Why I Created the Parent Workbook Series

I have spent more than four decades in education: as a teacher, as a school administrator, and as an advocate sitting beside parents. In that time I have been part of more IEP and 504 meetings than I could ever count, and I have seen one thing again and again.

The conversation changes when parents arrive organized and prepared.

When a parent walks in with their records in order, a clear list of concerns and the questions they want answered, the meeting becomes a real partnership. When a parent walks in overwhelmed, trying to remember everything at once, important things get missed. That isn't because they care less. It is because nobody gave them a way to prepare.

Parents Shouldn't Need a Degree in Special Education

Families should not need a degree in special education to ask meaningful questions about their child's education. Yet the process is full of terms, timelines and documents that can feel designed for the professionals in the room rather than for the parent.

My goal with these workbooks was simple: take complex information and turn it into a practical system parents can actually use, before, during and after the meeting.

Why Two Workbooks?

An IEP and a 504 plan are not the same thing. They come from different laws, follow different processes and answer different questions. A family preparing for a 504 meeting needs to think about functional impact and whether accommodations will really be carried out in the classroom. A family preparing for an IEP meeting needs to look closely at goals, services and progress.

So the series begins with two books:

• The Parent's IEP Meeting Preparation Workbook (Book 1)
• The Parent's 504 Plan Meeting Preparation Workbook (Book 2)

What I Want Every Parent to Know

You do not have to know every answer before a school meeting. But you should know your concerns, understand your child's current program, organize the information you have, prepare meaningful questions, and document what happens next.

And remember this: a disability may open the conversation, but individual need should drive the plan. You know your child better than anyone at that table. These workbooks are there to help you say so clearly and keep track of what is promised.

More Than a Book

These workbooks are the beginning of something larger. New Hope Advocacy exists to help families understand complex systems and become confident participants in the decisions that shape their children's lives. The workbooks are one way in. Our Member Vault, trainings and advocacy resources are there for the rest of the journey.

Thank you for letting me be part of yours.

Prepare. Participate. Advocate.

— Dr. Teresa D. Simkins-Aris
Founder & President, New Hope Advocacy

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