Foundation, Management, & Accountability Systems of CSCP Fundamentals of Guidance and Counseling Fall 2024 Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration in a CSCP • The themes of the National Model are Leadership, Advocacy, Collaboration, and Systemic Change • Leadership: taking responsibility for initiating and propelling change for social justice • Advocacy: speaking and acting with and for disenfranchised persons • Collaboration: working with others in the school and community • Systemic Change: occurs when leadership, advocacy, and collaboration take place Leadership: School Counselor as Leader (1 of 3) • Counselors learn how to build consensus, how to facilitate others' finding their own answers, how to foster communication within and between groups, and how to empower clients to embrace their own intuitive life direction while evaluating alternatives Leadership: School Counselor as Leader (2 of 3) • Important to lead in various areas of the school community: • Advocating for student success • Leading various committees • Multicultural Awareness • Mentoring Programs • Student Leadership • Pupil Assistance Programs Leadership: School Counselor as Leader (3 of 3) • School counselors must be leaders and advocates for students, families, issues of social justice, schools, and the developmental agendas of students and families • The National Center for Transforming School Counseling advocates that counselors focus on the whole school and systemic concerns by performing various roles: • Leader • Planner • Collaborator • Service Broker • Program Developer Formal and Informal Power Structures • Understand power to understand leadership • Five Types of Power: • Reward Power: Provides benefits perceived as valuable • Coercive Power: Imposes punishments or remove benefits • Legitimate Power: Leader has the right to make the request and the follower has obligation to comply • Expert Power: Leader has the expertise, knowledge, or training that will result in valued outcomes • Referent Power: Follower’s admiration, liking, desire for approval, or identification with the leader, which prompts compliance Traditional, Transformative, and Transformational Leadership (1 of 2) • Traditional Leadership: Influence toward goal achievement • “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations” • Methods to motivating vary • Three frames of traditional leadership: ▪ Structural Leadership: Building of viable organizations, human resource leadership, etc.. ▪ Political Leadership: Distribution of power ▪ Symbolic Leadership: Interpretation and reinterpretation of meaning within our society Traditional, Transformative, and Transformational Leadership (2 of 2) • Transformative Leadership: Fosters creativity and engagement • “Engaged, activist, and courageous approach” • Transforming the school environment into one to help students become thoughtful, successful, caring, and engaged citizens • Transformational Leadership: Change agents who inspire innovation, and create and articulate a clear vision for an organization • Empowering others to exceed their own expectations, engender the trust of others, inspire extra effort, and give meaning to organizational life Participatory and Distributed Leadership • Participatory Leadership: One person takes initiative for engaging in the change process, and recruits others with similar vision and dedication to work together toward shared goals • Intentional inclusion of others in decision making, policy making, program design, and efforts toward a socially just school environment • More democratic model of leadership • Distributed Leadership: Interactions among multiple leaders • Emphasis on interdependence of all persons and their shared goals as mutually beneficial ways to collaborate and coordinate their activities Myths about Leadership • MYTH: Leaders come from maintaining the status quo • They come from finding new ways to address old problems • MYTH: Leaders focus on the short-term • They are able to maintain long-term approach to problem-solving ▪ Change is incremental and slow • MYTH: Leadership is reserved for only a very few people • Leadership is an observable, learnable set of practices that enhances certain qualities in everyone Personal Qualities of Effective Leaders • The list is not exhaustive • Includes the qualities discussed in Chapter 1 • Also includes: vision, strength, commitment, social awareness, energy, persistence, diplomacy, creativity, assertiveness, dependability, etc.. • Not a list that someone aspiring to be a leader must have or a list of qualities all leaders possess ▪ It is a list of qualities every school counselor should consider developing throughout their career Leadership Roles and Skills (1 of 2) • Most Effective Leadership Skills: • Establishing a vision for the program • Setting standards for performance of tasks or excellence of endeavors • Creating focus and direction for collective efforts • Caring deeply about what the organization or group does • Believing that doing the group's work well is important • Inspiring trust • Building relationships and empowering others • Communicating the vision with passion to others Leadership Roles and Skills (2 of 2) • Success in leadership resulted from: • Taking responsibility for change • Having courage in the face of doubts • Focused and clear school-based