Nicely written, Kristin!
I agree wholeheartedly that many advocates today are without professional training and are not properly "equipped ," as you put it, with the tools one would need to benefit the child's best interest.
When you listed the duties of the advocate, I couldn't help but think of them similar to a lawyer: in assisting the family in decision-making, speaking on behalf of the family, and speaking up and fighting for services that the family would like to be provided for their child. I also found it interesting the way you mentioned that an Advocate "views a situation at all angles" and that it is his/her responsibility. Responsibility is something that is lacking in today's world, and in the field of education. I was stunned to learn that there are no educational requirements to become an advocate, however, COPAA's code of ethics for professionalism and SEAT & VAP are a good start to ensuring that FAPE is guaranteed. I was unaware of some of the advocacy training programs, such as NSEAI and Wrightslaw, which can be found online.
Another point well-spoken of was parent involvement and how crucial parent involvement is at bettering the odds of a child's success. An advocate can be the one to reinforce parent involvement by creating a partnership with the family of the child and setting goals for the parents, as well, which will assist the child. I was somewhat familiar with PTI and P&A, the parent programs that remind parents that they are not alone in raising a child with a disability, and that there are other families out there for support.
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