School Counseling Leadership Institute

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School Counseling Leadership Institute

• Amherst, MA
• July 15, 2003

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School Counselors Working as Leaders and
Advocates for Systemic Change
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Transforming School Counseling Goals

• Achieve Equity and Social Justice for Students
• Increase Student Learning and Achievement

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The New Vision of School Counseling
1. Counseling 2. Consultation 3.
Coordination
1. Leadership 2. Advocacy 3. Teaming
Collaboration 4. Counseling Coordination 5.
Assessment Use of Data
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Leadership Advocacy are About

• Voicing the Need for Necessary Change
• Presenting the Data That Tells the Story About
  the Current Situation in Your School
• Not Being Afraid to Talk About Attitudes and
  Beliefs About Students
• Knowing How to Problem Solve and Advocate for
  Systemic Change
• Knowing How to Move People Through the Change
  Process
• Creating a Climate That Leads to Increased
  Achievement for All Students

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Data Driven School Counseling Programs
Bully Proofing Program

• 70 Attendance Rate for Low SES Students

Tutoring
Mentors
Individual Counseling
Small Group
Student Focused Interventions
Manager Of Resources
Classroom Guidance
Behavior Management
Phone Contact
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Data Driven School Counseling Programs
Change Daily Schedule

• 70 Attendance Rate for Low SES Students

Lead Advisory Training
Lead Task Force
Student Focus Groups
Disaggregate Data By Teacher
System Focused Interventions
Change Attendance Policies
Advocate for Task Force
Team With Parents Community
Advisory Program
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Advocating for Systems Change

• Shift from Focus on Individual to Focus on
  Systems Change
• Moving to the Top of the Waterfall
• Using Data

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What is Advocacy?

• Definition
• Beliefs about Advocacy

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Why Advocacy?

• Advocacy
• Can change attitudes, policies, or practices to
  reduce or eliminate barriers
• Reduces barriers so that students can be
  successful in school

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Who Is An Advocate?

• A person who argues for a cause A supporter or
  defender
• A person who intervenes in the lives of students
  and the world around them
• A person who takes action regarding significant
  social, cultural, and economic issues that impact
  students

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Common Forms Of Advocacy In Counseling

• Advocacy for the counseling profession or
  professional advocacy
• Advocacy for students
• Advocating for systems change

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To Change Systems Counselors

• Use Data to Analyze and Challenge the Status Quo
  and Support Accountability
• Advocate for Policies and Practice That Raise
  Student Achievement for All Students
• Collaborate With All Stakeholders
• Assume Leadership Roles in Their Schools
• Broker Community Resources to Support Student
  Achievement

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What are Systems?

• Classroom
• School
• School District
• Family
• Outside Agencies
• Community
• Culture
• World

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Systemic Change Arenas

• Attitudes
• Policies
• Practices

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A Framework For Advocating For Change in The
Larger System

• Preliminary Steps of change
• Identify Problem(s)-Review Data
• Determine if the Problem(s) is Widespread
• Clarify Possible Systemic Contributions to
  Problem(s)
• Assess the Risks of Action and Non-action

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Action Steps

• Clarify Source and Focus of Problem(s)
• Identify Allies Working on the Same Issue(s)
• Identify Opportunities for Teaming and
  Collaboration
• Clarify Roles in the Change Process
• Gather Additional Data if Needed

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Action Steps

• Enlist Support
• Identify Sources of Resistance
• Develop Resistance Strategies
• Identity Realistic Action
• Delineate Action Plan
• Evaluate Progress

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Over-Riding Principles

• Act with Purpose
• Act Ethically
• Keep Lines of Communication Open
• Keep Your Efforts Visible
• Remain Hopeful
• Think Ahead
• Work Collaboratively
• Remember Advocating for Change is a Long Process

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Specific Strategies to Spur Systemic Change

• Challenging Low Expectations
• Influencing Course Enrollment Patterns
• Providing Needed Supports for Student Learning
• Raising Student Aspirations
• Influencing Instructional Programs
• Supporting Accountability

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Activity

• Problem Low Scores on the State Student
  Achievement Test
• Brainstorm student focused interventions
• Brainstorm system focused interventions

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What Can You Expect When You Try To Change The
System
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What Happens When Systems Try to Change?

• Individual Responses to Change
• System Responses to Change

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System Responses to Change

• Political
• Administrative, union, school board, community,
  business, state, federal
• Resources
• Financial, human, materials, buildings,
  technology
• Policy
• Discipline, attendance, course enrollment,
  placing, testing, organizational structure

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Resistance Challenge Opportunity
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Accepting the Opportunity Putting Our
Counseling Skills to Work

• LISTEN - LISTEN LISTEN
• Create two-way communication
• Establish trust
• Accept and understand where they are
• Use data to show the urgency for change
• Depending on emotional cognitive responses
  decide next steps

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An Opportunity Putting Our Leadership
Advocacy Skills to Work

• Discover who has the political power
• Discover who has the social influence
• Use data to show the urgency for change
• Team and collaborate to create a shared vision
• Advocate for policy change
• Advocate for resource reallocation

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Transformed School CounselorsThink and Behave
Differently

• Proactively Rather Than Reactively
• Collaboratively Rather Than in Isolation
• Both Individually and Systemically

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Courage, Courage, Courage!!

• Not everything that is faced can be changed, but
  nothing can be changed unless it is faced
• James
  Baldwin

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The Education Trust

• For More Information . . .
• www.edtrust.org
• 202-293-1217 Ext. 327
• rhouse_at_edtrust.org