ELPS Welcomes New Director of Special Education

Precios Armstrong may be a renowned educator and district administrator, but when she’s back in her hometown of Jackson, she is still known as “Ms. Johnson’s daughter.”

It’s fitting because Armstrong, the East Lansing Public Schools’ new director of special education, names her mother as her favorite educator.

“People will be like, wait a minute, are you Mrs. Johnson’s daughter?” Armstrong said in an interview with ELi.

“Yes, yes I am. My mom embodies a passion for making sure babies have what they need. Parents know that they’re in partnership, making sure that we are advocating for the babies at all times. She is absolutely my greatest hero when it comes to being an educator.”

But her own career as an educator almost didn’t happen. Armstrong earned a degree in public affairs and policy from Michigan State University and was planning to go to law school. Instead she became an AmeriCorps volunteer, working in the nonprofit world. This change in trajectory led her to obtain a second bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, this time in special education, from MSU. She taught for 14 years before earning her PhD in educational leadership, with a dissertation focused on culturally responsive practices and special education.

“This is everything I’ve always wanted to do,” she said, referring to her work in special education. “I’ve always had this passion for advocating for children. It’s been about how can I shape and collaborate with children and families and my colleagues to make sure that the babies that need [help] the most get it? Because if we can reach the babies that need us the most, then we’re definitely doing a better job with all the children.”

Armstrong has been an active player in the evolution of best practices in special education for more than two decades and has seen how much the field has changed in that time.

“If we’re looking at longevity-wise with regard to special education, we’ve changed drastically,” she said. “When you look at the foundation of special ed, it was problematic. We have shifted from a space of saying, of really kind of doing, ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ shifting into truly being a more inclusive environment that is trying to be representative of the needs of our very much intersectional identities of our students. And so that has been the drastic piece, because we went from hide everybody off to the side, exclude them as much as possible if they’re remotely different, very much in a stratified way with regard to race and ethnic backgrounds. And we’ve shifted into how do we make sure that all the babies are getting access and then doing it with an intentionality that is not just words, but actually putting action behind it.”

At ELPS, Armstrong will work with just over 400 students.

“One of the things we’re really blessed and fortunate [with] is that we have programming for every aspect,” she said. “That continuum is not necessarily present in every district, but we have it. So, if you need a lesser amount of support, we have that available to you. If you need a categorical or more enhanced level of support, we have that as well. And then, with our partnership with Ingham ISD [Intermediate School District], we’re able to even further that continuum by making sure that even those students who require an increased level of support can be afforded that.”

Armstrong was excited about the possibility of working in ELPS and is happy about the team she will work with.

“You have a myriad of professionals that are dedicated to doing what’s best for children,” she said. “I think we have some phenomenal things but with everything, there’s always room for growth and improvement. That’s one of the things that I’m really working on figuring out: What are the pieces that we can grow so that we can enhance the legacy that we have here?”

These members of Armstrong’s team are often tasked with the additional challenge of helping students’ families come to grips with a diagnosis or test result that indicates their child requires support from the special education team.

“There is a grieving process that happens,” Armstrong said. “And it’s not that this student, that there’s anything wrong with them. I reject the idea of deficit and lean into the thought that this is a different way of how this student is going to navigate these spaces. With that being said, that grieving is more so because you have this little one…and you have this dream that you made up of how you perceive this student’s journey is going to be. When you find that there’s going to be some challenges, different challenges for this young person, there is grieving the dream that you had and re-conceiving of it in a way that makes sense for this child.

“I think special education professionals, what we have to do is make sure that we lean into what the baby can do. And lean into, this is this person’s child, this is their baby, so they’re their first and best expert. So, how are we making sure that they have a voice at the table and [are] collaborating so that everything that we do makes sense for this child?”

Armstrong believes in having an open door policy of communication and being intentional with how input is solicited from families.

“And knowing that we may not always agree,” she said, “but that’s okay. Because sometimes we need conflict to move forward. It’s how we kind of shake up the map to figure out what is truly the best path forward.”

When asked about the graduation rate of East Lansing special education students, Armstrong clearly believes the district can do better.

“Our graduation rate for students with IEPs [individualized education programs] is consistent with what we’re seeing across the state,” she said. “Our goal is to see really a 100% graduate rate, and really, if we can’t get there, we really want to hit that 80% or more.  That’s where everyone wants to be and we’re all trying to figure that out.”

State data released in 2023 found that in the previous year, only 58% of “disabled high school students” earned a high school degree within four years. 83% of students without disabilities graduated.

ELPS Board of Education Trustee Terah Chambers, believes that Armstrong is just the person to push these big goals toward fruition.

“I could not be more pleased with our hiring of Dr. Armstrong,” she said. “The position is a critical one in our district. However, if I could put together a ‘wish list’ of qualities I would hope for, I still could not have imagined such a dynamic candidate – she exceeds all expectations. We have a lot of work to do in ELPS, and I’m excited about what Dr. Armstrong will bring to the team. I know our community will feel the same as they get to meet her.”

As for the wider community, Armstrong encourages everyone to be active advocates for the district’s students.

“Let [your] voices be heard,” she said. “This is year 25 in education for me, and what I found to be the most critical is families, the community being true and sincere partners in what we’re doing. If there’s concerns, or if there’s praise, share that then I know where we need to go.

“And when we reach out and say that we need to identify some resources for various students, or what have you, to better ensure that our programming meets everyone’s needs, be willing to help partner for those resources or identify them… We need everybody. This is truly a work of love.”