goals • Support from administration and others after some successes are demonstrated • Growth from self-reflection • Efforts that included and balanced all four leadership frames • Persistence in the face of feeling isolated A Process Model of Leadership • Five Steps for Leaders to Follow: • Challenge the process • Inspire a shared vision • Enable others to act • Model the way • Encourage the heart • Leadership must be started from your first day on the job! Advocacy: School Counselor as Advocate • Critical for social justice issues, school climate issues, closing the gap efforts, and power differential that is being abused • Advocacy: speaking for or with others on their behalf • Involves action on the part of the advocate • Is not effective unless you commit to the cause • Involves conversation, interaction with others • A cause is involved-a higher purpose or goal • Speaking on another’s behalf implies that someone is silenced or unable to plead on his/her own behalf Advocacy for Systemic Issues: Social Justice • School Counselors are charged with addressing systemic issues that impede students’ academic, career, and personal/social development • Being an advocate also extends to diverse colleagues in the school • Being aware of diversity issues in the school can make school counselors more aware of situations requiring advocacy • Monitoring the academic progress of students of diversity- poverty, cultural diversity, second-language issues, etc.. • Being in touch with the climate of the whole school in terms of inclusion/exclusion Collaboration: School Counselors as Collaborator • Engaging and motivating others to work together to help students • Takes hard work • Process relies heavily on effective skills in communication, negotiation, and motivation • Focus on shared responsibility, equal status of players, equal expertise, equal resources, equal input equal decision-making power, inclusivity, tolerance of dynamic process, effective communication, key persons identified, fluid roles and responsibilities, and clear shared goals and values Critical Resources to Support School and Community Partnerships (1 of 3) • Comprehensive model proposed to support school and community collaboration that builds on existing theory and Bryan & Henry’s work related to school, family, and community partnerships • Based on premise that in order to be more effective and efficient in addressing issues related to academic and nonacademic barriers, youth development, and educational reform, key stakeholders need to work together Critical Resources to Support School and Community Partnerships (2 of 3) • Bryan and Henry’s model for collaborative problem solving has 7 steps: • Preparing to partner- Where do I begin? • Assessing needs and strengths- How do I identify the goals of the partnership? • Coming together- How do I bring partners together? • Creating a shared vision and plan- How do I get everyone on board and on the same page? Critical Resources to Support School and Community Partnerships (3 of 3) • Taking action- What will we do and how will we do it? • Evaluating and celebrating success. How will I measure our success? • Maintaining momentum- How will I sustain this partnership? Systemic Change: School Counselor as Systemic Change Agent • The culmination of leadership, advocacy, and collaboration efforts • Requires deconstructing the idea of education to see where the current system privileges some students and oppresses others by denying equitable access to opportunities • Two things need to be considered to see what systemic changes would benefit students and families: • A vision of what education equity looks like (Destination) • A way to get there (Your road map) Transformative Leadership, Accountability Leadership, and Systemic Change (1 of 2) • Four steps to seeing oppressive systems within the school: • Use disaggregated data to understand how various demographics in the student population compare to others • See behind the data to see the dynamics of educational hegemony, when negative social messages about diverse persons dominate the school and suppress educational success Transformative Leadership, Accountability Leadership, and Systemic Change (2 of 2) • Lead, advocate, and collaborate to make changes happen in the school • Collect data to document the student’s success as a result of the systemic changes Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration: Examples and Issues (1 of 2) • School counselors coordinate programs for students in three domains: • Academic Development • Academic excellence award programs, peer tutoring, Academic Olympic games, new student orientation, transition programs, academic intervention for non-passing students, portfolios, authentic assessments Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration: Examples and Issues (2 of 2) • Career Development • Mentoring programs in professions and trades, career days, career interest testing programs, school-to-work/career programs, career cluster programming • Personal/Social Development • Advisor for student groups, peer mediation programs, peer mentoring programs, community service programs, community service programs, etc.. Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with Parents • Schools must develop flexible hours to meet the needs of working parents, develop family advocacy programs and parent inclusion programs within the school, and develop a family space within the school where parents and families can feel comfortable and safe • School Counselors must work extensively with parents/caregivers to be successful Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with School Colleagues (1 of 3) • Leadership and advocacy with partners in the school and district include: • Coordinating various teams to address the systemic issues of students • Coordinating the work of special educators and other professionals in the schools • Integrate services of all school-based mental health providers Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with School Colleagues (2 of 3) • Better integrate the services of the school counselor and school psychologist • Lead and coordinate evaluations of the school climate • Lead and advocate for employee assistance-like services for school employees Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with School Colleagues (3 of 3) • Variety as the spice of life: Administrative tasks • Some school counselors become involved in non-counseling activities • System Support Activities ▪ Data collection to evaluate and improve the program, service on committees and advisory boards and fair-share responsibilities • Completing these tasks give counselors greater credibility with teachers • Tasks may become unbalanced- can deplete time from professional tasks Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with Community Colleagues (1 of 2) • Programs that utilize community resources to accomplish the goals of the school counseling program include: • Mentoring Programs • Community Mapping • Interagency Collaboration • School/Community Collaboration • Youth Services Teams for At-Risk Youth Leadership, Advocacy, and Collaboration with Community Colleagues (2 of 2) • There are barriers to collaboration of services with community professionals including: • Outdated ideas about the role of the counselor or school, site-focused school administrators, turf issues, professional obsolescence, and overloads of “administrivia” Foundation System • To meet the needs of all the students, a strategic plan must be in place • Counselors develop Smart goals for the comprehensive school counseling program • Specific • Measureable • Attainable • Results-Oriented • Time-Bound What Do Students Need? • Developmental needs are important to keep in mind especially at elementary level students • Needs are diverse • May include safety, academic rigor, supportive services • Multi-tiered systems of support aim to met all students’ needs in systematic ways • Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Response to Intervention (RtI) create a pyramid-type method to meet all students’ needs Student Competencies • ASCA revised the National Standards for Students to align with the national academic standards • Now called ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success: K–12 College- and Career- Readiness for Every Student ▪ Connect the three domains of academic, career, and social-emotional with greater flexibility for alignment with state and national standards • Mindset Standards: the beliefs students have about themselves • Behavior Standards: visible demonstrations of academic and social behaviors conducive to success Professional Competencies • School Counselors must adhere to the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors • Guides work with students and address topics including student and parent rights, responsibilities to the profession, and the use of technology in a responsible manner • School Counselor Competencies outline specific knowledge, ability and skills, and attitudes that all school counselors should possess • Propose minimum training goals for school counseling graduate programs Management System • Management tools used in designing and maintaining comprehensive school counseling programs • Use of data to inform decision making • Need to use baseline data or data collected to show what is currently happening, to assess areas of strength, and areas that need attention • Needs Assessments: helps determine baseline status and needs of specific school environment • Macro Level: looking at comprehensive status of the school • Micro Level: examining the specific small group needs of the school The Advisory Board (1 of 4) • Key component to an effective comprehensive school counseling program • Guides program efforts, advocate for change, and be a voice for school counseling in the district • Important to determine how to operationalize the concept of “partner” into the building of an advisory board • Members asked to sit on board will depend on the demographics and makeup of local community, district, and school The Advisory Board (2 of 4) • Members to consider to sit on the board: • Students- select student representatives that reflect the overall demographic makeup of the school • Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers- select parents and caregivers from all economic levels including those who live in shelters and/or who are homeless The Advisory Board (3 of 4) • Colleagues in the Schools- select representatives from teachers, aides, administrators, and other student services professionals • Colleagues in the Community- invite representatives from a variety of employers, business