Student Advocacy Center of Michigan

Mission: To work collaboratively with underserved students, and their families, to stay in school, realize their rights to a quality public education, grow and experience success

The Student Advocacy Center of Michigan (SAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering students by addressing barriers to education and promoting equitable practices. Since 1975, we have served as the state’s only independent agency offering free non-legal education advocacy for both general and special education students. We focus especially on supporting economically disadvantaged youth, students in foster care or homelessness, students with mental health needs, and those impacted by school discipline or attendance challenges. Through a strengths-based, student-centered approach, we partner with families, schools, and communities to ensure that all children receive meaningful and appropriate educational opportunities.

At SAC, we work to ensure educational success through advocacy, mentoring, and systemic change.

• Education Advocacy & Mentoring: Supporting students facing barriers to school enrollment, attendance, or discipline through individualized, non-legal advocacy and mentorship.
• Family Empowerment: Building families’ power and self-advocacy skills to help them secure the educational supports their children need.
• Policy Change & Collective Action: Collaborating with students, families, and communities to challenge harmful policies and advocate for more just education systems.
• Dropout Prevention: Promoting graduation and reducing exclusions by addressing the root causes of school pushout.
• Student-Centered Support: Uplifting student voices and tailoring interventions to their goals, dreams, and lived experiences.

Together, we’re creating schools that work for every student.