The issue
The transition from elementary school to junior high is difficult for many students. Can Teacher
Advisors (TAs) help?
The story
The TA program in a BC school is describ ed, with particular emphasis on the teacher’s role.
Then students’, parents’, and teachers’ views concerning the program are presented. The data indicate important benefits are reaped.
A student who is new to a junior high school experiences a variety of anxious and uncertain moments. One reason is that the student has left a consistent class setting with twenty to thirty familiar children, a personal desk, and a sole classroom teacher. The transition from elementary to junior high school is potentially hazardous (Cheng, 1986) and the quality of many students’ school lives declines, especially in the first year (Hirsch and Rapkin, 1987). At this stage in a student’s development there is a need for at least one stable relationship in a less personalized environment.
Why TAs?
With the ratio of junior high students to guidance counselors as high as three hundred to one, it is imperative that someone else act as an “early warning system.”
The role of a Teacher Advisor (TA) is to help students develop a sense of belonging, help them feel good about themselves, and act as their advocate.
The TA Program at Dr. Kearney
For the reasons mentioned above, Dr. Kearney Junior Secondary School in Fort St. John,
British Columbia implemented its Teacher Advisor Group (TAG) Program in September 1986.
Our mission was to “address each student’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs by providing a supportive and nurturing environment.” The program has become the base for the total operation of our school.
Structure
Under our system, the school is divided into four smaller units called houses. Each house includes a coordinator, a group of Teacher Advisors, and the students for whom the advisors are responsible. It is hoped that in these TAGs the loyalties and trust essential for building a caring school will be enhanced. For this reason a student remains in the same TAG for as long as he or she is in our school.

Each teacher advisor is responsible for a multi-age group (grades 8, 9 and 10) of twenty to twenty-five students. TAG meetings are eighteen minutes long and take place immediately following the lunch break.
Before the end of September, a TA must contact the parents of each member of the TAG to inform them about what the TAG Program hopes to accomplish, and encourage them to contact the TA regarding any concern they might have. Each parent must also be contacted as soon as possible after each reporting period to discuss student progress.
What Happens in a TAG?
Although the basic premise of the TAG Program is that it will develop interpersonal skills and build relationships, time in TAG meetings is not spent mainly on counseling. Administrative tasks – such as daily attendance, announcements, handing out report cards, and collecting intermittent fees – all take place during the TAG block. Silent reading or study, and teacherdirected educational activities such as study skills or journal writing, can also be part of TAG.
One or more TAG periods per month may be “Student Choice” days, or used for special events like birthday parties. Student planning also takes place in TAG. Group events such as intramurals, and individual decisions – such as which electives to take the following year – can also be facilitated by the TA.
Group discussions are an integral aspect of the system. These discussions need not be formal and often occur at a “teachable moment.” A major local, national, or international event may become the topic, or the group might discuss issues within the school, such as discipline, garbage in the halls, or vandalism.
A teacher also may use TAG time to talk with students individually.
Role of the Teacher Advisor
Teacher Advisors may be the initial contact for students about concerns that range from the seemingly minor through the more serious
– such as drug abuse and sexual abuse. The TA’s role is to give the students attention and reassure them of their worth. Helping a student develop a plan to solve a problem is also critical. To permit this, professional development days and staff retreats have been dedicated to front-line counseling skills. This is not to say that a TA should try to replace guidance counselors or professional agencies; on the contrary, the TA should be ready to refer a student’s problem if it is, in fact, serious.
TAs also serve as mediators in class discussions. They must be careful not to appear the
“expert,” and must refrain from saying things like “When I was fourteen ..” to prevent the discussion fro becoming a lecture. One other important task is to ensure that the group treats all of its members with courtesy and respect, especially during the discussions.
The TA is also the initial contact for subject teachers who have behavioral or academic concerns about members of their TAGs. This may lead to the TA arranging a conference involving parents and teachers.

A counseling file must be kept for each member of the group. Notes from home and academic or behavioral office referrals are read, discussed with the student, and filed. In this way, the teacher can remain current with each student’s status.
An Assessment of the Program
Although our staff fully endorses the TAG program, up until recently, no formal evaluation has been done. What evidence did we have that the TAG environment facilities and encourages sharing, caring and respect? Simply put, “Has the extra effort been worthwhile?”
In November 1990, our school applied for and was selected as an Intermediate Developmental
Site for the Province of British Columbia’s “Year 2000 Project.” We were chosen because of our
TAG Program and its possibilities in the area of “Emotional and Social Development.” Funding was provided for an evaluation of our program.
Surveys were created and then completed by staff, parents, our students, and the grade nine students of another junior high school which does not use the TAG system. The schools are located in a town of 15,000 people in northern British Columbia. Our school has a student population of 560 students and the other has 400 students. Both schools have roughly the same number of bus students and a similar socio-economic mix. Homeroom teachers in the control school are responsible for administrative tasks and the supervision of a silent reading period.
Findings
The student survey
When asked to identify the person they would first approach about a concern at school, 47% of our students chose their Teacher Advisor, while 95% of students at the control (No TAG) school chose their homeroom teacher (Figure 1). Our counselors were the first choice for only 17% of our students, while counselor at the other school were chosen by 60% of students.
At the control school, 28% of the students felt that their homeroom tea cher was “there when I needed him/her,” while at our school 59% felt that way. When asked how often they sought the advice of their homeroom teac her, 83.5% of students at the control school said “never” while
37% of our students “never” sought the advice of their Teacher Advisor (Figure 2).
It appears that front line counseling is occurring in our TAGs.

