sighorlaughwhenyoufeelfrustrated? How aboutclenchingyourfists when angry? Thesearevery common mannerisms,but theycanoffendothersandshut down thelines ofcommunication.

Ifyou areconcerned thatbodylanguagemaybegettingin the wayofyour advocacygoals,trysomesimple tricks to neutralize things. Holda notebookinyour hands,putyour handsinyourpocket orupon the table. Ifyoufeellikeyoull soonberollingyoureyes ataspeakerscomments, lookdown atsomepapers andread them for aminute.

Ifyou are talkingwith a teacher,and she feelsyoudont respect her,shemay focuson thatrather than the goalyou want to accomplish. She maynotwant togooutof herway to helpyoubecauseof thewaysheimaginesyoufeelabouther.Teachersshouldntreact thisway,but theirworkis stressful,andpeopleoftenbehave poorlyunderstress.

Inmakingyourpoints,theremaybe timeswhenyoudonot feelmuchrespectfor thelistener,orwhenyou are so frustratedyoufeellikeyoucantseestraight. Thekeyisnot tolet thesefeelingsgetin theway of accomplishing your goals foryourchild.

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AnexampleofAnexampleofAnexampleofAnexampleof usingthefourusingthefourusingthefourusingthefour

stepstogetyourstepstogetyourstepstogetyourstepstogetyour ideasacrossideasacrossideasacrossideasacross

Thisis howa parentuses the four stepsin talking toa math teacherabouthis sonJames:

Step 1: SIMPLIFYStep 1: SIMPLIFYStep 1: SIMPLIFYStep 1: SIMPLIFY IfeelJames needsextrahelp inhis mathclass.

Step 2: USEStep 2: USEStep 2: USEStep 2: USE EXAMPLESEXAMPLESEXAMPLESEXAMPLES Jameshas not beendoingwellin math for some time. He failed five tests,andgot onlyDson the tests thathe did pass. WhenItry tohelp himwith homework,Ifeel likeheismissing thebasics.

Step 3:Step 3:Step 3:Step 3: REPEATREPEATREPEATREPEAT

Jamesneeds helpin order to do wellinmath.

Step 4:Step 4:Step 4:Step 4: QUESTIONQUESTIONQUESTIONQUESTION

Doyou thinkextrahelpinmath classwouldgive James abetter chance atdoing well?

TTTThhhheeee WWWWhhhhaaaatttt ooooffff ccccoooommmmmmmmununununiiiiccccaaaattttiiiioooonnnn

AAAA.Chooseyourwordscarefully

Choosewords that open upcommunicationrather than words that turnup the heat. Stateyourmessage accurately. Dont exaggerateit. Behonest.

Howcanyougetacrossideaswhenyou areworried the person across the table doesntgetit? Hereare foursteps thatcanhelp.

B.Getyourideasacross

Ifyou haveanimportantpoint tomake,youcan do four things toincrease thechancesofyourlistenerunderstandingwhat yousay:

SSSStttteeeepppp 1111 SSSSIMIMIMIMPPPPLIFLIFLIFLIFYYYY:::: Explainwhat youneedclearly.

SSSStttteeeepppp 2222 GGGGIVIVIVIVEEEE EEEEXXXXAAAAMMMMPPPPLELELELESSSS:::: Give examplesthat support what youare saying.

SSSStttteeeepppp 3333 RRRREEEEPPPPEEEEAAAATTTT YYYYOOOOUUUURRRRPPPPOOOOININININTTTT:::: State yourpointagain.

SSSStttteeeepppp 4444 AAAASSSSKKKK QQQQUUUUEEEESSSSTTTTIOIOIOIONNNNSSSS:::: Askyourlisteneraquestion tomake sureheor sheunderstandsthepoint youaretryingtomake.

Understandingcomesbeforeagreement.Makesure that thereis understandingbeforemoving toresolveconflictsor differences.Thewaysomeoneresponds toyoucan tellyou twodifferent things:

Does thelistener uuuunnnnddddeeeerrrrssssttttaaaannnnddddyourpoint?

Does thelistener aaaaggggrrrreeeeeeeewithyourpoint?

Onceyouhaveclarified that theotherperson understands yourpoint,moveon toworkingout theareaswhereyou disagree.

9


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Any timeyouaredealingwithschoolpersonneldontdoallthetalking.

Askquestions.And,listen to theanswers.

Then,askmorequestions to clarify theanswers.

QQQQueueueueststststiiiioooonnnns,s,s,s, qqqquuuueeeeststststiiiioooonnnns,s,s,s, qqqqueueueueststststiiiioooonnnnssss

Any time thatyou are dealingwithschoolpersonnel,dont do allof the talking. Askquestions. And,listen to the answers.Then,askmorequestions toclarify theanswers.

Askingquestionswillhelp you:

> Getall of thefacts

> Understand andbeable torespond to the districts perspective

> Communicate to thedistrict thatyourean interestedpartyand want toworktogetheron issues.

Cant thinkofquestions toget theconversationgoing? Anold reporters trickis togo through thefiveWs:

WWWWhhhhoooo???? WWWWhhhhaaaatttt???? WWWWhhhheeeennnn???? WWWWhhhherererere?e?e?e? aaaannnndddd WWWWhhhhyyyy???? Pickany topicand thinkoffivequestions,starting eachone withoneof theWs. Youllbesurprised to see how much importantinformationyoucanget.

An example of using the 5 WsAn example of using the 5 WsAn example of using the 5 WsAn example of using the 5 Wsto ask questionsto ask questionsto ask questionsto ask questions

Hereis howaparentasksquestionswhen sheruns intoaproblemgetting recordsforher daughter,Sherita:

WhoWhoWhoWho isresponsible forsendingSheritasrecords? WhatWhatWhatWhat recordswillyousendme? WhenWhenWhenWhendoyou expect tohave therecords? WhereWhereWhereWherewillyoubelooking for therecords? WhyWhyWhyWhycant therecordsbe sent to mesooner?

10


IIIIVVVV.... ReReReResosososollllvvvviiiinnnngggg CCCCoooonnnnfffflllliiiicccctttt wwwwiiiitttthhhh SSSScccchhhhoooooooollllssss

Inanidealworld,schools and familieswouldworktogetherin harmony toprovide thebest education foreachstudent. While thisis truein manycases,therealityis thatevengood schoolfamilypartnershipscan turn sourwhenconflicthappens. However,disagreements canbe temporary andyoucanpreservegoodrelationshipswith school staffbyremaining calm andfollowing thestepsbelow.

SSSSppppeaeaeaeakukukukupppp!!!!

Ifyou disagree with something,bringup the issue immediately.

