Perfecting the School Counselor Recipe: The key ingredients Michigan School Counselor Association Conference Bob Bardwell November 7,2016

Goals for this session Discuss how School Counselors Improve student achievement and performance Use data to inform their practice Use evidence-based best practices Identify and eliminate gaps Deliver comprehensive school counseling programs Reduce bullying & improve school climate Share ideas, questions & resources Learn something new and have fun

The audience HOW LONG 0-5 years 5-15 years 15+ years WHO IS HERE Elementary Counselors Middle/Jr High Counselors Secondary Counselors School Counseling Directors Administrators Higher Education Educators Graduate Students Other HOW LONG 0-5 years 5-15 years 15+ years

Why Are You Here? You want to provide advantages and opportunities to your students and families You want to be a better school counselor You want to learn some new strategies and skills You were bored and needed to get out of your office You have no where else to be today

So Why Me? What Can I Offer You? School Counselor, K-12 Director of School Counseling and social justice educator 24 years in the profession Leader – local, state, regional & national levels Advocate for students, school counselors and our profession Passionate about school counselor pre-service preparation and continuous professional development

Whately MA Map

Remember….. “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” --Margaret Mead

What are the greatest challenges school counselors face today? Think – Pair – Share What are the greatest challenges school counselors face today? How do you make a difference in the lives of your students?

Why are you a school counselor? Jaime Escalante

We are here because…. Erin Gruwell

I make a difference in the lives of our students every day Joe Clark

Is there a movie about school counselor heroes? No! If anything, we are portrayed in a negative manner But we do have heroes…. Who is Molly Hudgens? School Counselor, Sycamore Middle School, Pleasant View TN Who is your school counselor hero?

School counseling challenges today Lack of understanding concerning the role, responsibilities and skill set of School Counselors among administrators and policy makers Setting boundaries – what is our role and how do we say no Budget, resources and time! Using data appropriately and effectively New evaluation system Inequities between the have and have nots Increase number and severity of student mental health concerns Lack of sufficient family engagement Increase presence of social media and how to handle related issues Helping "seasoned" School Counselors understand, embrace, and implement the new direction of the profession

Another question How many of you are giving 110% already and cannot do any more? Not eating lunch No time to go to the bathroom No prep Bringing work home at night and weekends I am going to ask you to do more

Here’s why?

And another reason Meet John

So What? You can either accept the status quo or decide to make a difference You can step up to the plate and do something or continue to be part of the problem Are you a Jaime Escalante, Erin Gruwell or Joe Clark? Will you be a school counseling leader and advocate?

Change is in the air – the time is NOW National attention & focus First Lady’s efforts Reach Higher School Counselor of the Year Ceremony Legislative efforts are making an impact Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia, Utah Data shows school counselors make a difference In Colorado $16 million spent between 2009-2015 to hire counselors in 59 districts for at-risk students saved $319 million on welfare, incarceration and health-care costs

LEADERSHIP [lee-der-ship] noun 1. the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group 2. ability to lead 3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction 4. the leaders of a group www.dictionary.com

Leadership What does a leader look like in 2016? Someone who has a passion has a vision is willing to make a commitment of time, talent & treasures wants to make a difference

Why be a School Counselor Leader? It helps your students and families receive better services It brings recognition to your school counseling program There are numerous opportunities at the local, state and national level Why not? Change is in the air – the time is NOW

2016 Leadership Challenges Limited time Too busy; too much work; not appealing List of challenges is great Lack of interest among school counselors Limited resources to do the job well

School Counseling Program based leadership Create vision and mission Set goals based on identified needs & gaps Create & implement developmental lessons/ curriculum Create & execute annual agreement Participate and/or chair committees Collect, analyze & share data & results Conduct needs assessment & ongoing evaluation Read

Are you a school counseling leader? Turn to a neighbor What are your leadership strengths? How do you show your leadership skills? Are you encouraged to be a school counseling leader? If so, how?

ADVOCACY [ad-vuh-kuh-see] Noun 1. the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal: www.dictionary.com

Who do we advocate with? Colleagues Administrators School boards Parents/Families Community members Local media - newspaper, cable station, radio & television Community groups – PTA, Rotary, Realtors Elected officials/policy makers Strangers

What is your elevator speech? School counselors ensure that each student achieves at his/her highest level possible. They collaborate with teachers, administrators, family members and service providers outside of the school to provide services and support necessary for student access and success. They advocate for every student to ensure their academic, career and persona/social needs are met. School counselors are leaders and systemic change agents in their schools, working with all stakeholders to ensure that they are using data and evidence based practices that inform decision making and produce results. They are the glue that holds a school together and are super heroes for our children and families.

How do we advocate? Talk about what school counselors do Demonstrate with data our impact on student success and achievement Share our program results with stakeholders Go to meetings Use social media to inform/motivate others Write letters to the editor Submit press releases with photo ops Invite policy makers to school counseling events

SYSTEMIC CHANGE Systemic means working with school systems—district bureaucracies or state departments of education—to effect change www.ascd.org

How are you a systemic change agent? Gather data Ask questions Build a coalition Make people excited to impact student success and achievement Influence policy development and implementation Be a passionate social justice advocate

COLLABORATION [kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuh n] noun 1. the act or process of collaborating. 2. a product resulting from collaboration: www.dictionary.com

How do you collaborate? Working with stakeholders Share your vison Administrators Staff Parents Community members Share your vison Beliefs Vision statement Mission statement Goals

How do you collaborate? (continued) Communications Newsletter, website Social media Serving on committees/task forces Leadership teams Site based management teams Share your results Closing the gap reports

How do you collaborate? (continued) Advisory council Consists of representatives from all constituent groups Meets 2-3 times per year Opportunity to educate members and gather feedback about your school counseling program Can help you advocate for school counseling program priorities

How do you collaborate? (continued) Community partnerships Neighborhood councils Faith based organizations Workforce development Post-secondary education Municipal representatives Local/state child welfare agencies Local clinical mental health agencies Medical professionals

What have we just done? ASCA National Model Themes

School counselors & school improvement Specialized Interventions Individual Consultation Small Group or Closing the Gap Core Curriculum Information provided for all students Smith, G (2008)

School Counselors using data Why school counselors? What data is important? Achievement Achievement related Competency Who is on your school data team?

