A Call to Action — Celebrating IDEA’s 50th Anniversary by Driving Change This is post #5 in the MiPAAC: Reimagining Special Education Series Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac November 28, 2025 This year marks 50 years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — a […]

From Awareness to Action — How Families, Advocates, and Educators Can Drive Change Together This is post #4 in the MiPAAC: Reimagining Special Education Series Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac November 27, 2025 Over the past few posts, we’ve explored why good intentions aren’t enough, why […]

What Effective Systems Change Looks Like — and How Michigan Can Get There This is post #3 in the MiPAAC: Reimagining Special Education Series Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac November 26, 2025 In our last post, we explored why support alone isn’t enough in special education. […]

Why Systems Change — and What Makes It Effective This is post #2 in the MiPAAC: Reimagining Special Education Series Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac November 25, 2025 In yesterday’s post, we shared why true allyship in special education requires more than good intentions — it […]

Effective Allies in Special Education Don’t Just Offer Support — They Change Systems This is our first post in the MiPAAC: Reimagining Special Education Series Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac November 24, 2025 In school systems, we often talk about “supporting families,” “helping students,” and “advocating […]

Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment Angela Scott, Chief Data Officer: National Assessment Governing Board Submitted via email: Angela.Scott@ed.gov November 13, 2025 Read here: Autism Alliance of Michigan Makes Public Comment on NAEP Agenda for November Meeting RE: Public Comment on National Assessment Governing Board Committee and Quarterly Board Meetings (Federal Register Document 2025–19704) Dear Ms. […]

Are you a parent, advocate, or attorney dedicated to student-centered advocacy? Join MiPAAC! mipaac.org/join-mipaac This month marks five years since the Michigan Parent, Advocate & Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC) was founded—five years of building community, amplifying voices, and advancing systems change to ensure equitable education for all students with disabilities across Michigan. What began as a […]

Developed under legislative direction, the Michigan Special Education Finance Reform Blueprint offers a Michigan-made roadmap for fair, transparent, and needs-based funding that better supports students with disabilities. LANSING, Mich. — October 30, 2025. Michigan’s special education system has long been underfunded and inequitable, leaving students with disabilities and their schools without the resources they need. […]

One Year Later – Reflections on the SEE Survey & Advocacy Priorities Elevating lived experience, identifying system barriers, and amplifying voices of parents & students with disabilities Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey: Report to the Community On October 24, 2024, the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) released the Statewide Special Education Experience (SEE) Survey: Report […]

Autism Alliance of Michigan Public Comment State Board of Education October 14, 2025 Read here: 2025.1014 Autism Alliance Public Comment_State Board of Ed_MI Blueprint Modernizing Special Education Finance Through the MI Blueprint:  An Imperative for Michigan Good afternoon, Board members, Interim Superintendent, and Department staff.  I’m Heather Eckner, and I serve as the statewide director […]