Dontwait untillater.

The other person might notbeaware ofhowyou feel.

WWWWhhhheeeennnn IIII hhhhaaaavvvveeee aaaa ddddiiiissssaaaaggggrrrreeeeeeeemmmmeeeennnntttt wwwwiiiitttthhhh tttthhhheeee scscscschhhhoooooooollll,,,, hhhhoooowwww ccccaaaannnn IIII rrrreeeesosososollllvvvveeee tttthhhheeee ccccoooonnnnfffflllliiiicccctttt???? Alwaysstartbyspeaking with the schoolstaffmemberyou areinconflictwith.Resist theurge togodirectly to that personssuperiors firstas theywillmostlikelyrecommend thatyougobacktoaddress theissuewith thepersonin question.

FFFFiiiivvvveeee ststststeeeeppppssssttttoooo ggggeeeettttttttiiiinnnngggg aaaarrrroooounununundddd ddddiiiisasasasaggggrrrreeeeeeeemmmmeeeennnntttt a. CCCCLALALALARRRRIFIFIFIFYYYY:::: Askquestions....

b. GGGGEEEETTTTTTTTHEHEHEHEIRIRIRIR PPPPEEEERRRRSSSSPPPPEEEECCCCTTTTIVIVIVIVEEEE:::: Understandtheothers perspective.

c. FFFFININININDDDDCCCCOOOOMMMMMMMMOOOONNNN GGGGRRRROOOOUUUUNNNNDDDD:::: Lookforpointswhere you doagree.

d. AAAADDDDDDDDININININFFFFOOOORRRRMMMMAAAATTTTIOIOIOIONNNN:::: Give moreinformationthatmight helptheotherpersonchangehisorhermind.

e. SSSSTTTTAAAATTTTEEEE YYYYOOOOUUUURRRRPPPPOOOOSSSSITITITITIOIOIOIONNNN CCCCLLLLEEEEAAAARRRRLLLLYYYY:::: Make suretoexplain what youwantclearly.

An example of using the 5 stepsto get around disagreemenAn example of using the 5 stepsto get around disagreemenAn example of using the 5 stepsto get around disagreemenAn example of using the 5 stepsto get around disagreementttt Step 1: CLARIFYStep 1: CLARIFYStep 1: CLARIFYStep 1: CLARIFY Math teacher: I knowyou think he needs extra help. I think he needs to just buckle down and pay attention

in class.

Parent: Soyou dont think he needs extra help?

Math teacher: No, I think I can teach all of the students in my class.

Step 2: GET THEIR PERSPECTIVEStep 2: GET THEIR PERSPECTIVEStep 2: GET THEIR PERSPECTIVEStep 2: GET THEIR PERSPECTIVE Parent: Doyou feel like I am saying youre not a good teacher?

Math teacher: I guess I dofeel that way. I havent had a problem teaching students before James.

Step 3: FIND COMMON GROUNDStep 3: FIND COMMON GROUNDStep 3: FIND COMMON GROUNDStep 3: FIND COMMON GROUND Parent: We agree that James isnt doing well in math, right?

Math teacher: Thats for sure. I knowhe is a bright kid sothats howI knowhes just not applying himself.

Step 4: ADD INFORMATIONStep 4: ADD INFORMATIONStep 4: ADD INFORMATIONStep 4: ADD INFORMATION Parent: Thats interesting that you have noticed him not paying attention. Last year, a teacher

suggested James might have problems paying attention, and I find that he doesnt stick with things very long at home.

Step 5: STATE YOUR POSITION CLEARLYStep 5: STATE YOUR POSITION CLEARLYStep 5: STATE YOUR POSITION CLEARLYStep 5: STATE YOUR POSITION CLEARLY Parent: What I see is James having problems in math and I want tofigure out the reason why. I want

tomake sure he gets the help he needs.

11


HHHHoooowwww ddddoooo IIII kkkknnnnoooowwww wwwwhhhheeeennnn iiiittttssss rrrriiiigggghhhhtttt ttttoooo ccccoooommmmpppprrrroooommmmiiiisssseeee???? Know your goals.

Thinkahead towhatyou wouldbewilling togiveup andwhatyourbottomlineis.

When aplace forcompromise arises,take the time to thinkit through. What areyoureallygivingup?

Areyousacrificing theheartofwhatisimportant togetsomethinglessimportant? Orareyouholdingoutforsomething thatreallyisntessential toyour goal?

HHHHoooowwww ddddoooo IIII iiiiddddeeeennnnttttiiiiffffyyyy aaaannnndddd ccccllllaaaarrrriiiiffffyyyy mmmmyyyy ggggooooaaaalllls?s?s?s? Gothroughaprocessofbreakingdown your goalsand decidingwhicharemostimportant.

Startwith thebroadest,mostgeneralgoal thatyou want to reach. Thenlistasmany specific parts to thatgoalaspossible. Then examineeachspecificgoalandbreakthosedowninto smallerparts. Foreachpart,ask,Whatis themost important thinghere? Are thereissuesonwhich theschool agrees withme?

An example of identifying and clarifying goalsAn example of identifying and clarifying goalsAn example of identifying and clarifying goalsAn example of identifying and clarifying goals Imagine this situation: Ellen has been expelled because she threatened another student. Ellens mother suspects that she has a disability that hasnt been addressed and that probably led toher current problem. Her mother starts listing goals and ranking them as follows:

BIG GOAL: Get Ellen back intoschool with appropriate services.

Rank Variations on the big goal #1 Ellen goes back toschool

same school #4 before the end of the school year #3 with services that she needs

with a different teacher #2 Ellen has an evaluation tofind out what she needs.

The expulsion is removed from her record. The expulsion is changed toa lesser punishment.

By going through this process, Ellens mother can talk tothe school about her goals for Ellen. The school might not agree toeverything. Because Ellens mom has figured out the most important things for Ellen, she is in a better position todecide whether tokeep pushing.

12


MMMMoooorrrreeeetttthhhhaaaanononononenenene wwwwaaaayyyy

Thereisalways,always more than oneway toresolve aproblem. Thinkthroughyour options. Force yourself tolist at least three different ways to achieve toyour goal.

How to bean Education Advocate

IIIIssss tttthhhheeeerrrreeee rrrreeeeaaaallllllllyyyy mmmmoooorrrreeee tttthhhhaaaannnn oooonnnneeee wwwwaaaayyyy ttttoooo hhhhaaaannnnddddlllleeee eeeevvvveeeerrrryyyy ssssiiiittttuauauauattttiiiioooonnnn???? Yes,always.

