Bob Bardwell November 1,2018

1. Superman Found: School Counselors Improving Opportunities and Coming to the Rescue for All Students Bob Bardwell November 1,2018 FLORIDA SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION CONVENTION

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

3. The audience 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

4. 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

5. So Why Me? What Can I Offer You? School Counselor, K-12 Director of School Counseling and social justice educator 26 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

6. Whately MA Map

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

11. What do you think? • Go to www.menti.com • Enter 87 04 52 • What are the greatest challenges school counselors face today?

12. 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 Evaluation systems which do not align to school counselor roles 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

13. Jaime Escalante Why are you a school counselor?

14. We are here because…. Erin Gruwell

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

16. 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?

18. 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

19. Here’s why?

20. And another reason Meet John

21. 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?

22. Change is in the air – the time is NOW • National attention & focus • Former 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

23. 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

24. Leadership • What does a leader look like in 2018? • Someone who • has a passion • has a vision • is willing to make a commitment of time, talent & treasures • wants to make a difference

25. 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

26. 2018 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

27. 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

28. 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?

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

30. 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

31. 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.

32. 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

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

34. 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

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

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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. What have we just done? • ASCA National Model Themes

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

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

43. 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

44. 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/

45. Gaps • What kinds of gaps are there? • Achievement • Opportunity • Belief or expectations • Aspirations-Attainment

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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

49. 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?

50. 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.