Build Leadership Skills

Find the leader in you – Speaking Up for Every Child podcast

What are your Strengths? Use this worksheet to discover your current strengths and abilities and how they can help you towards your future goals.

What is Self-Awareness and How to Cultivate it

Become a Transformative Leader

The Leadership Compass Self-Assessment

A short introduction for new SEPAC officers as to their role as leaders of their special education parents advisory council .

Check out the new National SEPAC Guide – Advocacy in Action

From Agenda to Follow-up Items

It is helpful to use a standardized approach when organizing meetings that can accommodate everyone’s availability and needs.

• Set a calendar of the group’s meeting dates – send or post notice
• Every meeting should have an agenda – defines the purpose of a meeting
• Start and end on time – ask for a timekeeper
• Assign someone to take notes/minutes to document discussion
• Follow-up – end meetings with meaningful action step(s), who is taking action and when
• Guidelines to Conducting Effective Meetings

Delegating/Sharing Power

An effective leader empowers others! Delegation in leadership not only helps get things done, but it also empowers other group members by giving them greater autonomy.

• Provide the big picture, then trust others to deliver agreed-upon results
• Monitor activities, reinforce results, remain accessible for questions
• Delegation starts with determining which tasks can be delegated and which can’t. Set up a priority system – determine the most critical items to be delegated and who should perform them
• Delegation – The 30% Solution

Conflict and Negotiation

Negotiations may begin because of conflicting positions, but a creative, value-oriented mindset can produce the win-win results that leave both parties satisfied.

• Be an active listener – paraphrase key points to show you understand – Ask questions
• Find common areas of interest
• Clearly define goals – desired outcome
• Shift talk from problems to opportunities
• Maintain an optimistic viewpoint
• CADRE – Working Together Series

SEPACs – Check out Strategies for Running Effective Meetings

A GUIDE FOR FAMILIES

A guidebook for individuals who want to make a difference in their community by serving as a member of a decision-making group.

Free Guidebook/Learning Modules

Today’s leaders face urgent challenges with short timelines for producing positive outcomes. Effective leaders understand the need to cultivate habits that widen their area of impact across roles and levels of the system to support sustainable change.

Learn more about how to apply these essential habits — coalescing around issues, ensuring relevant participation, and doing the work together — to help achieve state goals.

Parent-to-Parent Training 

Parent Consultant Training Institute

FCSN Networking Series

SEPAC Leadership Training/SEPAC Summer School 

Barbara Popper Institute

Advancing Parent-Professional Leadership in Education (A.P.P.L.E)