Looking atJamesssituationfromearlierin thispublication,letsassume that theparentandmath teacherhave talked forawhile andcantcome toan agreementaboutwhat to do aboutJamessproblemsinmathclass.Theparent has options:

> Theparentcoulddecide towait,get moreinput,andseekallianceswithother teachers.

PaPaPaParrrreeeennnntttt:Ithinkitmightbegoodfor us to talkwith other teachersand seeif theyare noticing the same thingsyouare. Theymighthaveideasabouthowto handleit. Theymight havenoticed apattern of problems. Wecouldworktogether to solve them. Im going tocontactother teachers andpeoplewhoworkwithJames.

> Or,theparentcould decide togiveup hisperspectiveon theproblem anddefer to the teachers,hoping she will haveideasonhowtoproceed.

PaPaPaParrrreeeennnntttt:Doyouhave anyideas aboutwhatmighthelp James concentrateandworkharderin class? Iwould like tohelpyouput thoseideas towork.

> Or,theparentcould decideits time tomovequicklyona numberofoptionsincluding:

MovingJames toanother classroom Findinghelp outside of theschool Askingfora specialeducationevaluation Talkingwith theprincipal about theproblem and

asking the district toprovidehelp Payingfor a tutor Changingschools.

PaPaPaParrrreeeennnntttt:::: Well,you andIhavedifferentperspectives on this. Iknowthisprobleminvolves more than Jamessneed toapply himself. Ihaveworked with James on his homeworkand have seenhim trying hard. Iamgoing topursueother optionsand try to getextrahelp.

Noteveryoptionis therightone for astudent. Todecidewhat isrightfor astudentmeansknowing thepriorityofones goalsinanysituation. Thefactis,therewillbe some situationswhere thereis nomiddlegroundbecause your goals and those of theschooldistrictconflict.

13


WWWWhhhhaaaatttt aaaabbbbooooutututut wwwwhhhheeeennnn IIII ffffeeeeeeeellll tttthhhhaaaatttt scscscschhhhoooooooollll ppppeeeerrrrsosososonnnnnnnneeeellll aaaarrrreeee bbbbeeeeiiiinnnngggg ddddiiiisrsrsrsreeeespspspspeeeeccccttttffffuuuullll ttttoooo mmmmeeee oooorrrr mmmmyyyy cccchhhhiiiilllldddd???? Letthemknow,fast.

Let theotherpersonknowwhatyousenseand howyoufeel.Bringup theissueimmediately. Dontwaituntil later. The otherperson mightnotbeaware of howyou feel. Givehimor heranideaofways toimprovecommunication.

Tell the otherperson:

> Whatyoufeel,I feel_____. > Whathappens thatmakesyoufeel thatway,When

_______,Ifeel________. > Whatyouwouldlike tohappendifferently,Please

__________.

Remember,berespectful,andwatchyour tone ofvoiceand bodylanguage. Talkto othersin the samewayyou want tobe talked to.

An example of clearing the air when you feel disrespectedAn example of clearing the air when you feel disrespectedAn example of clearing the air when you feel disrespectedAn example of clearing the air when you feel disrespected

Hereswhat aparentsayswhen he doesntgetaresponse tohisphone calls:

Parent:Parent:Parent:Parent: Ihavemade threecalls toyouroffice during thelastweekand havenotgotten areturn call. Im feelinglikeyoudont thinkthisis veryimportant. Pleasereturnmycallsowecan discuss this situation.

Or,listen to howaparent dealswith someoneshebelievesisnotlistening to her:

Parent:Parent:Parent:Parent: Couldwestopa minute? Youkeepinterrupting me anditmakes mefeellikeyou dontcareaboutwhatIhave tosay. Iwouldreally likeyou topleaselisten tomebeforeresponding.

14


SchoolDistrict Hierarchy

SchoolBoard Elected by voters toset goals, conduct strategic

planning, hire and oversee the

Superintendent, adopt the school district budget and create district policy. They

report tothe voters and their community.

Superintendent Is hired by the school board tomanage the

school district. Oversees staff, finances, and

academic programs. He or she reports tothe

School Board.

Principal Reports tothe

Superintendent or the Education Director.

Manages school staff, student body, school

budget, and daily school operations. Works with

students and their families.

Teachersand school staff

Work directly with students and their

families. They report tothe principal.


WWWWhhhhaaaatttt ddddoooo IIII ddddoooo wwwwhhhheeeennnn IIII hhhhaaaavvvveeee hhhhiiiitttt aaaa ddddeeeeaaaadddd eeeennnndddd???? Always startbytryingtoresolvethe conflictatthelowest level. If youarenot gettinganyresults,dont giveup.

1111.... GGGGoooouuuupppp 1 Ifyourestuckand cantworkthings outwith a teacher,

go to thePrincipal.1 Ifyoureworking on adisciplineissuewith theVice

Principalandcantgetanywhere,go to thePrincipal even if theV.P.tellsyou that disciplinein thisschoolishis/her responsibilityonly,and thePrincipal doesnt deal with thoseissues.

1 Ifyouvereached theend of theroadwith thePrincipal,go to the districtSuperintendent.

1 And,ifyougetnowherewith theSuperintendent,go to the schoolboard.

1 If theprobleminvolvesspecialeducationoramatterof discrimination,considercontacting state andfederal agencies that dealwith theseissues.

Trynot toblame a teacherorotherindividuals. Stay focused onwhatyour childneeds. Trystartingoutwith Ihavea concern formy child. Ihavetalkedwith[teacher,principal,etc.],andthisiswhathappened...

Bygoing up the chainofcommand,yougetotherpeople involvedwhomay have freshideas. They may alsohavea biggerpictureperspective thathelpsresolve theissues.

2222.... GGGGoooo iiiinnnn Examineyourgoals,reviewwhatyou andyourchild want,and reevaluateyour tactics. Decidewhetheryou should completely change course,andreapproach thedistrictwitha newoffer. Make sureyou haventbecomestuckon points thatdontmatter.

3333.... GGGGoooooooouuuutttt Seekotherparents,familiesorcommunityadvocates who have tackleda similarproblem. Askhowtheydidit andseeif theyhaveanyadvice foryou.Ifyou cantfindsomeonewho hasencountered thiskindofproblembefore,go topeople whoseopinionsyou trust. Evenif they arenotexperts,a fresh perspectivecan help.

Checkwithyourlocallegalservices orbarassociationand seeifyou cangetfreeorlowcostlegal adviceor representation. Ifyoucanaffordit,hire alawyer.