Evidence based practices “…using the best available research to guide practice and the integration of this knowledge with clinical skills.”

Why evidence based practices? National and state accountability measures require all educators, including school counselors, to show why our students are different as a result of our services Common Core State Standards and accompanying assessments (PARCC & Smarter Balance) will determine student achievement Data speaks volumes as it is often more powerful than other types of feedback

Evidence based practice resources National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation www.cscore.org National Evidence Based Conference http://www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/EBSCC_index.php Curricula The Real Game - www.realgame.org Student Success Skills - www.studentsuccessskills.com/ What Works Clearinghouse http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

What kinds of gaps are there? Achievement Opportunity Belief or expectations Aspirations-Attainment

Achievement Gap The consistent disparity in academic performance between groups of students. Most often found in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and college-completion rates Groups most often compared include race, gender, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language proficiency

Opportunity Gap The unconscionable disparity in access to the quality educational resources needed for all children to be academically successful Similar to the achievement gap but is different in that it may have nothing to do with race, gender, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language proficiency Instead it may be where you live or which school you attend and what resources are available to those children

Belief or Expectations Gap The differing expectations that teachers hold for individual students or the difference between students' expectations of themselves and what they perceive to be teachers‘/counselors’ opinion of their potential This is particularly troubling when counselors do not believe or expect certain students to achieve. Often found in course selection and post high school planning

Aspirations-Attainment Gap The difference between students wanting to get a diploma/degree (aspiration) and actually receiving it (attainment) Are we overselling the value of a diploma/degree? What role do we school counselors play in this process?

Why do gaps matter to us? As social justice educators we believe that ALL students should have equal access and opportunity regardless of whatever group they may belong to/identify with or where they live If schools/communities do not eliminate gaps then whole groups of students may be discriminated against Some gaps can be addressed within a school relatively easily while others are more systemic and caused by deep-seeded values and cultural norms.

So what? Why School Counselors? Many gaps are caused by deep seeded beliefs, cultural norms or political decisions School counselors are uniquely trained to identify and address these gaps School counselors should be instrumental in identifying students who are associated with one of the various gaps and work with school leaders to put strategies in place to eliminate them

Eliminating/Reducing Gaps Do your policies allow equal access to the curriculum for all students? Does your data suggest some groups are not achieving equally? If so, what is your plan to rectify this? Do all of your staff believe all students can achieve? Does the data support this? Do you spend time at your faculty or professional development meetings talking about gaps?

10 Practices to Close the Gaps Show students you believe they can be successful by using a "here's how to do better next time" approach when you need to correct work. Let students know what they're doing well. Share with each student individually what you expect from him or her. Hold students accountable for their actions. Encourage students to share success stories with one another. Follow up on absent students. Let them know it's because you care about them, not just to chase down missing work. Invite students to brown-bag lunches in your room. Promising homemade cookies helps! Survey students about their personal, social, and academic goals at the beginning of each term. Involve all students in school leadership initiatives by using student surveys and fostering dialogue about important issues. Show you value students' opinions. Create a classroom atmosphere that welcomes participation. Ask open-ended questions and set a "There are no stupid questions" policy. Develop after-school opportunities focused on the interests of students who shun traditional activities. ASCD, Closing Opportunity Gaps, November 2010 | Volume 68 | Number 3

School Counselors & Bullying Are often the first adult to become aware of a bullying incident Should work closely with the disciplinarian to address individual bulling incidents See the bigger picture and identify themes/commonalities Included in any plan or initiative to provide student and staff education and training

School Counselors & School Climate Interact with all stakeholders regularly Have earned the trust of stakeholders who share thoughts and observations Have a pulse of the school and community Can use data to address issues/concerns Should be part of any leadership/school climate team

So What’s the Secret Recipe? Systemic change Bullying reduction Leadership = Targeted interventions Collaboration Improved school climate Use of data Advocacy

Student Success and Achievement

Create your own action plan Next steps What are four things you can commit to right now to improve your school counseling program? Create your own action plan In one day In one week In one month In one year Share your goals

Resources available Go to www.bobbardwell.com > presentations > Kansas 2016 This PowerPoint presentation ASCA National Model Executive Summary ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors ASCA School Counselor Competencies ASCA Ethical Standards College Board publications Finding the Way Enhancing the Principal-Counselor Relationship A Closer Look - toolkit Common Core & School Counselor documents

Questions & Conversations What is not clear? What more do you need? How can we help each other? Who wants to share a school counselor success in your school/district?

For more information Bob Bardwell School Counselor & Director of School Counseling Monson High School 55 Margaret Street Monson, MA 010157 413.267.4589x1109 www.bobbardwell.com bardwellr@monsonschools.com bardwellr