What is Advocacy and why is it so Important?

1. Advocacy in Times of Financial Adversity:Practical Strategies to Advocate for School Counseling Programs at the State, District, and Building Levels During Tough Financial Times

2. What is Advocacy and why is it so Important?

3. ASCA’s Vision The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is the foundation that expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systemic change. ASCA empowers professional school counselors with the knowledge, skills, linkages and resources to promote student success in the school, the home, the community and the world. (www.schoolcounselor.org)

4. ASCA’s Vision (cont.) • Collaboration with stakeholders • How advocacy fits with collaboration? • Leadership • How advocating at the building, district, and state level supports student achievement? • Promoting systemic change • How advocacy fits with promoting systemic change?

5. WSCA’s Vision WSCA Government Relations Committee • The Advocacy arm of the Wa. School Counselor Assoc. • We work with the executive board to set a yearly legislative agenda, track and respond to issues of interest, and provide training for other counselors, counselor educators and graduate students. Goal 3: Advocacy To advocate for school counselors and students by educating legislative and education policymakers and other stakeholders about best practices in school counseling.

6. School Counselor Advocacy at the State Level

7. Why Advocate at the State Level? • Legislators have the ultimate say on funding for K-12 education! • Few lawmakers or other education advocates/stakeholders truly know what school counselors do and how vital their role is. • Working collaboratively with lawmakers can provide funding/support for programs that help counselors be more effective! • Some ed. reform (groups) are pushing hard for Charter Schools! • Current ed. reform studies have given legislators a better understanding of the impact of effective school counseling. They’re beginning to understand that students need comprehensive advising! 

8. What has WSCA done lately? • Work yearly with WSCA Board to draft a legislative agenda as an advocacy framework. • Feb. 10 – Day on the Hill (increased number of participants by 30%). • Meetings w/ Education & Education Appropriations Cmte. Members. • Offered testimony on student Health & Wellness at Legislators’ request. • Successful language change in HB2170 – worked w/ sponsoring Legislator to add in “school counselors” where appropriate. • Began establishing a relationship with OSPI to help draft our own Counselor Evaluation System based on our best practices (similar to TPEP). • Worked with WEA, STAND and LEV to better understand the education reform issues at play during the 2012 session. • Tracked bills and testified – Career Pathways, Early Learning, Ed. reform (“looping”), TANF funds. • Hired a Legislative Liaison to help WSCA advocate for you…..

9. What does our Legislative Liaison do? • Outside of Session • Meet with Education Committee members and other stakeholders/legislators when needed, often with a Counselor • Provide guidance for the WSCA Board about potential issues of interest • Attend Board meetings and provide updates/recaps • During Session • Track bills of interest and provide WSCA with info. for the website • Provide the WSCA Board with updates and suggest opportunities for advocacy • Meet with Education Committee members and other stakeholders/legislators when needed, often with a Counselor • Assist with the WSCA Day on the Hill • Testify, or help other counselors testify, when needed

10. How to Testify about a Bill  In order to testify about a bill, you must first know the bill is being discussed during a public hearing of a particular committee. You can find this out using the strategies listed on the handout. Here are some keys to effective testimony: • Be prompt • Sign in • Do your homework • Be concise • Use data and personalize • http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012010162#start=4008&stop=4243

11. Other ways You can Advocate Working with (your) State lawmakers Legislators have hectic schedules but they especially want to hear from their own constituents, so to get your voice heard, try the following: • Face-to-face meetings • Attend Legislators’ “town hall” meetings and other events • Watch for a District Day • Phone Calls • Go to www.leg.wa.gov and search by Legislator to find the correct phone number. • Leave a message with the Legislative Assistant. • Emails and Letters • Send letters to your legislators! • Send emails to the address listed on www.leg.wa.gov website. • Ask the lawmaker to vote “yes” or “no” on a specific bill and explain why. . • General Strategies • Be brief • Bring more facts than opinions • Be helpful

12. 4th Annual WSCA “Day on the Hill” February 10, 2012 • 15 School Counselors, Counselor Educators, Counselor Advocates and Graduate Students from Seattle, Tacoma, Puyallup, Goldendale, Shelton, Yelm & Olympia met with 26 Representatives and 8 Senators, as well as 3 Legislative Assistants, to talk about the important role of School Counselors in the academic and personal success of our students. • We spoke in support of establishing additional birth-to-five early learning programs (HB2448) and making career exploration a routine part of middle and high school instruction (HB2170). • We also expressed our support of the idea behind TPEP, but cautioned that the system needed to be phased in and that providing funding for resources and training was critical to ensure its success. • We were updated about current ed. reform interests and education issues by LEV, WEA and Stand for Children. • Our overall message reminded law makers about the critical services we provide to the students, staff, parents and communities with whom we work. We offered ourselves as a resource to legislators as well.

13. Day on the Hill

14. School Counselor Advocacy at the District Level

15. Why Advocate at the District Level? • More district budgets cuts are coming (for most districts)…. • Lack of knowledge or misconceptions about the important role of school counselors. • Decisions made by school boards and districts can greatly impact our day to day job duties. • Many real-life success stories of jobs/programs saved by district personnel or school boards. • Working collaboratively with your district office can make your job easier!

