About Anne Cunningham

I have been working with students with special needs since I was fifteen years old. While volunteering in a class of special needs high school students, I became enamored by the spiritedness of my academically challenged peers. I knew working with and advocating for students with special needs was the career I wanted to pursue. Since those days long ago, I have earned my Special Education Educator certification and School Building Leader certification. Over the years I have been a co-teacher (ICT) alongside my fellow educators. I have supported and educated students as a resource room teacher (SETSS), and have had the joy of working with the littlest children as a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT). I have been a Parent Trainer, guiding parents through the trials and tribulations of parenting. 

I have successfully assisted parents in New York City, different counties in New York State, as well as Connecticut and California. I have been pivotal in addressing school districts' gaps in the evaluation process for initial and triennial evaluations, as well as ensuring students received related services as listed on their IEP. I have accompanied parents to CSE meetings in order to review evaluation scores, address educational goals, and clearly identify a school's inability to meet the student's educational needs.

I have sat on both sides of the Committee of Special Education table as a parent and an educator.  I understand the frustrations of a parent who feels their child's educational needs are not being met, or a district is not adhering to an IEP. Just as infuriating, as a teacher, I have attended IEP meetings for my students and had to remain silent as my supervisor made promises I knew the school could not deliver.

I understand an excellent quality of life for a student begins when they are young. Independence and self-esteem are necessary to have the confidence to go forth in the world. Just as I have wanted for my children, I understand every parent wants their child to have access to a solid education that leads to a good quality of life that includes employment, independence, and friends.

I have been blessed with the privilege of being the mother to three adult children. They are filled with wanderlust, adventure, and are continually growing as contributing members of society. Being a parent to these three spirited humans, I understand why you will do what you must to get what your child needs to grow and flourish. 

Education and Credential:

• Western Connecticut State University - Bachelors of Science 2004- English and Elementary Education
• Manhattanville College - Masters of Professional Studies 2006- Special Education Birth - 12th Grade
• College of New Rochelle - School Building Leader Certification 2012 (SBL)
• Manhattanville College - Doctorate of Education - Educational Leadership (dissertation pending)