STUDENT SURVEY
NO TAG SCHOOL
TAG SCHOOL
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
9.5
46.7
*TA/Homeroom
6.8
19.4
60.2
16.9
Counsellor
12.3
9.4
10.8
7.2
Other
Figure 2
STUDENT SURVEY NO TAG SCHOOL
TAG SCHOOL
100
83.5
80
60
47.2
37.3
40
15.4
20 12.3
4.1
0
Never Seldom Often
The parent survey
The results of our parent survey indicate that they, too, believe the TAG program is effective.
Copies of the survey were sent to the parents of all 560 students. Two hundred and forty-one
(43%) were completed and returned. Of these, 80% either agreed or strongly agreed that they had been informed about the TAG program by someone from the school and 50% considered the TA their initial contact regarding questions or concerns at school.

When asked if they felt that their son ’s/daughter’s TA was actually looking after their child, 62% either agreed or strongly agreed (Figure 3). Sixty-two percent also agreed that the TAG program had made their child’s transition into secondary school easier (Figure 4).
PARENT SURVEY
UNSURE, 27%
STRONGLY
AGREE, 41%
DISAGREE, 5%
STRONGLY
DISAGREE, 5%
AGREE, 22%
Figure 4
I FEEL THAT TAG HAS MADE MY CHILD'S
TRANSITION TO SECONDARY SCHOOL EASIER
PARENT SURVEY
STRONGLY
DISAGREE, 5%
DISAGREE, 7%
STRONGLY
AGREE, 44%
UNSURE, 26%
AGREE, 18%
The staff survey
Twenty-four staff members completed surveys. When asked how often they talked individually with members of their TAG, 62.5% said at least once per week and 37.5% said at least once per month.

No teachers felt that their TAG was “very successful” at meeting TAG objectives; however, only
4% felt they were “not successful” at all. Fifty-eight percent felt “somewhat successful” and 38% felt “quite successful” at meeting objectives.
Half of the staff said that their TAG members “seldom” confided in them about personal matters, while half said that their students “sometimes” did. No one said it happened “often”; yet, no one said that it had “never” happened.
In the area of academic advice, 21% said they were asked “often” and 71% said “sometimes.”
Only 8.3% said they were “seldom” asked and no one said “never”.
Interestingly enough, comments by staff members ranged from those who felt they were more successful as advisors when “things are able to develop on their own rather than be forced,” while others wanted to see more structure.
The survey data also indicated that some teachers were unaware of the degree of impact they were having on the students in their TAGs.



Other findings
 TAs provide a front-line counseling service which allows guidance counselors to spend their time on academic concerns and more serious counseling issues.
 Students seek the advice of a TA more often than the traditional homeroom teacher regarding academic or personal concerns.
Parents feel that their children are being looked after by Teacher Advisors.
Parents feel that they can call their child’s Teacher Advisor regarding concerns at school.
Parents feel that their child’s transition from elementary to secondary school has been easier and less traumatic because of the TAG Program.
Conclusion
Overall, the survey results indicate that staff and parents feel the TAG Program is a success.
More importantly, apparently our students feel there is at least one person at school who knows who they are. The study also seems to indicate that teacher advisors should continue to receive the support, encouragement, and training necessary to fulfill this worthwhile role.
Cheng, M., & Ziegler, S. (1986). Moving from elementary to secondary school: Procedures which may facilitate the transition process. Toronto, ON: Toronto Board of Education, Research Department.
Hersey, P., & Blan chard, K.H. (1988), Management of organizational behavior, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hirsch, B.J., & Rapkin, B.D. (1987). The transigtion to junior high school: A longitudinal study of self esteem, psychological symptomology, school life, and social support. Child Develoment, 1235-1243.

Lounsbury, J.H., & Clark D.C. (1990). Constructing a personalized school environment, Reston VA: National Association of
Secondary School Principals
McLaughlin, M.W., & Talbert, J (1990). Constructing a personalized school environment, Phi Delta Kappan, November, 230-
235.
Reed, D.F., & McCoy, J. (1988). The teacher as a counselor: An increasing necessity. The Clearing House, April, 342-346.
Sergiovanni, T.J. (1984). Leadership and excellence in schooling. Educational Leadership, February, 4-13.