IEP Advocacy

Have a school concern but aren't sure who to contact? This free School Communication Guide helps parents decide whether they have a question, need clarification, have a concern, or need a broader team discussion—and who may be the right person to contact first.

What is your child’s school information really telling you? This free Midyear IEP Pattern Finder helps parents compare progress reports, grades, assessments, work samples, accommodations, teacher feedback, and observations to identify patterns, growth, and questions worth exploring.

By midyear, parents have collected a lot of information. This free Midyear IEP Organization Checklist helps you gather the documents, data, work samples, school communication, and observations that help tell the story of your child’s year so far.

Every bit of progress is worth celebrating—big wins and small steps alike. This post shares ideas for recognizing your child’s hard work, boosting confidence, and building momentum. Because celebrating progress keeps everyone motivated—kids, parents, and the IEP team too.

Sometimes kids stall in their IEP progress, and that’s when parents need to take action. In this post, I walk you through what steps to take when growth isn’t happening—like requesting new supports, revising goals, and pushing for accountability.

Parents often get progress reports that raise more questions than answers. This post gives you the exact questions to ask your IEP team—about how often data is collected, who’s collecting it, and what tools are used—so you can move beyond vague updates to real clarity.

“Making progress” isn’t enough. Schools must track progress with actual data, not vague notes. This post shows you how IEP progress should be monitored, what tools schools might use, and how you can make sure the data tells your child’s real story.

Not all IEP goals are created equal. A strong goal should be specific, measurable, and realistic—something you can actually track. In this post, I break down the SMART framework and explain why benchmarks matter for keeping your child on track.

Child using laptop for progress monitoring I was working with a family, helping them advocate for their daughter. She had been classified for 4 years and had made minimal progress in literacy. When I asked them for her progress monitoring, they said, “That’s just it—we don’t have any.” They had progress reports (vague notes from the teacher) but nothing that actually reported on their child’s progress toward meeting her goals. It was then that I realized parents need a clear

A parent-friendly one-pager for IEP/504 meetings. Print it. Bring it. Use it.

If you’ve ever felt lost during an IEP meeting or unsure how to advocate for your child, you’re not alone. This guide helps you make sense of the system—with clarity, compassion, and steps that actually make a difference.