4444.... GGGGoooooooovvvveeeerrrr,,,,ggggoooouuuundndndndeeeerrrr,g,g,g,gooooaaaarrrroooouuuundndndnd Thereisalways,always more thanoneway toresolvea problem. Thinkthroughyouroptions. Forceyourself tolist at least three different ways toachieve toyourgoal. Youcan find ways toget toyourgoalwithoutgivingup theimportant partsofwhatyour childneeds. Thekeyisnotgettingstuckon justonepath to thegoal.

15


VVVV.... PrPrPrPreeeeppppaaaarrrriiiinnnngggg YYYYoooourururursesesesellllffff ffffoooorrrr MMMMeeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggssss

Advocacyfora studentisinformalandinvolves attending meetingsat theschool. Itis always agoodidea tobepreparedformeetings andparticularlyin theeventofa formalhearing suchasfor truancyand specialeducationsituations.

HHHHoooowwww ccccaaaannnn IIII bbbbeeee pppprrrreeeeppppaaaarrrreeeedddd aaaannnndddd mmmmaaaakkkkeeee tttthhhheeee mmmmoooostststst ooooffff SSSSiiiilllleeeencncncnceeeeccccaaaanbnbnbnbeeee mmmmeeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggs?s?s?s? ggggoooollllddddeeeennnn

1111.... MMMMaaaakekekeke ssssuuuurrrreeeeyyyyoooouuuuhhhhaaaavvvveeeewhwhwhwhaaaattttyyyyoooouuuunnnneeeeeeeeddddbbbbeeeeffffoooorrrreeeeyyyyoooouuuuggggoooo.... Alotofus have Askfor anyrelevantdocuments and/orrecordsbefore the plenty tolearnfrom meeting soyouhavea chance toread them. Take the culturesinwhich the time towritedown anyquestionsyouhave. Find outwho normis to think willbeat the meeting,andwhat theirroles are. Askfor before talking. certainpeople tobe there ifyou thinktheywillhelpget

things done. Forexample,has the counselorbeen Youwill find that a especiallyhelpful toyourchild? Ordoesyour childs fewmomentsof teacherfromlastyear havegoodinsightsintowhatyour silencecanyield child needs? Aska friend orsupportperson toattend the nuggets ofinsight. meetingwithyou.Remindyourself that

2222.... WWWWrrrriiiitttteeeeddddoooownwnwnwnyyyyoooouuuurrrrqqqquuuueeeessssttttiiiioooonnnnssssaaaannnndddd tttthhhheeeeppppooooiiiinnnnttttssssyyyyoooouuuuwwwwaaaannnntttt ttttooooitisfine,andeven mmmmaaaakekekeke....good, topausea

momentbefore Take alittle timebefore themeeting towritedown the answeringa questionsyouwouldlikeanswered. Outline thepoints question. youdlike tomake. Refer toyournoteswhilein a

meeting. Evengreatspeakersusenotes to keep them on Take a secondand a track.deepbreathbefore

3333.... TTTTaaaakekekeke nnnnooootttteeeessss dddduuuurrrriiiinnnnggggmmmmeeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggssssaaaannnnddddooootttthhhheeeerrrrccccoooonnnnvvvveeeerrrrssssaaaattttiiiioooonnnnssss....responding. Dontbe shy about taking notes during meetingsor while youreon thephoneor havingconversationswith school personnelorothers. Yournoteswilllaterremind youof what happenedandwhen. Itsokay tolet the conversation slowdownwhileyou catchup onyour notes.When aconversationisoverandyourealone,read over yournotesand seeifyou missed anything. Checktosee ifyou canreadyourownwriting. Fillinyour notesif you havemissed things. Keep thenotesinyourchilds educationfile.

Ifyou dontgeta chance to take notesduring the conversation ormeeting,besure towrite things down rightafter themeetingwhen the discussionis stillfreshin yourmind.

4444.... MMMMaaaakekekeke ssssuuuurrrreeeeyyyyoooouuuuggggeeeettttaaaa cccchhhhaaaannnncccceeee ttttoooobbbbeeeehhhheeeeaaaarrrrdddd....

Youmayhaveoneperspectiveabout thepurposeofa meeting,andschooldistrictpersonnelmayhave another.Listen andlearn what the schoolsissuesare. But dont forget to saywhatyou thinkisimportant.

16


AnexampleofAnexampleofAnexampleofAnexampleof makingsureyouaremakingsureyouaremakingsureyouaremakingsureyouare

beingheardbeingheardbeingheardbeingheard

A student recently moved intoa district. His parent called a meeting with the school totalk about enrollment and transition intothe newdistrict. But the school employee starts out on a different topic entirely. Read howthe parent handles it:

School employeeSchool employeeSchool employeeSchool employee: As you know, we have concerns about Calvins behavior. Weve set times for evaluation and have scheduled an appointment for him tosee a psychologist. We need toget a consent form signed and make sure Calvin is able tomake these appointments. Lets talk about scheduling an IEP meeting next time we get together.

ParentParentParentParent: Im glad you have identified that Calvin needs an evaluation and are moving forward on that. My concern is that the school hasnt let him start classes since we moved intoyour district three weeks ago. He needs tostart school right away. Getting him intoschool is the most important thing, and I would like toresolve that issue today.

5555.... SSSSiiiilllleeeennnncccceeeeiiiissssooookkkkaaaayyyy,,,,ttttaaaakekekeke aaaaddddeeeeeeeeppppbbbbrrrreeeeaaaatttthhhh....

Amomentofsilence during theconversationcangiveyou time tocollectyour thoughts. Let theemptyair justhang thereforaminute,andit willgiveyoua chance to make a biggerimpactbecausewhatyou ultimately saywill likely beclearer.

Whats theworst thing thatcan happen? Theother person might jumpin and say something. Often,he or shewill clarify aposition orevenconcede apointbecause youhaventimmediatelyreacted. Or,sometimes,after notgettinganimmediateresponse,aperson couldsay,Doyou understandwhat Isaid? Yourresponsecanbe as simple as,Yes,Iam just taking aminute to think aboutitbeforeIrespond.

6666.... SSSSeeeettttccccoooonnnnccccrrrreeeetttteeeeggggooooaaaallllssss,a,a,a,annnndddd aaaassssssssiiiiggggnnnn ttttaaaassssksksksks dddduuuurrrriiiinnnnggggmmmmeeeeeeeettttiiiinnnnggggssss....

Aproblemwillgetresolvedonlyifpeopleagree to start actingonit. Figureout asagroupwhat tasksneed tobe done,whoshould do the tasks,and a timebywhich the tasks willbedone.

7777.... TTTTaaaakekekeke aaaabbbbrrrreeeeaaaakkkk....