community, mental health providers, medical professionals, and organizations who have a stake in young people’s academic success and school achievement The Advisory Board (4 of 4) • The advisory board has several purposes: • Will assist with designing the comprehensive school counseling program • Will support and guide you as the program is implemented ▪ A long-term effort to maneuver through politics, growing pains, and realities of getting the program off the ground • Will assist in assessment and evaluation of the program Tools • ASCA National Model offers several templates for program planning • Professional Competencies Checklist • Use of Time Assessment ▪ Tracks the activities that school counselors perform on a daily basis • Lesson Plan Template ▪ Helps outline specific lessons in developmental counseling curriculum based on the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors Accountability System • School Counselors must analyze data to make decisions and show effectiveness of comprehensive school counseling programs • Federal legislation mandates data-driven methods of evaluating educator effectiveness • Transforming School Counseling Initiative challenged school counselors to get better at using data-driven practices • School Counselors resist using data for multiple reasons: • Not feeling prepared to work with data, considering it to be scary, and mixing up types of data What is Data? (1 of 5) • School Counselors collect data through pre-established systems • Attendance and graduation rates, discipline referrals, school report card information, or test scores • Demographic data of student body and surrounding community can easily be obtained through school databases • Data helps in many ways: • Manage programs, determine student needs, and evaluate our effectiveness What is Data? (2 of 5) • Three types of data School Counselors may come across: • Process data: evidence that an event occurred ▪ Number of small group meetings, number of participants, and average length of each meeting, etc.. What is Data? (3 of 5) • Perception data: asks participants what they know, believe, or can do ▪ Looks at how student learning and behavior changed as a result of the school counselor’s initiative • Outcome data: shows the impact of an intervention ▪ Similar to perception data, but is connected to the existing process data What is Data? (4 of 5) • Also important to think of formative and summative data • Formative data: collected during the event to determine to what degree the intervention is working, or how participants feel about it ▪ Examples: Simple surveys, using quizzes, or group interviews throughout the intervention, etc.. • Summative data: collected and analyzed upon completion of the intervention ▪ Like outcome data ▪ Examples: Curriculum, small group, and closing the gap results reports What is Data? (5 of 5) • Quantitative Data: involves concrete, numeric values often analyzed using statistical methods • Examples: Frequency counts, average test scores, median income level, and graduation rates • Disaggregating data: breaking it apart once collected ▪ Aids in designing specific and measureable delivery methods of school counseling interventions • Qualitative Data: looks at the quality of something, less concrete • Useful when combined with quantitative data- adds more depth to the resulting information • Examples: Student interviews or student writing examples Program Evaluation (1 of 3) • Involves using data collection and analysis methods to assess how well your program is working to align with its mission and in meeting student needs • Requires time when initially setting up the system chosen • Several program evaluation tools already exist • Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) ▪ Recognition shows stakeholders how important the school program is in meeting student needs • Wisconsin School Counselor Program Accountability Report (WSCPAR) ▪ State level program evaluation tool Program Evaluation (2 of 3) • Action Research may be employed to understand how counseling interventions are working, with the ability to modify depending on the participant’s immediate needs • Occurs in the moment directly with students, is formative, and provides the opportunity to immediately apply results Program Evaluation (3 of 3) • Steps for implementing action research are as follows: ▪ Identify the problem and goals ▪ Create a specific problem statement and research question that can be measured and achieved ▪ Determine desired outcome measures ▪ Develop a research plan ▪ Implement the plan and measure periodically ▪ Collect and analyze data ▪ Report results and make necessary program changes Disseminating Results (1 of 2) • At minimum, the accountability data should be shared with school stakeholders-Principal, parents, students, and community partners • May want to show data regarding school climate issues and barriers to student success Disseminating Results (2 of 2) • How can I share data in ways that are powerful, yet understandable? • Keep it simple! • Visual displays are quick and easy to present and interpret • Make information easily accessible ▪ Convene everyone for a presentation of information to allow stakeholders to ask questions ▪ Share results on the school’s website or in a newsletter ▪ 2017, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education
