Testimonials
What People Are Saying
“If you are in search of the most knowledgeable, compassionate, thorough, and downright sensational educational consultant look no further than Joanna Salzman! I have a super complicated situation and Joanna navigates it with ease and is always professional. What I like and appreciate most (and school teams do too) is that she is a partner and a collaborator with the school rather than an adversary. She is very skilled at holding the school responsible, examining and utilizing data, and coming up with an outstanding outcome. Joanna takes time to get to know her clients (kids and family) and makes an extremely stressful process tolerable. As a result of Joanna's support and advocacy, my son achieved honor roll for the last two quarters after an extremely challenging transition to middle school. High praise for Joanna!”
— Heather C., Current Client, June 2023
We are so grateful to have found Joanna! She helped us get the correct non-public school placement for our child, fully provided and funded by the school district, in just five months. We sought the advice of attorneys and advocates only to get conflicting and often incorrect information. This cost us not only financially but also in precious time. Working with Joanna was such a drastic difference. Joanna understood what we as parents were going through and offered advice and guidance in a way that felt supportive and educational. She took time to review our child's history and really understand what was happening. Joanna's previous career in MCPS was invaluable in understanding the process and knowing the key players from the district. She advocated for our child in a way that we would not have been able to do. Joanna also helped refine and edit our child's IEP to ensure the correct interventions and approaches were included. As parents we were reliant on the school to help us with this. Now with Joanna, we have checks and balances to ensure our child is getting what she needs to progress and not just what the school tells us. The IEP meetings are no longer dreaded. Joanna is a champion for students. We couldn't be happier with her services. We are grateful to have her on our side as our child continues on. Thank you Joanna!
- Parents of a former 7th grade MCPS student, March 2024
“Prior to meeting Joanna, I had been with an educational consultant since my son was 4 years old to grade 9. The previous consultant retired and it was now time for us to seek a new consultant. Through many trials and errors, I was introduced to Joanna. Although she was starting late in my son’s and other child’s IEP that I supervise, she took every single document that I submitted and thoroughly reviewed it and then did an extensive consultation intake with me. I thought I would never be able to find someone that could pick up the ball in the late stages and run with it. She surely proved me wrong! Her diligence, her passion for advocacy, her empathy for me when times have been hard have been unmatched. I cannot say enough about the gap she has filled when my previous consultant retired and how she has made my family feel advocated for on a level that exceeds any amount of payment that I could ever give her. She goes well above the call of duty and I am so grateful that the stars aligned for me to meet her and have her as my advocate! THANK YOU JOANNA!”
— Dr. Alicia Odum, Current Client, March 2022
I cannot speak highly enough about our education consultant, Ms. Joanna Salzman. Her dedication and expertise have been instrumental in ensuring productive changes to my son’s education plan. Joanna is not only thorough and organized, but she also approaches her work with genuine empathy and a deep understanding of the unique needs of each student. She knows how to navigate the complexities of the education system and advocate effectively for our child. Her commitment to making a difference is truly commendable. We are grateful to have her on our team!
— Susan O., Current 4th Grade Parent, March 2024
“I recently worked with Ms. Salzman on a case involving a child with complex medical, educational, and behavioral disabilities in which the parents were fighting over in which state the child would be raised. Ms. Salzman was identified and accepted as an expert witness in Special Education and Individual Education Plans in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Ms. Salzman’s testimony was exemplary, and was the result of careful preparation on her part. She meticulously compared each element of the competing IEP’s from the differing states, and was able to credibly testify to the Court regarding the differences between the IEP’s. She presented the information, which was complicated and voluminous due to the child’s complex needs, in a way that was organized, clear, and concise. Her manner of testifying was engaging and easy to follow. She took a large amount of dense information and reduced it to nine points of difference between the two plans. This made the information easily digestible to the Court which allowed for the best outcome for the child. Ms. Salzman’s professionalism and thoroughness, both in her preparation with my office and in her courtroom presentation, exceeded my expectations.”
— Maureen Glackin, Founding Partner at Reinstein, Glackin & Herriott, LLC, November 2022
“Ms. Salzman has the rare ability to to foster collaboration between educational professionals and families while maintaining a keen eye on accountability and integrity of all parties. I have worked with her for the past decade across public and private sectors, and have seen firsthand how she relates at both a professional and personal level to everyone—no matter the level of disagreement present. Her ability to respect multiple perspectives is based on real-time experience in education from the ground up. This includes time as a special education teacher, an administrator responsible for effective program delivery, as well as a leader in complex problem-solving with school teams and parents. Her knowledge of current evidence-based teaching strategies, curriculums, special education law, and creative service delivery models is unparalleled. At the center of her skill sets is a deep caring for each child to ensure they learn as they are entitled to and thrive in doing so.
Ms. Salzman knows words are not enough to make sure this is happening. Rather, she understands that data and responsibility are required for such outcomes from everyone involved in educational endeavors. She not only holds herself to this high standard by example, but also holds these standards for others, with simultaneously inspiring them to want to do so for themselves. This is a rare and much needed gift for educational professionals and parents in today’s world and those of the future.”