About Us
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
— Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Elizabeth Zielinski, lead advocate for Commonwealth Education Group, LLC, founded the organization around these three priorities. Most importantly, her own two kids went through public education with IEPs — and that lived experience informs every other part of her work.
And now, the demands on special education service provision are increasing. The goal for your child to receive a free appropriate public education can become lost in the ever changing and complex political, monetary and regulatory environment. For that reason, we believe that experts in the field of advocacy need something more than a degree or experience in special education. They need specialized training in the skills unique to advocacy on behalf of families, not on behalf of schools.
Our Qualifications
We believe that advocates are best prepared by developing their knowledge of special education laws, regulations, and policies; their skills in legal research, written communication, and negotiation strategies; and then applying them with an steadfast commitment to the needs of the student and family.
Our training comes from the most reputable organizations leading the way in developing the unique skills of special education advocates. Advocates on our team are required to be graduates of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates’ (COPAA) Special Education Advocate Training program, which was developed under a grant from the US Department of Education in collaboration with the University of Southern California.
Our continuing education work also includes:
- Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
- Wrightslaw
- Virginia Department of Education
- Syracuse University, Center on Disability and Inclusion
- Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
- Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)
- Council for Exceptional Children
- National Disability Rights Network
In addition to the expertise we have in-house, we draw upon related expertise via our extensive network of qualified teachers, school counselors, psychologists, attorneys, and other related service professionals.
Our Values
Commonwealth Education Group, LLC is an organization committed to civil rights and we strive to lead with the values of diversity and inclusion.
We are a neurodiversity-affirming practice. We know that individuals who have differences in how they interact with the world around them do not have deficits that need to be “fixed." We work to create an educational plan that values and accommodates those differences rather than seeking to change a person's naturally occurring needs.
We serve students and families regardless of their disability, race, age, national origin, ethnic and/or religious identity, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or socioeconomic status.
We respect the unique identity of the student and explore programs, practices, procedures, and policies that meet the diversity of the student’s abilities, race, gender, language, and culture.
We believe that high expectations influence academic achievement and post-secondary independence. We presume competence and seek to find a shared vision of those high expectations for college, career, and community readiness among all stakeholders working on behalf of your student.
We believe in the power of collaboration as a team that includes the family, school, related professionals, and especially the student. Our goal is to ensure that every member of the team supports the student toward accessing grade level universal instruction and functional expectations.
We value all team members’ experience and qualifications and require that respect to be returned to our client families and staff representatives.
Why We Advocate
In simplest terms, we believe in the capabilities of all students when their unique needs are met with the appropriate services and accommodations. But more personally, everyone in our organization has been in the trenches in much the same way as our clients have: as parents, as team members, and as individuals who are too often marginalized for their disabilities or learning needs.
We've lived the stories ourselves. We know how it felt when we first walked into an IEP meeting and found a dozen people on the other side of the table, all asking us to read and understand a 30+ page document detailing our child's stuggles, and then make decisions that would affect the rest of that child's life. We have made the same painful realization that the system is not built with equity nor transparency. Like you, we've struggled with the contrast between knowing we had excellent teachers, but those teachers were compelled to operate within a system that didn't have the resources to support them.
But we are also certain that the future can be bright for EVERY child. We will sit on your side of the table and make sure that you feel heard. Your decisions will come from a position of knowledge and confidence. We will help you become the advocate your child needs and deserves.