Dont signpapers oragree toaresolutionof theissue unlessyoufeelits theright thing. Askto takeabreak.Tell thepeople at the meeting thatyouwouldlike to thinkthingsover for afewminutes,overnight,orfora week. If youare thinking aboutwaitingformore than aday,considerwhatyourchildlosesbydelaying things,and balance thoseconcerns against howhelpfulitmightbe to have the time to thinkthings throughor talkwith someoneelse.

8888.... RRRReeeeccccaaaappppaaaatttt tttthhhheeeeeeeennnnddddooooffffaaaammmmeeeeeeeettttiiiinnnngggg....

Clarifywhatyou havediscussed using thenotesyouhave taken. Makesureeveryoneisaware ofwhat theyare supposed to donext. Ifitmakessense,seta time to meetagainbefore themeetingends.

9999.... MMMMaaaakekekeke aaaaffffoooolllllllloooowwwwuuuupppp ccccaaaallllllll ttttooooeeeennnnssssuuuurrrreeee tttthhhhiiiinnnnggggssssaaaarrrreeeeggggeeeettttttttiiiinnnngggg ddddoooonnnneeee....

Ifsomeone haspromised togetsomethingdoneby a certain date,call himor herandaskifitsbeendone.There maybe agoodreasonfornot accomplishing a task.Butbyfollowing up,you makesureyourpriorityhas not beenlost. Be sure tofollowthroughon tasksyou saidyou would take care ofyourself.

17


VVVVIIII.... KKKKeeeeeeeeppppiiiinnnngggg RRRReeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss

School records include academic,attendance,discipline,special education,testing,or other information pertaining to a specific student.Federal lawdefines records to include anything that is recorded in any way, including, but not limited to, handwriting, print, tape, film, microfilm,and microfiche.

KKKKnonononowwww YYYYoooouuuurrrrLLLLeeeeggggaaaallll RRRRiiiigggghhhhttttssss

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, guarantees:

Parents and guardians can viewtheir students educational records. Once students turn 18, they have access totheir records.

If you feel your students records are inaccurate, you can request that the school correct the problem. If the school refuses, you have the right toa hearing. Even if you lose at the hearing, you can have your own interpretation of the inaccuracies permanently added tothe students records.

In most cases, the school must get your permission toshowyour students records toothers.

The Washington Public Records Act allows citizens torequest and reviewmost documents produced by schools and school districts including policies and procedures, budgets, school business correspondence and teachers lesson plans.

HHHHoooowwww ccccaaaannnn IIII oooorrrrggggaaaannnniiiizzzzeeee ssssttttududududeeeennnntttt rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssssaaaannnndddd kkkkeeeeeeeepppp nnnnooootttteeeessss ttttoooo hhhheeeellllpppp mmmmeeee bbbbeeee aaaannnn eeeeffffffffeeeeccccttttiiiivvvveeee eeeedddducucucucaaaattttiiiioooonnnn aaaaddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee????

1111.... KKKKeeeeeeeeppppeeeevvvveeeerrrryyyytttthhhhiiiinnnnggggyyyyoooouuuuggggeeeetttt....

Dont toss thosepapers! Ifyou feellikeyourebeingburiedin paper,youllfeelbetterif youputitallinone place.Startby using abigenvelopeorboxlabeledSchoolPapers and then goon to #2below.

2222.... GGGGeeeettttoooorrrrggggaaaannnniiiizzzzeeeeddddwitwitwitwithhhhaaaa sssseeeeppppaaaarrrraaaatttteeeeeeeedddduuuuccccaaaattttiiiioooonnnn ffffiiiilllleeee....

Keep aseparate educationfile foreachofyourchildren. If youhavealotofpapers,organize themindifferent categories:letters andcorrespondence,specialeducation,gradesand attendance,discipline notices,etc.

3333.... CCCCooooppppyyyy eeeevvvveeeerrrryyyytttthhhhiiiinnnnggggyyyyoooouuuusssseeeennnndddd....

Keepcopiesofallletters,notes orotherwritten communication with theschool.

4444.... PPPPuuuutttt tttthhhhiiiinnnnggggssssiiiinnnnwrwrwrwrititititiiiinnnngggg....

Evenifyouveaskedforsomethingduringaninperson or telephoneconversation,followitupwithanote. It doesnt have tobe typed anditdoesnt have tobeperfect. Itisa goodreminder to theotherperson,andyoullbehappy that youhave thenoteif theressomekind ofproblemdown the road.(See thesample of aletterconfirming aconversationat theendof thispublication.)

Evenmoreimportantis thefact that some things requirethat arequestbemadeinwritingifspeciallegalprotections are to fallinto place. Forexample,arequest forschoolrecords doesnt have tobeinwriting,butif thedistrict isslowin getting therecords toyou orultimatelyrefuses togive them to you,the timelines thatapplyare triggered onlybya written request.

5555.... KKKKeeeeeeeeppppaaaalllloooogggg....

Whenyou areworking on aparticularissuewitha school district,keepa specialpadofpaperinyour childs file that listswhats happening. A sampleblanklogsheetis included at theend of thispublication.

18

Office of the Education Ombudsman How to be an Education Advocate

VVVVIIIIIIII.... OOOOrrrrggggaaaannnniiiizzzziiiinnnngggg aaaannnn EEEEdddduuuuccccaaaattttiiiioooonnnn NNNNooootttteeeebbbbooooooookkkk

If you organize your childs school records into an education notebook, you can spend your time thinking about more important things than where a particular piece of paper might be. Create the notebookas soon as possible. It will help to have everything in one place as you prepare for meetings with school officials or a hearing. The more you are comfortable using it, the easier it will be for you to be prepared.

SSSSttttaaaarrrrtttt bbbbyyyy ddddiiiivvvviiiiddddiiiinnnngggg tttthhhheeee rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss iiiinnnnttttoooo ppppiiiilllleeeessss Take all of the records and group together similar items in different piles. Divide them into logical groups.

EEEExxxxaaaammmmpppplllleeee::::

o AAAAtttttttteeeennnnddddaaaannnncccceeee rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss o DDDDiiiisssscccciiiipppplllliiiinnnneeee rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss o MMMMeeeeddddiiiiccccaaaallll rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss o NNNNooootttteeeessss ffffrrrroooommmm tttteeeeaaaacccchhhheeeerrrrssss o IIIIEEEEPPPP

This isnt a complete list, just some suggestions. You need to lookcarefully at what kinds of records you have, and what groupings will make the most sense.