16. Let’s take a moment to share….. What’s happening currently in your district regarding budget cuts, role of the counselor, duties, current advocacy, etc….. What are some things that you have been doing, or what can you do in the future to advocate for school counselors and/or your program?

17. Ideas for Advocating Within Your School District • Find a champion within your district (parent, district staff, and/or board member). • Get organized! Meet regularly with fellow counselors at the same and different levels. • Develop a strategic plan with long term and short term goals. • Publicize your successes/achievements at an administrative meeting, parent meeting, and/or school board meeting.

18. District Advocacy Ideas (cont.) • Develop a formal presentation for your school board promoting the role of the school counselor. • Never forget the power of parents and students as advocates for you. • Ask your school board to develop a policy statement that supports school counseling. • Make sure counselors are part of SIP’s and District Strategic Plans (get on those committees!). • Encourage your fellow counselors to become involved in the local and state educators union.

19. District Advocacy Ideas (cont.) • Other Resources When Advocating (ASCA Website) • Advantages of Employing School Counselors • ASCA Position Statement-The Professional School Counselor and Comprehensive School Counseling Programs • ASCA Role Statement: The School Counselor See ASCA Website for other additional handouts and resources.

20. A Story of Success A School Counseling Team Asking For An Additional School Counselor What Are The Chances Of Success? We were a school of 1800 with 4 counselors and, with a caseload of 450:1, we were unable to be truly effective. How did we advocate for, and receive, a 5th counselor? Talk to your neighbor & take a guess…..

21. How Data Played a Part in our Successful District-level Advocacy Counselor Case Loads: A Presentation to our Principal Olympia High School In 1995, 1345 Students 1345/4= 336 Students per Counselor Olympia High School in 2006, 1800 Students 1800/4 = 450 Students per Counselor Note: Since 1995, the Culminating Project, High School and Beyond Plan, and WASL/HSPE have been added to the existing graduation requirements that counselors must track. Other High Schools In Our Area • Data based on phone calls conducted February 10th, 2006 to district offices: Student Head Counts (students per counselor), May 2005: • Capital 1469/4 = 367 River Ridge 1120/3 = 373 • Avanti 132/1 = 132 Shelton H.S. 10-12th 977/3 = 325 • Yelm 1340/4 = 335 Choice H.S. 143/1 = Counselor • BHHS 1000/3 = 333 *** These were all high schools in our • Tumwater 1004/3 – 334 area (within 20 miles)!

22. Visual Representation

23. Additional Data in this Case • Counselors also presented data that showed a rise in the # of credit deficient students and decrease in the # of on-time graduates over the past decade, which they attributed in part to a lack of connection and guidance between students and their counselors (as a result of high caseloads). • Once we showed this information to our building principal and earned his support, we then presented to the school’s Site Team (where we earned the support of a very strong parent advocate!) and to the School Board. • Having both a parent advocate and strong data to support our position helped us reach our goal of hiring a 5th counseling position for Olympia High School. 

24. Types of Data that can Help Process – “What you did for whom” • Evidence that event occurred • How activity was conducted • Number of events, people participating, and products developed • Did the program follow the prescribed practice? Perception - “What others think, know or demonstrate” • Measures competency achieved, knowledge gained or attitudes beliefs of students • Pre-post • Competency achievement • Surveys • Evaluations • Measures what students are perceived to have gained in knowledge Results - “So WHAT” data • Hard data • Proof your program has (or has not) positively impacted students ability to utilize the knowledge, attitudes and skills to effect behavior • Attendance • Behavior • Academic achievement • Graduation rates Trish Hatch, Ph.D. August, 2004 Learn to use results data so that you can answer the question: “How are students different because of the school counseling program?”

25. School Counselor Advocacy at the Building Level

26. Why Advocate at the Building Level? • Not all administrators & staff members know what school counselors do and how vital their role is to the overall climate, social/emotional health and academic achievement of the school. • Your principal has the final say on who to hire, programming, curriculum, and where the money goes within the school. • Decisions on the role of the school’s counseling program, the # of school counselors in the building, and your duties can be heavily influenced by your administrators. • Counseling jobs/programs have been created and/or saved by building principals who were supportive of school counseling. • Working collaboratively with school administrators can help make your job easier while helping counselors be more effective!

27. Ideas for Advocating Within Your School Building • Find a champion in your school! It can be an administrator, a teacher, a parent, or other staff member. • Establish a close working relationship with your administrative team. Utilize the ASCA Counselor - Principal Audit. Prioritize good communication! • Make sure that the counseling program’s long term and short term goals become part of the school’s strategic plan. • Work to achieve your goals and then explain your goals/successes/achievements at a department head or all staff meeting.

28. Changing our High School and Beyond Plan – A Building-level Advocacy Effort • Most of our previous HS&B plan was a pencil & paper version delivered by staff through an Advisory system • The plan itself and individual lessons were static • The staff & students were not engaged • Counselors discovered a more individualized, differentiated, electronic option using the Career Cruising website • Sharing our plan (to have Counselors deliver the lessons in computer labs) with admin. earned their buy-in. • We then proposed the new model to staff , which reduced their frustration/anxiety with Advisory because we proposed using the “experts” (us!) as curriculum providers. • Our new HS&B plan has already been more well received by staff (who are now “off the hook”!) and students (who now receive an individualized, dynamic way to explore post-high school options)

29. Final Thought Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead