School Counselors and Equity:
Ensuring College and Career Readiness
for Every Student
Minority Student Achievement Network
Mini Conference: Bridging the Gap
November
18Center
– 19,
2013 School Counseling
© 2011 THE EDUCATION
TRUST National
for Transforming
NOSCA 2012 SCHOOL COUNSELOR
SURVEY
© 2013 NCTSC
© 2013 NCTSC
Key Finding: Efficacy
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
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Key Finding: Training
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
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Key Finding: Accountability
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
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Key Finding: Aligned Resources
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
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ONE YEAR OUT STUDY
© 2013 NCTSC
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We have an Ethical Obligation
•
•
•
•
Every student
Special attention to historically underserved
Advocates for and affirms diverse populations
Ensure equity…through use of data to close
achievement and opportunity gaps
• Protects against anything not in the student’s
best interest
• Informs…anything potentially disruptive to
school’s mission
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling
What Does This Mean?
Situations that were not ethical
dilemmas before are ones now.
© 2013 NCTSC
Equality
Equity
“The Highest Equality is Equity”
Victor Hugo
© 2012 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming
© 2013School
NCTSC
Equity or Equality?
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling
We have a Moral Imperative
• Kids have no choice over the color of their skin, the
language they speak or family income
• We either help or harm, this is no neutral
– School counselor words and actions are POWERFUL
• Educators misinterpret incompetence for insubordination
– High school students are still children! Remember development
theory.
• Our responsibility to shed light and heat on equity and
opportunity gaps
– Include both gaps of commission and omission
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling
Equity Gaps Based On:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Race
Class
Gender
Sexual Orientation
Religion
Culture
Ability/Disability
Age
• Goth
• Nationality
• Other Areas Unique to
Educations
– Tracking
– Athletes
– Clubs
– ?? (School counselors
know where the gaps
are)
© 2013 NCTSC
Equity Gaps: Comission
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
School clubs
After-school programs
Athletic study tables
Gifted/Talented programs
Access to challenging courses
Access to support services
Access to resources
Distribution of teacher talent
© 2013 NCTSC
Equity Gaps: Omission
• Lack of just-in-time student support
• Not having early warning system for
students
• Not paying particular attention to students
who have historically be underserved by
the education system
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling
HOW MIGHT SCHOOL COUNSELORS
CONTRIBUTE TO THE EQUITY GAP?
© 2013 NCTSC
CCR Course Sequence Enrollment
Disaggregated by School Counselor
© 2013 NCTSC
HOW DOES THE COMMON CORE
FIT INTO ALL OF THIS?
© 2013 NCTSC
So What is the School Counselor’s Role in
the Implementation of the Common Core?
Step 1: Understand It
Step 2: Support It
Step 3: Act on It
Achieve (2012) Implementing the Common Core: The Role of the School Counselor
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
Understand It
• Are aligned with college and work expectations;
• Are clear, understandable, and consistent;
• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge
through higher-order skills;
• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state
standards;
• Are informed by other top-performing countries so
that all students are prepared to succeed in our global
economy and society; and
• Are evidence based.
Achieve (2012) Implementing the Common Core: The Role of the School Counselor
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
Support It
• Think across grade levels;
• Develop comprehensive school counseling plans;
• Provide focused professional support to teachers and academic
supports to students;
• Work in alignment with American School Counselor Association
(ASCA) national standards for professional school counseling;
• Create standards-based college- and career-focused lessons; and
• Design clearer processes for course sequencing and credit
articulation.
Achieve (2012) Implementing the Common Core: The Role of the School Counselor
© 2013 National Center for Transforming School Counseling
Advocate for and Act on It
Content:
• Literacy Instruction
• Mathematics Instruction
• Instructional Time
• Instructional Practices
• Professional Learning
• Assessment
• Technology Integration
• Culture
How?
• Become familiar with school
data
• Disaggregate data by subgroups
• Present inservice presentations
• Join committees/leadership
teams
YOU ARE THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS
Adapted from: Achieve (2012) Implementing the Common Core: The Role of the School Counselor
© 2013 NCTSC
We have a Moral Imperative
• Kids have no choice over the color of their
skin, their language or family income
• Help or harm
• Commission vs omission
• Incompetence vs insubordination
• Equity and opportunity gaps
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling
How Can the School Counselors
Do This Work?

Creating data-driven school counseling
programs aligned with the school’s
improvement plan serve students better

Taking a leadership role in schools helps
bring about systemic change and alter
student outcomes
© 2013 NCTSC
ASCA National Model 3rd Edition
Source:
© 2013 NCTSC
The old question was…
“What do counselors do?”
The new question is…
“How has student
achievement increased
as a result of the
school counseling
team?“
© 2013 NCTSC
Typical School Counseling
Program Activities
Small
Group
Phone
Contact
Mentoring
Students
Study
Skills
Group
Tutoring
Bully
Proofing
Program
Individual
Counseling
Classroom
Guidance
Behavior
Management
© 2013 NCTSC
Data Driven School Counseling Programs
70% Attendance Rate for
Low SES Students
Small
Group
Mentoring
Students
Tutoring
Bully
Proofing
Program
Individual
Counseling
Student Focused
Phone
Contact
Study
Skills
Group
Classroom
Guidance
Behavior
Management
© 2013 NCTSC
Student Focused Interventions
Interventions designed to directly help
students gain knowledge and skills in the
areas of academic, career, and personal/social
development in order to help them better
navigate the educational system – do better in
school
© 2013 NCTSC
ACADEMIC
Academic Results
Interventions (6-8)
Career
Personal/ Social
120
100
80
60
on retention
off retention
40
20
0
8th
7th
6th
grade grade grade
72 students avoided retention
© 2013 NCTSC
Data Driven School Counseling Programs
Only 15% Hispanic enrollment
rate in honors classes
Disaggregate
Data by
???
Lead
Task
Force
Advocate
For Early
Supports
Conduct
Teacher
Inservice
Student
Focus
Groups
System Focused
Advocate
for Open
Advocate Enrollment
PD for
Honors
Teachers
Advocate
for
Task
Force
Team
With
Parents &
Community
© 2013 NCTSC
System Focused Interventions
Interventions designed to help the system (school)
change in order to better meet the needs of the
students.
Examples:
• Change educator attitudes, expectations, and
priorities
• Reduce with adult resistance to change
• Change policy
• Change practice
© 2013 NCTSC
Minority Enrollment in a Jefferson County High
School – Systems-Focused
© 2013 NCTSC
School Counseling Connected to the
Mission of the School
Ensure Students in Rigorous Courses
Advocate for Students
Gather & Present Data
System Focused
Inservice Presentations
Activities
DATA
Student Focused Classroom Guidance
Small Group Interventions
Activities
Individual Interventions
Referral
© 2013 NCTSC
ithin every child is a dream,
Filled with the hope of happiness and
The bright promise of success.
We are the guardians of dreams.
We must garner the power of education, family, community;
Yea, of all creation if we must,
So that not one dream fades into darkness.
PLH
© 2013 NCTSC
Contact Information
Peggy Hines, Ed.D
peghines@nctsc.org
812-345-0942 (cell)
© 2011 THE EDUCATION TRUST National Center for Transforming School Counseling