ASCA National Model: The Evolution Of A School Counselor

In my opinion the role of a school counselor has changed tremendously over time. According to the ASCA National Model book school counselors were often given administrative duties such as, testing administration, report writing, record keeping, and scheduling. It it stated that the role of the school counselor is one of the few jobs in education that has made such a big evolution. I believe that this evolution is largely due to the role of the school counselor being better clarified and being data driven in terms of demonstrating the effectiveness of school counselors. The development of the ASCA national model and its standards should be credited for this evolution. Also, school counselors in my opinion are doing a great job advocating

School counselors have truly been a catalyst for change due to their role. The advocacy for students and working toward closing achievement gaps has been something that has put school counselors in a new leadership role. They are actively working to cultivate ways for all students to achieve and succeed in schools. This has removed counselors from the behind the scenes role performing administrative tasks and in turn made them a part of a collaborative leadership role. School counselors are now actively collaborating with teachers, administrators, community members, and parents to form a cohesive team to build a culture that advocates for success and positive change within the school. One of the biggest role changes that I feel is extremely beneficial is the collaborative relationship between principals and school counselors. School principals are responsible for student success within the school and if there is a healthy collaborative relationship, the school counselor and principal can support each other in a way that ultimately establishes an environment that is barrier free for students. I believe that today's school counselors address the needs of the whole child. We realize that our role is to support them academically in terms of achievement, but in order to do that we need to meet their needs as a human include things such as mental health, social needs, emotional concerns, and family life. In order for a school counselor to advocate for students success within the school we need to be prepared to provide services that meet all of the students needs. If we continue to do this I believe the field will continue to evolve and progress even further over