Educational Advocacy
facilitate   collaborate   mediate

Hello, I am Laura Tye and I am proud of my career as a special educator in Chicago.  I have taught in every setting including co-teacher, special education classroom teacher, highly supported programs and in a therapeutic school. As an administrator, I have overseen programs in high school and elementary school across all settings.

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I was an advocate for students and their families before I even knew what an advocate was.  As a volunteer, I supported at-risk families with their educational needs. This inspired me to pursue a special education degree which led me to teaching special education in Chicago. I was inspired to expand my support of educators and families, so pursued an Educational Leadership degree and served in educational leadership roles.

 

My focus as an advocate is to create a collaborative environment in which to ensure students receive the services and supports in school necessary to make appropriate progress. My experience as a special education administrator collaborating with educational advocates has been very positive and productive.  I have also sat on the family side of the table as a guardian and as an advocate over the years. This provides me with a unique view of the process and helps me to be objective and collaborative.

 

I stay current in special education law, policies and procedures through the Council for Exceptional Children, state boards of education and my network of professionals at the district and state levels. I am not a lawyer, my vision is to collaborate and mediate to avoid unnecessary litigation which can steer valuable time and resources away from students and their families.