Leveling the Playing Field in Sports and Education: The Levy Way™
Week 4 of our 6-Week Series to Help You Navigate the School Year.
Back-to-school season brings excitement, but for families raising children with learning differences, disabilities, or unique educational needs, it can also bring uncertainty. That's why we're launching a six-week series designed to walk alongside you through the school year— from those first-day nerves to the moments that call for real advocacy. Each week, we'll share practical guidance rooted in The Levy Way™: proactive, collaborative, and centered on the whole child. Whether you're preparing for day one or navigating a bump in the road months from now, our goal is the same: to help you advocate with clarity and confidence, every step of the way.
Fair doesn’t mean everyone gets the same thing. Fair means every child gets what they need to have a meaningful opportunity to succeed.
As a parent, educator, and educational advocate, I see a powerful connection between sports and education. In both, we ask children to show up, work hard, practice, persevere, and perform. But we also understand something fundamental in sports: You don’t put every athlete through the exact same training program and expect the same results.
Different athletes need different coaching. Different equipment. Different strategies. Different levels of support.
Education should be no different.
The Levy Way™: Level the Playing Field
At Levy Educational Advocacy, The Levy Way™ is rooted in four core principles:
Compassion.
Expert Knowledge.
Connection.
Self-Care.
Together, they guide how we approach educational advocacy, not simply by asking, “What does the school provide?” but by asking, “What does this individual student need to access, participate in, and make meaningful progress in their education?” That is the difference between treating students equally and creating equitable access.
Compassion: See the Whole Child
Before we look at a diagnosis, a test score, an IEP, or a behavior report, we look at the child.
What are they experiencing?
What has changed?
What are their strengths?
Where are they struggling?
What might be happening beneath the behavior we are seeing?
A student is more than a disability category, more than a grade, and more than a set of scores. The Levy Way™ starts by seeing the whole child.
Expert Knowledge: Understand the Barriers
A student with dyslexia may need specialized reading instruction. A student with ADHD may need explicit executive functioning supports. A student with an invisible disability may need accommodations that aren't immediately obvious to others. A student experiencing a complex medical condition may have fluctuating access to learning, attendance, stamina, regulation, or cognition.
These supports aren't about making school easier. They are about removing barriers so the student can access the same opportunity to learn. In sports, we don't consider eyeglasses an unfair advantage for an athlete who needs them to see. We shouldn't consider appropriate educational supports an unfair advantage either.
Connection: Build the Right Team
No athlete succeeds alone. There are coaches, trainers, teammates, medical professionals, and families supporting the athlete. Students need teams, too. Parents, educators, administrators, specialists, providers, and advocates all bring different perspectives.
But connection requires more than having people in the same meeting. It requires communication, collaboration, and a shared understanding of the student. The question isn't, “Who is responsible?”, the question is, “How do we work together to help this student move forward?”
Self-Care: Remember the People Behind the Plan
This matters for parents, educators, and advocates, too. Educational advocacy can be exhausting.
When your child is struggling, every email can feel urgent. Every meeting can feel high stakes. Every new concern can feel overwhelming. The Levy Way™ recognizes that sustainable advocacy requires us to care for the people doing the advocating.
You cannot pour endlessly from an empty cup. Sometimes the most powerful advocacy step is taking a breath, gathering the information, and coming back to the table prepared rather than depleted.
Evidence → Impact → Next Step
One of the most important parts of The Levy Way™ is moving from emotion and frustration to evidence-based action.
We ask:
What does the evidence show?
How is this impacting the student's education?
What needs to happen next?
That might mean additional data. It might mean a change in accommodations. It might mean specialized instruction. It might mean revisiting an IEP or 504 Plan. It might mean addressing attendance or access to instruction. It might mean asking whether the current supports are actually working.
Advocacy isn't simply identifying a problem. It's turning information into action.
Fair Doesn't Mean Identical
This is one of the most important lessons sports can teach us.
A successful team doesn't pretend every athlete has the same needs. Instead, it identifies what each athlete needs to perform at their best. Education should work the same way.
Equal is not always equitable. Giving every student the exact same thing may look fair on paper. But if one student cannot access the opportunity because of a disability or barrier, sameness isn't fairness.
Equity means removing the barrier.
The Levy Way™ in Action
So as we head back to school, I encourage parents and educators to ask a different set of questions.
Not: “Why can't this child just do what everyone else is doing?”
But: “What is preventing this child from accessing the opportunity?”
Not: “Are we giving this student an advantage?”
But: “Are we providing the support necessary for this student to participate meaningfully?”
Not: “What does the diagnosis say?”
But: “What does this child need?”
That is The Levy Way™.
See the whole child.
Understand the barriers.
Use the evidence.
Build connection.
Create meaningful access.
And advocate with both expertise and empathy.
Because leveling the playing field isn't about giving a child an advantage.
It's about making sure they have a fair chance to play. Learn. Participate. Belong. And succeed.
This blog post is part of Levy Educational Advocacy’s six-week series designed to walk alongside you through the school year. Each week, we'll share practical guidance rooted in The Levy Way™: proactive, collaborative, and centered on the whole child. Whether you're preparing for day one or navigating a bump in the road months from now, our goal is the same: to help you advocate with clarity and confidence, every step of the way. To read the full series, click here.