You can divide some into smaller subgroups.

o DDDDiiiisssscccciiiipppplllliiiinnnneeee rrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssss o NNNNooootttteeeessss ffffrrrroooommmm tttteeeeaaaacccchhhheeeerrrrssss o RRRReeeeppppoooorrrrttttssss ttttoooo tttthhhheeee pppprrrriiiinnnncccciiiippppaaaallll o SSSSuuuussssppppeeeennnnssssiiiioooonnnn nnnnoooottttiiiicccceeeessss o SSSSttttaaaatttteeeemmmmeeeennnntttt ooooffff vvvviiiiccccttttiiiimmmm ooooffff aaaassssssssaaaauuuulllltttt o PPPPoooolllliiiicccceeee rrrreeeeppppoooorrrrtttt

UUUUsssseeee aaaa tttthhhhrrrreeeeeeeerrrriiiinnnngggg bbbbiiiinnnnddddeeeerrrr A notebookis better than a file because all of the papers are held in place. It just means youll avoid the disaster of papers flying everywhere if you drop your stuff. A binder also allows you to move papers easily from one section to another.

MMMMaaaakekekeke ddddiiiivvvviiiiddddeeeerrrrssss ffffoooorrrr eeeeaaaacccchhhh sssseeeeccccttttiiiioooonnnn ooooffff tttthhhheeee nnnnooootttteeeebbbbooooooookkkk Make dividers to put between sections. You can use something simple like different colored pieces of paper, but dividers with tabs sticking out are easiest to use. Label each section so you can quickly see what is in it. If involved in a hearing, your notebookshould contain:

Notes of conversations and meetings youve had on this issue.

A summary of the case. An outline/summary of the facts. An outline/summary of laws or policies. List of records you want the hearing

examiner or judge to review.

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VVVVIIIIIIIIIIII.... HHHHeeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnnggggssss

There maybe situationswhereyoucantresolvean issueforyourchild ataninformal meeting. Insome situations,likewhen thereisa disagreement overspecialeducation services foryourchildoryoudisagreewith disciplinaryaction thataschoolis imposing,you mayrequestahearingor beasked to attenda hearingandfindyourself ataplacewhereyou need toadvocate foryourchildinfrontofa hearing officeror administrativelawjudge.

HHHHeeeeaaaarrrriiiingngngngssss

Ifyou and theschool disagreeoverSpecial Education services abouta disciplinary actionimposedon yourchild,youmay requestahearing.

Ahearingisalotlike a meeting,justmore formal.

Ahearingisalotlike ameeting just more formal.Thereare twokindsofhearingsavailable toparents:

a. AAAAddddmmmmiiiinnnniiiissssttttrrrraaaattttiiiivvvveeeeHeHeHeHeaaaarrrriiiinnnnggggssssare formalprocesses forparents andschooldistricts toresolvedisagreementsaboutSpecial Education services.Thesehearingsareconductedby the OfficeofAdministrativeHearings andarecalled DueProcess Hearings.

b.SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll DDDDiiiisssscccciiiipppplllliiiinnnneeeeHHHHeeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnnggggssssA disciplinehearing isan opportunityforyourchild tochallenge theclaims thatheor she didsomethingwrong andforyou to advocateforhimor her.Evenifyourchild admits to thewrongdoing, thehearing canbe used to makesure that thepunishmentis fair.Disciplinehearingsareconductedby theSchool District.

There are slightlydifferentrules thatapply to eachkindof hearing.Thissectionincludesinformationdesigned tohelp youpreparegenerallyfor ahearing. Ifyouwant more information on howto preparefora specialeducationor school disciplinehearing,youcanread theOffice of the EducationOmbudsmans publications titled Protectingthe EducationalRightsofStudentswithDisabilitiesinPublic Schools and Disciplinein PublicSchools.

HHHHoooowwww ddddoooo IIII pppprrrreeeeppppaaaarrrreeee ffffoooorrrr aaaa hhhheeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnngggg????

1111.D.D.D.Deeeeffffiiiinnnneeee tttthhhheeeessssitititituuuuaaaattttiiiioooonnnn....

Innomore than two sentences,answer thequestion"What isthisallabout?" TrystartingasentencewithThisisa caseabout...or This situationisabout

EEEExxxxaaaammmmpppplllleeee::::

Thisisacaseaboutapunishmentthatistoo harshforwhatthe studentdid.

Itwillbehard tomakeyourcase that simple,but tryit. It willhelpyoufocusyour thoughts.Youcanuseyour summaryat thestartand finishof the hearing to sumup yourposition. Do thisinyouropeningand closing statements.

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WWWWhhhhaaaattttwwwwiiiillllllll hhhhaaaappppppppeeeenanananatttt tttthhhheeeehhhheeeeaaaarrrriiiingngngng????

Exchangeof exhibitsand witnesslists

Preliminaryissues

Openingstatements

Presentationof evidence:Witnesses

Documents

Legalarguments

Closingarguments

Decision


Next,summarizewhatyouwantandlistyourgoalsinorder ofimportance. This canhelpguideyouinquestioning witnesses andarguingyourpoints.Follow the suggestions forpreparingyourself for meetingsin thispublication.

2222.S.S.S.Sttttiiiicccckkkkttttoooo tttthhhheeeeffffaaaaccccttttssss....Writewhat happenedinorder. Gobackthrough whatyouhavewritten and highlight thekeypoints. If there arerecords thatconfirm facts,thenreference them in yournotesandmarkthemwithpaperclips,postitnotesor tabssoyoucaneasily find themwhenyouneed them.

3333.... FFFFiiiinnnnddddoooouuuuttttwhwhwhwhaaaatttt tttthhhheeee hhhheeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnnggggsssscccchhhheeeedddduuuulllleeeewiwiwiwillllllllbbbbeeee....Hearingsfollowageneral patternorschedule.Find outwhat thispatternis for the typeof hearingyouareattending. Beaware that educationhearings tend tobeinformal,and the usualpatternmaynotbe followed,especiallyin school disciplinehearings.

4444.... GGGGeeeettttaaaallllllllrrrreeeelllleeeevvvvaaaannnnttttrrrreeeeccccoooorrrrddddssssaaaannnnddddoooorrrrggggaaaannnniiiizzzzeeee tttthhhheeeemmmm.... Gettingrecordsis alwaysimportant. But fora hearingitis essential. Sometimesrecords andotherinformation that willbeusedin ahearing arecalleddiscovery. Make sureyouhaveall of the discovery,andreaditcarefully beforegoing to ahearing. (Lookat the endof this publication for asamplerecordsrequestformletter.)

Experienced trialattorneysusetrialnotebookswhen they have trialsin frontof judgesor juries. Notebooksarea good tool to organizealotofinformation.You dont want to beshuffling through astackofpapers thinkingIknowIsawapieceofpaper that showedAnitawasinschool that day. Nowwhereisitin thispileof300piecesofpaper?

