The School Counselor as a Systems Change Agent Lamar University Dana Bickley CNDV 5330- CNA

Activity: The Face Game Participants are given pictures of people representing diverse ethnicities and cultures. Directions: Study the picture and give a description of the person based your perception. Your description must include the the following: Name Age Occupation Mood Family life Friends Educational background Socio-economic status Any religious beliefs Share your description with the group. Explain how you derived your descriptions and whether they were based on physical appearance or personal experience. Baylor University's Community Mentoring for Adolescent Development

Consider your school… Who will advocate for students without a voice? Who will advocate for diverse students? Who will lead the of the school? Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012

As a school counselor… You are a LEADER and an ADVOCATE a CHAMPION for students, their development, and their issues. You are being asked to ENABLE and EMPOWER healthy student learning and development. Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012

“Commitments of Leadership” 1. Challenge the process. 2. Inspire a shared vision. 3. Enable others to act. 4. Model the way. 5. Encourage the heart. “These are the means to make a difference in the world” (Kouzes and Posner,1995).

Advocacy “As one of the ASCA National Model (2005) Themes, the advocacy role is a critical one for social justice issues, school climate issues, closing the gap efforts, and situations in which there is a power differential that is being abused” (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012).

Leadership + Advocacy = Results “Ultimately, counselors must recognize that they must accept leadership of their comprehensive school counseling programs, and this leadership means setting program priorities to maximize student potential. Counselors must be willing to advocate on behalf of the school counseling progression and the comprehensive school counseling program” (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012).

Accountability through MEASURE “MEASURE requires school counselors to collaborate and team with administrators, faculty, and stakeholders to identify and have a positive impact on the critical data elements that are important barometers of student success” (Dahir & Stone, 2003). “MEASURE is a way of using information such as retention rates, test scores, and postsecondary going rates to develop specific strategies for connecting school counseling to the accountability agenda of today’s schools” (ASCA, 2003).

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Mission: connect the comprehensive K-12 school counseling program to the mission of the school and to the goals of the annual school improvement plan.” “School counselors need to ask how every aspect of their program supports the mission of the school and contributes to student achievement.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Elements: identify the critical data elements that are important to the internal and external stakeholder.” “Disaggregating data into separate elements in a variety of ways ensures that the system addresses access and equity issues.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Analyze: discuss carefully which elements need to be aggregated or disaggregated and why.” “Analysis will determine the institutional or environmental barriers that may be impeding student achievement and adversely influencing the data elements.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Stakeholders - Unite: determine which stakeholders need to be involved in addressing these school- improvement issues and unite to develop strategies.” “Creating and implementing an action plan that contains strategies, a timeline, and responsibilities will begin to move the data in a positive direction.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Reanalyze: rethink and refine the strategies, refocus efforts as needed, and reflect on success.” “By examining what worked well, and what strategies need to be modified, adjusted, or perhaps changed altogether, the action plan can be revised for the following year in order to continue to move the critical data elements in a positive direction.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

Six Steps to Success through MEASURE “Educate: show the positive impact the school counseling program has had on student achievement and on the goals of the school improvement plan.” “As partners in school improvement, school counselors have demonstrated a willingness to be accountable for changing critical data elements and are thereby viewed as essential to the school’s mission.” Dahir & Stone, 2003

The Goal of Systemic Change “Transformed school counselors commit to ensuring that every student, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, receives a successful school experience that ultimately will increase their potential and positively affect their quality of life” (The Education Trust, 2001).

References American School Counselor Association. (2003). American School Counselor Association national model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author. Baylor Universityís Community Mentoring for Adolescent Development. Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_437.pdf Dahir, C., & Stone, C. (2003). Accountability: A M.E.A.S.U.R.E. of the impact school counselors have on student achievement. Professional School Counseling, 6, 214-221. Dollarhide, C.T. and Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive School Counseling Programs: K-2 Delivery Systems in Action. (2nd ed.). Upper saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall The Education Trust. (2001). Working definition of school counseling. Ed Trust: Transforming School Counseling. The DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, National Initiative for Transforming School Counseling. Retrieved March 2, 2001, from http://www.edtrust.org/main/school_counseling.asp Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B.Z. (1995). The leadership challenge: How to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.