6A- Alexa Kamovitch- Response to Kristin Morgione

Kristin, I really enjoyed reading and viewing your research paper and Power Point on advocacy in special education. I have found that one of our most important jobs as educators is to be an advocate for our students, so they can receive the best education that they need and deserve. There was some great research within your paper and, as an educator, I found many points to be enlightening.

1.     What roles do advocates have within the field of special education?  Advocates, within the field of special education, have numerous roles. However, from your paper I learned that an advocate's most important role is to protect the child and ensure that they are receiving a free and appropriate education in their least restrictive environment. There are three main roles (functions) that an advocate must do and they include providing assistance to the child's family when they are making important decisions, voicing any concerns that the family may have or also offering emotional support, especially during the IEP meetings, and defending or arguing any matters to make sure the student is receiving all services that they are entitled to receive. It's important that the advocate has information on the child and their disability and has knowledge of all the laws and rights that the child should receive. Another key role of the advocate is to document all things related to the child including meetings and discussions. 

2.     What training did this person receive or should be given to receive this title of an advocate?Surprisingly, there are currently no educational requirements for someone to be an advocate for a child. Though this issue has been looked into, it is still unclear as to the actual training that is necessary for an advocate. However, there are advocacy training models to ensure professionalism and that the students are receiving appropriate services. Some training models include, the Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT) and the Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP). These training models provide participants with classroom and field experience. You can also participate in a certification program through the National Special Education Advocacy Institute. However, as noted in the paper, this provides certification, not training. Additionally, you can find information and training through the special education website, wrightslaw.com. 

3.     How can parents become an advocate for their child in the school setting? Parents can become advocates for their children by most importantly being involved in their education. As stated in the research paper, three keys components of parents becoming advocates include that they are advocating for services, acting as experts for their child, and protecting the child from incompetent practices within the school setting. There are also numerous advocacy training programs that parents can attend to become more acquainted with how they can most benefit their child during their educational process. 

 4.     How can professionals in the school system advocate for their student with exceptional needs? There are many people who work alongside the student during the school day and they too are important advocates for their education. Professionals in the school system can advocate through setting up goals with parents, to ensure that they receive the appropriate training to advocate for their child, and accepting, acknowledging, and assisting parents in understanding what their child needs to succeed. School counselors can use the S.C.R.I.P.T model to understand and promote the needs for their students. Also, school professionals can participate in one-on-one work sessions with the child to assist them on matters that may be happening in the school setting. 

5.     How can we, as educators, empower our students to become self-advocates? This is a great point!! Unfortunately, we may not always be there to advocate for the child; therefore, becoming a self-advocate is a great way for the student to be involved in their education. According to the paper, we can empower our students to become self-advocates in the early years of their lives so they can build on their skills in their future. As noted in the research paper, we can empower students by making sure they understand their rights, can effectively communicate, and show leadership in their education. Also noted, it is important that we gather information on the child and make sure that they are at the point in their lives where they are comfortable and ready to become self-advocates. In my perspective, we can empower our students by encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions, provide them positive praise to assist in building their self-esteem, and encouraging them to complete tasks on their own with less assistance. 

Lastly, I really enjoyed this quote from your research paper, “Thirty years of research shows that greater family involvement in children’s learning is a critical link to achieving high quality education and a safe disciplined learning environment for every student”. I strongly agree that students who have parents who are involved result in students showing greater thrives in their educational journey. Though much of their learning happens at school, it is vital that the learning continues at home to implement consistency and reinforce skills.