5555.... GGGGeeeettttaaaalllliiiisssstttt ooooffffwitwitwitwitnnnneeeesssssssseeeessssffffrrrroooommmm tttthhhheeeeddddiiiissssttttrrrriiiicccctttt.... Find outwhowillbe testifyingat the hearing. Askthe school districtforalistof allof thewitnesses itwill be bringing to the hearing. Writeoutquestionsyou havefor witnesses.

6666.K.K.K.Knnnnoooowwww tttthhhheeeellllaaaawwww....Research federal (national) laws,state laws,local (such as county orcitycodes),and school districtpolicies.Find thelaworpolicies thatapply to the factsofyourcase.Outlinewhatisimportant toyourcasebywritingdownkey

points. List thelawyou arerelyingonsoyou haveitinoneplace.

7777.W.W.W.Wrrrrititititeeeeititititddddoooownwnwnwn.... Listkeypointsyouwant tomake during the hearing. List witnesses orrecordsyou need tomake thosepoints. List recordsyou want tohave the judge orhearingexaminer consider.

21


TTTTaaaakkkkeeee yyyyoooouuuurrrrttttiiiimmmmeeee iiiinnnntttthhhheeeehhhheeeeaaaarrrriiiingngngng

Itisreallyhard not to feelpressure to movequicklyina hearing.

Itfeelslikeeveryone iswaiting,and sometimes an opposingpartywill playup that sentiment toget thingsmoving.

You shouldkeepin mind that themost important thingis thatyour childgets thebestpossible outcome.

Takeyour timein reviewingyournotes.

Askfor afewminutesbreakifyou need tocollectyour thoughts.Talkwith yourwitnessesor reviewyournotes.

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt wwwwiiiillllllll hhhhaaaappppppppeeeennnn aaaatttt tttthhhheeee hhhheeeeaaaarrrriiiinnnngggg???? EEEExxxxcccchhhhaaaannnnggggeeee ooooffff eeeexxxxhhhhiiiibbbbititititssss((((ddddooooccccuuuummmmeeeennnnttttssss)))) aaaannnnddddwitwitwitwitnnnneeeesssssssslllliiiissssttttssss Inspecialeducationhearings,both sides shouldgiveeach othercopies of anyrecordsorother things that they plan to usein the hearing.Both sides shouldalsogive alist of witnesses theyintend tohaveat thehearingnolater than five business daysbefore the hearing. In disciplinehearings,itis betterif theinformationisexchangedbefore thehearing,but itoften doesnotoccuruntil thedayof the hearing.

PPPPrrrreeeelllliiiimmmmiiiinnnnaaaarrrryyyyiiiissssssssuuuueeeessss The judge/hearing officer willusuallybegin thehearingby asking whether there are any things thatneed tobe taken careofbefore thehearingstarts. An examplewouldbeone partyasking thatpeoplewhoaregoing tobewitnessesin the hearing stay outside theroom during thehearing. (The reasonfor thisrequestis thatwitnesses maybeinfluenced or change their testimonyif theylisten tootherwitnessesduring thehearing.) Another examplewouldbeletting the judge or hearing officerknowofproblemsyou have hadingetting recordsfrom the other side. Try to avoid this situationby asking for therecordsas earlyaspossibleinwriting.

Thisis the time for the judgeorhearingofficer tomake decisionsabouthowthe hearingwillproceed. You should feel free to askhim orher what to expect. Onegood question toaskiswhich sidewillbefirst topresent their case. Order ofpresentation dependsonwhichside hastheburden to prove thecase. In specialeducationcases,itis often the school district. In disciplinecases, the districtusuallygoes first,too.

OOOOppppeeeennnniiiinnnnggggssssttttaaaatttteeeemmmmeeeennnnttttssss Normallyeach sideisgivenan opportunity togive a short statement thathelps the judge orhearingofficerunderstand what theissuesarein the case.

WWWWititititnnnneeeesssssssseeeessss Next,one sidepresentsitswitnesses. Witnesses areusually sworninby thehearing officer,meaning that they promise to tell the truthwhen testifying.

Thepartywhocalled the witnessgets to startasking questions.Thisiscalleda directexamination.When they arefinished,theothersidegetsachance to followupwith questions. Thisis calledacrossexamination.

Then thepartywhosewitnessitisgets toaskfollowup questions. Thisis calledaredirect.

22


TTTTeeeessssttttiiiimmmmoooonnnnyyyy arestatements madeunder oath(where someoneswears to tell the truth),usuallyina hearing orsome othercourt proceeding.

AAAAddddmmmmiiiinnnniiiissssttttrrrraaaattttiiiivvvveeee LLLLaaaawwwwJJJJuuuuddddggggeeee ((((AAAALLLLJJJJ)))) isa judge who handlesonly administrative hearings.In WashingtonState,ALJsare appointed by theGovernor andworkfor the WashingtonState Officeof Administrative Hearings. ALJsare the judgesin specialeducation dueprocess hearings.

Once one sidehaspresentedall ofitswitnessesand evidence(suchasrecords),then theotherside does the sameifit haswitnesses.

Keepin mind that justbecause the other sidepresentsa particularwitnessdoesnt mean thatwitnesscouldnthelp yourcase. Rarelyare witnessesperspectivesclearcut.

Listencarefully. Is thewitnessbeingconsistent with things heor she hassaidin thepast? Is thewitnessleavingout things thatsheor heknowswould helpyourcase? Is the witnesssaying things that needmore detailinorder tobe helpful toyourcase? Theseconcerns shouldbeaguide for yourfollowupquestions.

AAAAffffeeeewrwrwrwruuuulllleeeessss:

Neverarguewithwitnesses. Let thewitness finisheach sentence. Ifyoudontunderstandan answer thatawitness gives,itprobablymeansnooneelsein theroomdideither.

Aska followupquestionifyouwantmoreinformation.

If thewitnessdoesntanswer thequestion thatyou ask,the witnesseither doesntwant togiveyou theanswer ordidnt understand thequestion. Askitagain. Ifyou thinkthe witness just didntunderstand thequestion,rephraseit.

EEEExxxxhhhhiiiibbbbititititssss Exhibitsarerecords,documents,andphysicalitems,as opposed to testimony. Witnessesgive testimony. Ifyouwant the judgeor hearingexaminer toconsiderexhibits asapartof hisor her decision,youneed to makesure theybecome a partof thehearingrecord. To do this,youwillneed toeither:

1. Havesomeone connected to theexhibits(recordsor documents) testifyat the hearing or

2. Get theother side to agreeandstate to the judge during thehearing that thoseparticular documents canbe apart of thehearingrecord.

