The Effectiveness of School Counselors There it is the second week of May, where all the students start to tremble about how they're going to get through their AP classes and wondering if they're gonna live past finals week to be able to graduate. Throughout the chaos the only ones who are sure that their senior class is on track and ready to graduate are the counselors. Who unlike teachers have been almost like a guardian angel who have watched over and been able to guide students throughout their high school career. They spent the last four years keeping a steady watch over the students and preparing the students for their lives after school. Unlike the teachers who just interact with hundreds of students, the counselors get to watch the …show more content…
Students who interact with their counselors starting freshman year instead of just junior and senior year have a better chance of achieving in school and going on to college. "Early counseling is important for students and families in that it addresses a deficiency in the college access continuum for many students, particularly low-income students and students who would be the first in their family to attend college,” (Hawkins). David Hawkins who is the NACAC's director of public policy and research simply says that getting interaction with the school counselor early in high school especially with families who fall short of college access, then low income families think that college for their students is out of reach whether its academically or financially. The problem is where there are schools that have counseling programs more established than others,whether they’re in a wealthy community or private schools. “However, as college readiness becomes more of a focus for school reform efforts, we are seeing a greater emphasis on college counseling in schools serving underrepresented populations." (Hawkins). Hawkins says that even in the not as wealthy schools we’re starting to see a big push on college counseling and preparing for …show more content…
The second action is provide access to college counseling and counselors by maintaining or increasing counseling staff level and improving the student-to-counselor ratio. Simply putting it if a counselor is frequently available to the students, increases a student’s chance of enrolling in a four-year college, and if students, parents, and counselors work together and communicate clearly, students’ chances of enrolling in college significantly increases. The NACAC estimates that under current ratios and current time on task allotments, students in public schools can expect less than an hour of postsecondary education counseling during the entire school year, which can become a problem. Which brings in action three and that is refining the counselor roles and responsibilities to ensure that
What is more important than planning, designing, and implementing a comprehensive school counseling program? To ensure the program is aligned with the ASCA’s National Model for School Counseling Program. How is that accomplished? By implementing a program audit during the early stages of the designing phase of the program and then annually thereafter. The program audit guides future program actions and ensures student needs are met (ASCA, 2005).
In this paper, it will be explored the meaning behind the ASCA national model, its importance, and how it will shape the counselors to be. As a counselor in training, it was understood the ASCA national model is a guideline for professional school counselors to be more productive and sufficient in the workplace. Therefore, as a trainee it is vital to grasp and implement these four components: foundation, management system, delivery system, and accountability.
Deciding to become a Student Guidance Counselor was not a fly by night decision. I did a great deal of reading and research before making a decision. I knew once I started a graduate program in School Guidance Counseling, it would be both challenging and a commitment until the end. I am somewhat nervous about this new journey that I am about to partake; however, I am ready to accept the challenge and make the commitment. I am a newly licensed teacher and there will be areas and terminology which I am not familiar. But, what I have found out thus far is that a teacher and a student counselor have quite a few things in common. They both work with other teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community in an academic setting. The skills I have acquired as a preschool director and teacher will be integrated into my career as a guidance counselor. I will have the skills to guide and enhance the social, academic, and personal growth of my students by using a variety of strategies which will be my primary goal. I will be able t...
I received the pleasure of interviewing two school counselors, Mrs. Jean Harmon and Mr. Devon Herrick. I was excited about interviewing school counselors within the Chicago land area. Despite many negativities spoken about the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, I desire to work within CPS. I’ve heard many pros and cons of working at a selective enrollment school, compared to a public charter school. By interviewing these two individuals, I assumed that I would get a snapshot of a potential work day for a school counselor. Mrs. Harmon is a school counselor at King College Preparatory high school. Mr. Herrick is a personal counselor at Urban Prep Charter Academy- Bronzeville campus. It was interesting in learning about the daily responsibilities,
The primary role counselors should take in closing the achievement gap begins first by becoming proactive prevention experts. Low-income students benefit from what schools offer while other students have the luxury of advantages offered in the home. Counselors’ role is to ensure each student graduate with the required skills to succeed in the everyday world. Majority of the skills may not be from tests or assessments but from everyday life skills and social competence. These skills will not only benefit the current students but will assist generations to come by installing parental values in current students. I believe that counselors must introduce programs with interventions that focus around racial-ethnic and socioeconomic students in their existing environment.
