Counseling Services in K-12 Schools

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Table of Contents

Discussion
Assessment: Services Provided by Counseling Services in K-12 Schools
References

Discussion

School counselors have often been considered as additional staff by most education stakeholders. However, a close examination of the issue reveals that counseling has become a necessity in the current learning environment. This article persuades education stakeholders in the Jordan school district to increase the number of school counselors. According to the author, current statistics indicate that school counselors can assist students to overcome roadblocks to success (OGrady, Year of Publication). On the other hand, national statistics indicate that the United States is lagging behind in its bid to achieve high-quality education for its learners. In the Jordan school district, the strategy of using school counselors interventions to improve education standards is yet to be fully embraced. This discussion focuses on the policies that are necessary in order for the local school district to move forward with its school counselor agendas as outlined by OGradys article and in line with national statistics.

National school completion statistics indicate that most minorities are at the receiving end of poor educational achievement. These statistics are replicated in the Jordan school district in Utah where stakeholders have made a plea to expand the participation of ethnic minority students in early college programs and increase career awareness among them (OGrady, Year of Publication). Another outlined policy includes increasing overall communication between students and counselors. Nationwide, stakeholders are pursuing a comprehensive approach to school counseling. Consequently, the students are set to enjoy the maximum benefits from the counseling staff. Communication is the hallmark of good counseling and the local district recognizes this fact. The districts education stakeholders are also prepared to carry out a community assessment exercise regarding the impact of counseling.

Assessment: Services Provided by Counseling Services in K-12 Schools

Psychosocial Competencies for K-12 Development

The driving force behind a K-12 counseling program is the team of professionals behind it. The counseling staff spearheads student improvement through well-delivered services. School counselors have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that make them ready to take up this professional challenge. Counseling is a rigorous profession that requires repetitive effort by these professionals. K-12 school counselors also have to maintain a certain code of ethics (Wittmer, Clark, & Sorenson, 2007). Ethical competence allows the counselors to maintain a high level of integrity, foster leadership qualities among students, and pursue professionalism in all situations. Counselors are also required to have elevated decision-making capabilities. Good decision-making ensures that both the interests of the students and educational stakeholders are respected in the course of student counseling. Self-assessment ability is another quality that makes school counselors a good asset in the quest to shape the destiny of K-12 students. Overall, school counselors have to be certified by a recognizable body. Certification prepares school counselors for current and future counseling issues.

Tiered Levels of Response to Intervention (RtI)

The task of providing counseling services has far-reaching impacts on students, school administrations, guardians, and the community. Consequently, the effort is only effective depending on the overall participation of all the stakeholders that are involved in K-12 school counseling. The tiered model of action in regards to school counseling begins with the students direct and indirect responses. Counselors initiate direct student services in form of in-person interactions between the students and professionals (Ratts, DeKruyf, & Chen-Hayes, 2007, p. 95). These direct student-services might be in the form of responsive or interventional activities. Developing a counseling-curriculum is the first response to school counseling. Curriculums are laid out modalities that point the students towards high levels of competence. All schools use their counseling curriculums as the frameworks for advancing K-12 levels of counseling intervention. Another intervention counseling service involves personal student guidance. Under this intervention modality, students are able to achieve personal goals and formulate future plans. Responsive services involve activities that are initiated by school counselors with the view of combating immediate and pressing concerns. Examples of responsive services include group-counseling sessions among students or having crisis response stations within the school.

Relations to Internal Stakeholders

Counselors and students among other groups make up the bulk of internal stakeholders when it comes to high school counseling. On one hand, K-12 school counselors dedicate resources and expertise towards improving the welfare of the students. Students determine the success of any school counseling program. For school counseling to be effective there has to be a balance between students and the available counselors (House & Hayes, 2002). Current recommendations stipulate that the rate of counselors to students should be at least one professional for every two hundred and fifty students. Furthermore, counselors are expected to have direct or indirect contact with their students during eighty percent of their practice time. On the other hand, students are supposed to adopt a mindset that is open to learning and behavioral modification. Students are also in charge of guiding the development of effective school counseling programs around three main domains: academic, career, and social/emotional development (Dahir, Burnham, & Stone, 2009, p. 185).

Opportunities for External Stakeholders

External stakeholders in regards to K-12 counseling programs include local boards of education, administrators, and the local community in general. Boards of education stand to benefit because they can obtain rationales for instituting counseling programs in their areas of jurisdiction. Furthermore, when there are comprehensive K-12 school counseling programs it is easy for boards of education to justify some aspects of educational funding (Paisley & Peace, 2015). School administrators have the opportunity to create structured-programs in regards to counseling. Furthermore, administrators have the opportunity to improve the images of their organizations through counseling programs. The other external stakeholders when it comes to K-12 school counseling programs include local businesses and the labor industry and they all stand to benefit from having access to wholesome school leavers. Furthermore, these external stakeholders have the opportunity to improve a regions labor force albeit indirectly. There is also the opportunity for collaboration between external stakeholders and K-12 school counseling programs.

Program Evaluation Methods

There are various methods for evaluating the success of any school counseling program. Nevertheless, all evaluation methods should be in form of measurable standards and they should track all aspects of progress. Counselors are one group of individuals who are in charge of evaluating the success of counseling methods. Consequently, the counselors evaluate all data pertaining to their counseling programs. There is also a need to evaluate the actual progress that is made by students between the time when they enroll in any counseling program and when they are assessed. Progress data can be in the form of various factors including students attendance, academic achievement, and behavioral tendencies. Evaluation methods keep changing from time to time but some of their aspects can be retained. There is also the need to evaluate the performance of school counselors. The best way to evaluate the performance of a school counselor is through the basic standards of practice that are expected of school counselors implementing a comprehensive school counseling program (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2011, p. 34).

References

Dahir, C., Burnham, J., & Stone, C. (2009). Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 182-192.

Dollarhide, C. T., & Saginak, K. A. (2011). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K-12 delivery systems in action. New York: Pearson Higher Ed.

House, R. M., & Hayes, R. L. (2002). School counselors: Becoming key players in school reform. Professional School Counseling, 5(1), 249-256.

OGrady, K. (Year of Publication). Using results to get results. Retrieved from (web address)

Paisley, P. O., & Peace, S. D. (2015). Developmental principles: A framework for school counseling programs. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 30(2), 85-93.

Ratts, M., DeKruyf, L., & Chen-Hayes, S. (2007). The ACA advocacy competencies: A social justice advocacy framework for professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 11(2), 90-97.

Wittmer, J., Clark, M. A., & Sorenson, D. L. (2007). Managing your school counseling program: K-12 developmental strategies. Boston: Educational Media Corporation.

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