CCCClllloooossssiiiinnnnggggaaaarrrrgggguuuummmmeeeennnnttttssss Each sidegets achance tosumupwhat hasbeenpresented in the hearing and to argue themajorpoints of their case.Thisis the time tobring everything togetherandconvince the judge thatyourpointsare valid. The sidewith theburden gets togo first. Then the othersidegets togive his orher closing argument. Finally, thesidewith theburden gets to finishupwitha secondargument.

DDDDeeeecccciiiissssiiiioooonnnn The judgeorhearing examinercangive adecision at theend of thehearingor choose tosend the decision toyouinwriting after thehearingisover.

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IIIIXXXX.... AAAAccccttttiiiioooonnnn PPPPooooiiiinnnnttttssss HHHHoooowwww ttttoooo AAAAddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee ffffoooorrrr YYYYoooouuuurrrr CCCChhhhiiiilllldddd

There are many ways to be an effective education advocate. Use your concern and care for your child to make an impact where it will really counthelping your child get the education he or she deserves.

If you feel that you are stucktrying to get help for your child, read this list for ideas about possible steps you can take to move things forward. RRRReeeemmmmeeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrr,,,, yyyyoooouuuu ccccaaaannnn bbbbeeee aaaa ssssttttrrrroooonnnngggg aaaaddddvvvvooooccccaaaatttteeee ffffoooorrrr yyyyoooouuuurrrr cccchhhhiiiilllldddd!!!!

> Askquestions.

> Remember the importance of your tone of voice and body language.

> Choose your words: promote communication, dont turn up the heat.

> Remember the four steps to getting across your ideas:

Simplify your message. Give examples. Repeat your point. Askquestions to make sure youre understood.

> Try the five Ws to help form questions: who, what, where, when, and why.

> Remember the five steps to help move past disagreement:

Clarify where you both stand Make sure you have the other persons perspective Seekcommon ground Add information to help the others change their minds Take a break.

> Know your goals before you compromise.

> Seekhelp from other parents, families, community groups, or lawyers.

> Keep copies of everything you get about your childs education.

> Put things in writing (requests, letters, thoughts, notes of phone calls).

> Keep a log of what is happening.

> Request records.

> Take notes during meetings.

> Followup with phone calls. Make sure people are doing what they said they would.

> Going to a hearing? Make a hearing notebook.

> Dont give up. Try another route. There is more than one way to every destination.

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XXXX.... SSSSaaaammmmpppplllleeee LLLLeeeetttttttteeeerrrr:::: CCCCoooonnnnffffiiiirrrrmmmmiiiinnnngggg aaaa PPPPhhhhoooonnnneeee CCCCoooonnnnvvvveeeerrrrssssaaaattttiiiioooonnnn wwwwiiiitttthhhh SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll SSSSttttaaaaffffffff

IIIIddddeeeennnnttttiiiiffffyyyy tttthhhheeee ssssttttuuuuddddeeeennnntttt....

SSSSttttaaaatttteeee ppppuuuurrrrppppoooosssseeee ooooffff tttthhhheeee lllleeeetttttttteeeerrrr....

DDDDeeeessssccccrrrriiiibbbbeeee wwwwhhhhaaaatttt wwwwaaaassss ddddiiiissssccccuuuusssssssseeeedddd iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee ccccoooonnnnvvvveeeerrrrssssaaaattttiiiioooonnnn....

DDDDeeeessssccccrrrriiiibbbbeeee aaaaggggrrrreeeeeeeemmmmeeeennnnttttssss mmmmaaaaddddeeee....

CCCCoooonnnnttttaaaacccctttt iiiinnnnffffoooorrrrmmmmaaaattttiiiioooonnnn....

December 15, 2007

Ms. Jane Doe Principal ABC Elementary School 1234 5th Avenue Anywhere, WA 00000

Re: John Smith, date of birth 12/28/95

Dear Ms. Doe:

Thankyou for speaking with me on the phone yesterday. I appreciate you taking the time to schedule a call about my son, John Smith. I am writing to confirm the things we talked about.

As we discussed, I am concerned that John is not receiving the individual help he needs to make progress in math. Johns Section 504 plan requires him to have oneonone math tutoring twice a week. John says he has not seen his tutor, Ms. Anderson, for three weeks.

In our conversation, you agreed to checkwith Ms. Anderson and Johns classroom teacher, Mr. Parks, about whether or not John has been receiving individual help with math. You also agreed to call me by the end of this weekto tell me what you found out.

Thankyou for your help in this matter. I lookforward to speaking with you. You may contact me at (555) 5555555.

Sincerely,

George Johnson Parent

25


LLLLoooogggg SSSShhhheeeeeeeetttt

DDDDaaaatttteeee CCCCoooonnnnttttaaaacccctttt oooorrrr AAAAccccttttiiiioooonnnn WWWWhhhhaaaatttt HaHaHaHappppppppeeeennnneeeedddd////NNNNooootttteeeessss

26

___________________________ ___________________________

__________________________________


SSSSaaaammmmpppplllleeee LLLLeeeetttttttteeeerrrr:::: SSSScccchhhhoooooooollll ReReReReccccoooorrrrddddssssReReReReqqqqueueueuestststst FFFFoooorrrr YYYYoooourururur CCCChhhhiiiilllldddd

Date:

To:

Dear _____________________:

Iamwriting torequest educationalrecordsfor __________________________________(students name).

Please send thefollowing tome at the addressbelow:

D Allacademicprogressreports,includinggradereportsand standardized testresults

D Allattendancereports D Alldisciplinaryreports,includingreferralsand noticesof

suspension andexpulsion D Alldocumentation,correspondence,and emailsregarding

consideration forspecial services D Evaluations,plans(IEP and504),and allotherdocumentation

regarding specialeducationandSection504eligibilityand services.

D Other

Attachedis an authorization torelease theserecords tome.Ifyou haveanyquestions,pleasecontact meat:

Phone: ___________________________

Address: ___________________________

Sincerely,

(Signature)

27

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


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How to be an Education AdvocateWhat is an Advocate?Forming Partnerships with SchoolsUnderstanding the Public School SystemCommunication: The Heart of Good Advocacy Resolving Conflict with SchoolsPreparing Yourself for MeetingsKeeping RecordsOrganizing an Education NotebookHearingsAction Points - How to Advocate for Your ChildSample Letter: Confirming a Phone Conversation with a School StaffLog SheetSample Letter: School Records Request For Your ChildNotes