In college students must learn how to manage their time, organize their schedule that meets their college and personal duties, how to be resourceful, and how to interact with people whom they never met. Before college, a variety of students already learned how to accomplish these skills, but only a few of these students are fully responsible for themselves before leaving their home. Students who are dependent are most likely to have been helped by their parents who took an overprotective or extreme interest in the life of their children. Many students do not get the help they need to become independent and being overwhelmed may lead a student to commit suicide, fail, or even drop out during college. If a student fails, his or her self-esteem can be permanently damage, and the consequences can effect an entire lifetime. Students must receive more helped by college administrators and professors and influence them to self-mange better. It is understandable that some people do not want colleges to help more because they want the students to do mista...
In this research paper there will be a discussion on how effective school counseling programs are in school. The reason this topic is being researched is because questions have come up asking whether or not school counseling programs are helping the students and what is the role of the school counselor. According to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) ?A Comprehensive school counseling program is, driven by student data and based on standards in academic, career and personal/social
I cannot recall a more rewarding experience than helping facilitate a child’s education while enabling parent participation alike. These experiences have drawn me to my current position as an Educational Assistant where I am constantly interacting and establishing relationships with students, learning about their goals and aspirations. It is that same desire to empower our future students that has steered me towards a career as a school counselor. By enrolling in the Masters in counseling program, I aspire to develop methods and experience to become an effective, experienced, and adaptable school counselor that promotes self-awareness, allowing students to realize their full potential and impetus them towards a promising future. I want to learn skills that facilitate personal and career development, ensuring that our students grow accomplishing their goals and ambitions. To discover techniques that help students improve in all areas of academic achievement, establishing relationships with students and parents alike. By becoming a school counselor, I am determined to become an advocate for underserved youth. I aim to become an effective agent educational reform, providing support for students in the various institutions that may disempower
If college counseling is to help students with college and this counseling would be better to
The choices we make early in life have an enormous impact on our future. I have always known that I wanted to directly impact people’s lives and my personal experiences have set me on the school-counseling path. In the future, I would love to influence another generation of students to soar for their dreams.
School counseling has evolved over the years into a significant component of the educational system. School counselors are taking on new roles in schools as leaders, working with “school administration and staff in developing student attitudes and behavior which are necessary to maintain proper control, acceptable standards of self-discipline and a suitable learning environment within the school” (Secondary School Counselor 2012). Counselors work in “diverse community settings designed to provide a variety of counseling, rehabilitation, and support services” (Counselors, 2010). When working in a school district as a counselor, you can either be an elementary school counselor, middle school counselor or a high school counselor. This essays explores a recent interview with a high school counselor.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.
In order to be an effective counselor, one must remember to keep the client(s) in mind. The goal is to assist the client(s) in living the best life possible for that particular person or persons. With that being said, one cannot forget that they have their own set of morals, values, ideas, and the like. Social workers have to keep in mind that there will be cases that are complex and a favorable outcome may not be possible. In the instance that I am confronted with an issue that conflicts with my religious beliefs, I plan on assisting the client as much as possible by adhering the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics, NASW standards for the Practice of Clinical Social Work, and discussing my concerns with my supervisor while
Counselors are able to advise more students through planned activities (Ordsmyth, 2002). There is also the need to support students through the transitional stage between significant events. Preparing a student to enter a four-year college, two-year college, military or job force is crucial to their future success.
One aspect I found striking was the role of advice giving in counseling. Prior to this class, I knew that counselors did not typically give opinions or advice to lead a client in a certain direction. What I did not know was the entire reasoning behind this. A counselor might avoid giving advice so that a client learns to make his/her own decisions, does not become dependent on the counselor, and to ensure that a client will not later blame the counselor if the counselor’s advice did not turn out well. In this context, I have a better appreciation and understanding of why therapists refrain from telling the client what to do.