About
Education advocacy includes the interpretation of all school-related evaluations by putting "educationese" into plain speech for parents and students, helping families respond to test results and helping parents and caregivers understand the New York City Department of Education policies and standards.
School-Family Mediation
Mediation between the school and home is often called for when parents feel that their child's school administration is not listening to their concerns. The education advocate contacts school personnel for the parent, arranges meetings with administrators and/or teachers and accompanies parents and students to school meetings.
Attendance Problems
Because many children and youth with chronic disease manifestations miss great amounts of school for appointments and during times of illness, the education advocate checks with parents, students, schools and health care professionals to forestall attendance problems. The advocate will help identify problem attendance and suggest solutions such as scheduling various health appointments in a single day or encouraging a child to return to school directly after morning appointments so that half-day credit is given.
School Choice and Program Placement
New York City has labyrinthine rules for school choice and selection starting even in the elementary grades. The education advocate contacts organizations such as
Advocates for Children for workshops for parents on topics like "How to find the best high school for your 8th grader." Additionally, the advocate helps parents and students search for second-chance programs leading to the GED or vocational training.
CSE Advocacy
The Committee on Special Education (CSE) is responsible for the evaluation and placement of students in all types and degrees of special education. The education advocate often works closely with parents to obtain satisfactory results from the CSE. This can include the involvement of agencies like
Resources for Children with Special Needs and the
Development and Family Services Unit of the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Clinic of Yeshiva University.