What is an Education Consultant?

• The term ‘education consultant’ or “‘educational consultant’ is used to mean many things.
• In the past, my work as an education consultant entailed designing educational programs for businesses and courseware for universities. 
• My work is now focused on finding effective help for any student, gifted, disabled, or otherwise, either in school or outside school.
• ‘Help’ might involve tutoring, executive functioning coaching, private counseling, a social skills group, reading intervention, speech and language therapy, school based services, or even a school change.

What is a Special Education Advocate?

• A special education advocate helps families of students with disabilities or suspected disabilities. 
• An advocate can help families understand their child’s rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).
• Ideally, advocates help families work with school teams in a proactive manner to ensure the child receives the appropriate services to support their educational needs.
• However, often advocates are hired by families when conflicts arise with a school team.
• When that happens, an advocate can help resolve the conflict by attending special education eligibility meetings or IEP meetings, or by coaching the parent behind the scenes on how to get their child the services they need.

“This is the best strategy plan I have seen anyone support us with. Gives a clear picture of expectations and estimated timelines. Makes a huge difference.”

– C.F., mom

Email

[email protected]

Phone

949-776-2110

What is an IEP?

• The term IEP stands for Individualized Education Program.
• You probably know what an education program is. It’s the lessons your child receives at school and the method of teaching those lessons.
• If the ‘regular’ curriculum or the manner in which it is taught is not working, you can have it customized to meet your child’s needs, as long as your child meets certain disability criteria
• Keep in mind, lessons are already customized for each student to some extent.  Classroom teachers differentiate their instruction to challenge students who master material quickly and assist students who need extra instruction.
• But when classroom adjustments are not enough, a team of school staff and parents (the IEP team) work together to identify what further customization is needed.
• The student might need more intense academic intervention, speech therapy or counseling, or classroom adjustments like special seating, a designated note taker, having tests read to them, or extra movement breaks.
• These customizations are documented in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is followed by teachers and school specialists throughout the student’s school career.

What is a 504 plan?

• A 504 plan refers to section 504 of the federal disability rights law.
• The law requires equal access to learning for students with disabilities. 
• Typically equal access is achieved by some alteration or ‘accommodation’ in the learning environment tailored specifically to your child’s needs.
• An accommodation might be a physical change like large print books or a process change like providing extra time to complete exams.
• Like an IEP, a 504 plan is specified in a document that is given to all your child’s teachers each year and updated regularly.
• Unlike an IEP, a 504 plan does not provide your student additional specialized instruction or services.

What is a Nonpublic School?

• A nonpublic School (NPS) is different from a private school.
• It is a specialized school designed to serve public school students with disabilities. 
• Often, a nonpublic school specializes in a specific population of students, like students with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, students with behavior challenges, or students on the autism spectrum.
• Sometimes a school district recommends placing a student in a nonpublic school, and other times a parent might request moving their student to an NPS. 
• The parents and school must mutually agree to the NPS placement in order for the school district to fund the tuition. 
• However, if the NPS accepts a student, the parent may choose to place their student in the school at their own expense. 
• Tuition at nonpublic schools tends to be expensive ($30,000 to upwards of $100,000 per year) due to the specialized curriculum, extensive staff training, and low student to teacher ratios.

What is a 1-to-1 Private School?

• A 1-to-1 private school assigns one teacher per student per class. 
• Classes can be in person or online, and the schedule and style of teaching can be tailored to your child’s needs. 
• These schools tend to be very small (less than 40 total students across multiple grade levels), and they tend to be located in buildings that don’t feel like traditional schools.
• They can be great for unique learners as a short term or longer term solution, but the tuition can be quite pricey.

“I truly appreciate you and I don’t know what I would do if I did not have the assistance of professional and knowledgeable educated well versed individual as you are.”

– B.A., colleague

Email

[email protected]

Phone

949-776-2110