The Student Advocacy Center of Michigan records include administrative files and other subject files of executive director Ruth Zweifler documenting the Center’s advocacy programs, its management and funding sources. Also included are clippings relating to the Center’s support in 1979 of Ann Arbor teachers having training in Black English. The records are arranged into six series: Administration; Ruth Zweifler, Executive Director, 1975-2004; Program; Grants and Fundraising, Digital Materials, and Audiovisual Materials
Beginning as a volunteer tutor in Angell School, 1969-1975, Ruth Zweifler led a group of concerned citizens to form the Student Advocacy Center (SAC). Established in 1975, the Student Advocacy Center provided advocacy services for individual public school students and their families to relieve school-related problems and monitored local and state educational agencies for policies and practices that hurt children. Issues focused on school exclusions, such as, drop-out, "push-out," suspension, and expulsion. SAC concerned itself with the relationship between academic competency and exclusion. Finally, SAC attempted to identify support services and strategies to enhance school success for marginal students.
The by laws and mission statement of SAC went through several revisions after 1975. The SAC has as its current mission statement (May 5, 2001), "Student Advocacy Center of Michigan operates with the conviction that a vigorous public school system that serves all children well is an essential component of a robust democracy. Toward that end the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan advocates on behalf of, and in partnership with, Michigan's children and young adults and their families in order to ensure that those who are educationally unserved, underserved or ill-served receive a free, individualized and equitable education and become fully participating members of their communities."
SAC took an interventionist approach on the behalf of identified students. The landmark case that brought SAC into the national spotlight was the 1979 case in the court of Judge Charles Joiner in Ann Arbor. A group of African-American parents, with the support of SAC, sued the Ann Arbor Board of Education on the issue of Black English classroom instruction for their children. The suit was resolved in favor of the parents and the Ann Arbor Board of Education was compelled to provide accommodation to African-American students.
Initially, SAC acted as advocate for Ann Arbor area students and their parents, but in 1988 (Ann Arbor News, December, 18, 1988), the volunteer group reorganized on a statewide basis with a board of directors, enlarged to thirty members, and a new advisory board. At this time, SAC expanded its focus from individuals to issues on a statewide basis. Up to this point SAC had operated on an annual budget of about $15,000. By broadening the geographic base through board members, SAC hoped to expand its finances as well.
In 1998, SAC undertook a data gathering project on public school expulsions, contacting school districts directly with requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The resulting report, "Access Denied, "established that 571 children were expelled from 17 of the state's 554 school districts in a two-year period. A FOIA request from SAC to the State of Michigan revealed that data on expulsions statewide did not exist. By conducting an analysis of the SAC case files for 1999-2000, SAC concluded that 71% of expelled students for that period were either Special Education certified, receiving section 504 protections, or had exhibited identifiable risk factors prior to expulsion. These conclusions were used as a basis for expansion of interventions that SAC promoted. In 1999, a Lawyers Committee was created. The Lawyers' Committee set as goals: to demand accurate information about the number and reasons for student expulsions from Michigan public schools, to "spread the word" about the negative effects of student expulsions, and to actively engage state legislators. This committee was composed of attorneys across Michigan who served voluntarily to review state legislation that negatively impacted public school students' right to an education and to advocate legislative change. An Attorney Network was also formed to provide pro bono assistance to cases referred by SAC if a student problem was beyond the SAC mission. At this time SAC created a website as a resource for parents or students who need to know the procedures for initiating intervention and the free resources available to them. The website was developed through a cooperative effort with Washtenaw Community College.
In 1999, Project SOAR was developed and funded to provide educational alternatives to expelled public school students. From SOAR the Washtenaw County Intermediate School District spun off another program, School to Youth: Learning for Unserved Students (STYLUS). Ken Ludwig, SOAR case manager, provided services to more than half of STYLUS participants. After a Board revitalization effort in 2000, SAC made a successful effort to submit and obtain grants for several programs, implemented in 2001: Active Voices of Youth and Raise a Strong Voice for Children. Active Voices of Youth, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation with $32,000, enabled SAC to organize high school student focus groups from schools around Michigan to form planning groups with the purpose of creating positive school climates. Raise a Strong Voice for Youth Legal Advocacy Project, a partnership with the University of Michigan Law School, and funded by the Michigan State Bar Foundation, strengthened SAC personnel with the creation of a staff attorney position and brought legal and social work volunteer professionals into SAC staff.
Fire destroyed SAC offices February 19, 2002 when an arsonist set fire to the United Way Building where SAC was a tenant. It is important to note that many of the SAC files were destroyed in the fire, so there are many gaps in these records.
