Family Services
Independent IEP Support for Families Who Deserve More Than a Form Letter
Every family service is free to the family it serves. The IEP Audit and our Know Your Rights workshops never cost a family anything, because access is the point, and EDquity Scholars gives students a sponsor-funded year of direct instruction. The audit and workshops are delivered virtually; Scholars meets in person in Gallatin.
Serving families across the greater Metro Nashville area and, through our virtual delivery model, anywhere in the country.
Start Here
Free 30-Minute Discovery Call
Not sure where to begin? Book a free discovery call. We will listen to your situation, answer your first questions, and identify what your child needs right now, with no obligation to continue.
Schedule Your Free CallOn the call, we will:
Listen to your child's specific situation without judgment
Explain how the free IEP Audit addresses your most immediate need
Answer your first questions about the IEP process and your rights
Tell you exactly what to do next, whether you work with us or not
What We Offer
Free family services. One purpose.
The school district arrives at that meeting with a full professional team. Our free services exist because you should not have to sit across from that team without independent support, and EDquity Scholars extends that support to the student directly across a full year.
Which one is for you?
Everything on this page serves families, and nothing on this page costs a family anything. Three are services we deliver: the audit examines your child's document, the workshops teach you the rights behind it, and Scholars teaches the student directly across a full year. Two are resources you use on your own, today, without talking to anyone: the downloads and the Career Explorer.
| Who it serves | What it works on | Time | Cost to your family | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services | ||||
| IEP Audit | Parents | Your child's current IEP: an independent expert review with a written report and a walkthrough | One time; report in 10 business days | Free |
| Know Your Rights Workshops | Parents | The rights behind the document: what the law entitles your child to, in plain language | One session at a time, as scheduled | Free |
| EDquity Scholars | Students, grades 8 to 12, with an IEP or 504 plan | The student directly: self-advocacy, executive function, and career and college readiness, with parent workshops on the same days | A full year, July through May | Free; a sponsor funds each $1,000 seat |
| Resources | ||||
| Advocacy Toolkit and My Child's Playbook | Parents | Tools you use on your own: worksheets that turn the audit's findings into action | Self-paced, download now | Free |
| Career Explorer | Students | Careers and pathways, explored online with real federal wage and preparation data | Self-paced, use it now | Free |
Looking for our work with schools and districts, including the IEP Quality Improvement Program and the EDquity Leader Fellowship? That lives on its own page: Institutional Services.
IEP Audit
Free
Written report delivered within 10 business days
Most families receive their child's IEP with no independent guidance on whether it meets the legal standard of a free and appropriate public education. This service closes that gap. We review your child's IEP across six research-grounded domains, identify missing or inadequate services, and deliver a plain-language written report with specific recommended next steps before your next meeting.
Start Your Free IEP AuditThe Six Review Domains
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Measurable Annual Goals
Accommodations and Supports
Special Education and Related Services
Transition Planning (where applicable)
Overall IEP Quality
What You Receive
A written Family IEP Review Report in plain language
A documented list of compliance gaps and concerns
Recommended questions and requests to bring to the school team
A 30-minute debrief call included
Know Your Rights Workshops
Free
Live sessions on what the law entitles your child to
Walking into the meeting knowing what to ask for starts with knowing what the law entitles your child to. Our Know Your Rights workshops teach exactly that, in plain language, at no cost, open to any family. We also offer additional parent workshops, covering topics like reading the document the school hands you, responding when services are cut, and putting requests in writing so the district has to answer; those appear on our events page as they are scheduled, and they are free to attend.
EDquity Scholars
$1,000 per seat · Sponsor-funded
Grades 8 through 12 · Thirty seats · The first cohort begins July 2027 · Gallatin Public Library
EDquity Scholars is one program for students in grades 8 through 12. Students spend the year building executive functioning skills like organization, planning, and self-advocacy, alongside career exploration and college readiness, while their parents build their own advocacy skills in workshops that run the same day. Each student's IEP is audited when they enroll; returning students are audited again in May so families see whether the document improved, and graduating seniors finish with their complete transition package for college.
Across the Year
A five-day summer intensive in July that launches the cohort
Nine monthly Saturday sessions, September through May
Two local college visits, each including the disability services office
A closing celebration in May where every Scholar presents
Every Scholar Receives
An independent IEP audit at intake, a second audit in May for returning students
Executive function instruction: planning, organization, task initiation, self-monitoring
Career and college readiness, finishing with a transition portfolio
Parent workshops running alongside on the same days
Seats are bought by sponsors rather than by families. A business, a funder, or an individual donor sponsors a Scholar for $1,000, and every seat is free to the family it serves, with seats limited by available funding. Requesting a seat takes about five minutes, and no documentation is ever required.
Take these with you, no appointment needed
Alongside our services, we publish tools you can download and use on your own: the Advocacy Toolkit with plain-language IDEA guides, meeting notecatchers, and eligibility checklists; My Child's Playbook for bringing your child's own voice into the meeting; and the IEP Goal Checker for testing whether a goal is measurable.
No IEP Yet?
Your Child Does Not Need an IEP for the School to Have Legal Obligations
Federal law requires schools to identify children with suspected disabilities, provide appropriate support at every tier, and intensify intervention when a student is not making progress, regardless of whether a formal disability designation is in place. If your child does not yet have an IEP, start with a free discovery call, and use the free Advocacy Toolkit to understand your rights.
Families We've Served
What families say about working with us.
The IEP Audit alone changed everything. We had been told for two years our daughter was 'progressing appropriately.' The report showed she hadn't met a single measurable goal. We went back in knowing exactly what to ask.
Parent, Florida · IEP Audit
Dr. Clarke-Wedderburn walked me through every line of the IEP, explained what was legally required, and helped me understand I had real power in that meeting. I just didn't know it yet.
Single father, Kentucky · IEP Audit
My son's goals finally reflect what he actually needs. For the first time in three years, the team heard us. Dr. Clarke-Wedderburn changed how I see my role in that room.
Parent, Georgia · IEP Audit
Details anonymized. Shared with permission.
EDquity at the Margins is a nonprofit organization. Donations, sponsorships, and paid work with schools and districts directly fund our mission, including the free IEP Audit, free Know Your Rights workshops, and the free resources we publish for families.
EDquity at the Margins provides independent educational expertise, not legal advice. We are not attorneys and do not provide legal representation. Families who believe their child's rights have been violated under IDEA are encouraged to consult a special education attorney or contact their state's Parent Training and Information Center at parentcenterhub.org.
Ready to get started?
Start your free IEP Audit and we will review your child's document and send you a written report. If you would rather talk it through first, book a free call instead.