2007 TSC Academy

The Education Trust’s National Transforming School Counseling Initiative first came to Rhode Island in 2002. Since then, professional school counselors in Rhode Island have applied the tenets of TSC on a daily basis. Leadership, advocacy, teaming and collaboration, the use of data, and systemic change are visible in many school counseling programs throughout the state. Listen to some of the stories of professional school counselors from the smallest state in the Union as they work to make a difference for their students.

In this session, we will reflect on Thomas Friedman’s findings in his eye-opening book, “The World is Flat.” As China and India assume a much larger presence in the global economy and international workplace, what are the implications for how we provide career guidance to our nation’s students? We will consider the stark realities of a “flat” world and identify knowledge, skills, attitudes, and career goals that will be relevant to students in a reconfigured world of work— one that is outsourced, insourced, homesourced, offshored, and completely multicultural and intergenerational.

High school counseling programs can contribute to equity and social justice by enabling all students to pursue higher education. We studied the characteristics of 16 high school programs across the United States that received a national award for achieving exceptional outcomes in college placement for low-income students.

School counselors are powerful allies in delivering strategies that impact the achievement gap. As school counselors, we have the ability to open doors so that every student has equitable access to a level playing field. This presentation focuses on school counselors doing practical work to impact the opportunity and information gaps, which have resulted in moving the achievement gap in a positive direction. Professional School Counselors all over America are reporting hard data showing how counselors impact students and help close gaps.

Do your master schedule and bell schedule allow enough time segments in the day so that students who need extra time in English and/or Math can get it? Are your students being told they need to give up their elective, stay after school and/or come on Saturday to receive that help? Are people at your school satisfied or dissatisfied with the status quo? Participants will learn how to become catalysts and build enough support to create a tipping point toward a more accessible and equitable curriculum for all students.

Parents, teachers, counselors and administrators want to know how to motivate students. Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation to Achieve provides practical strategies for teachers and school counselors. Participants will practice strategies and develop a plan to begin utilizing the strategies with their students. Participants will also benefit from learning how people and organizations change and how school counselors can employ strategies to become leaders on motivation and change within their organizations.

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Role identification and confusion is at the heart of why school counselors are under-utilized. In an era of accountability, school administrators are expected to increase student achievement regardless of whether their demographics are changing or their resources are adequate. But many of those administering are not sure how counselors can help. Presenters will share pre-service training models that help clarify roles and build administrator/counselor collaboration and PK-12 case examples.

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If all students have access to the rigorous academic opportunities that prepare them for college and career, it will require big changes in the way the way whole systems do business a systemic effort. Counselors play a key role in helping that happen. Learn about one district’s process of using data and action planning to create successful advocacy projects that helped counselors take the lead in identifying and removing achievement barriers in the system.

Dr. Lee will challenge his audience to think about the existential meaning in what they do as school counselors. He also will share ideas on the nature of empowerment and how school counselors can be the positive force in ensuring that all students achieve to high standards.

Speaker:
Courtland C. Lee, Professor and Director, School Counseling Program, University of Maryland, College Park

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In five years, Jackson Middle School’s percentage of students of color has gone from less than 7 percent to 25 percent. The vast majority of students in this group are Muslim immigrants and refugees. A collaboration among parents, the Mosque, community organizations, social service agencies, and our school has provided our students a strong support network that has fostered both academic growth and acculturation to their new surroundings.

Presenter:
Barbara G. Mutnick, Jill Sage, Sarah Greenstein, Jackson Middle School, Portland, OR

“College-going cultures” within schools do not just occur; there must be planning and aggressive culture building. School counselors play the roles of leaders in developing this culture with faculty and students. Developing successful transition programs for all students at all levels can increase the acceptance of a “College going culture” at individual sites as well as district-wide. This workshop will give participants a plan to use when they return to their district to help students transition from one level to the next and be successful in a rigorous curriculum.

This session will help participants better understand the process of incorporating TSC standards into state standards for college/university school counselor education programs. Presenters will share a brief overview of Project 720 and its objectives and the integral ways that school counselors are assisting with an innovative, state-level approach to future training of school counselors to provide advocacy, leadership, collaboration, and systemic change.

Developing a typical school counseling program into a strong one is like taking a train from an underdeveloped, poorly organized city to a highly organized, efficient one--the difference is amazing. But just as the train must have all passengers aboard, the comprehensive guidance plan requires group participation if it is to become a true district-wide K-12 program. This session will explore one district’s journey to promote ownership in program development and implementation throughout the process. Participants will receive an overview of the program and hints for getting ”all aboard.”

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The need for rapid change is accepted by most counselors; yet how to make it happen is still a question that looms large. This presentation will highlight data collection, data disaggregation and resulting interventions. Activities to encourage discussion will provide participants with “real” examples of school counselors using data. The presentation demonstrates a process of moving from information overload to using data to reach the goal of systemic change. Participants will also be provided with longitudinal data examples demonstrating change is not only possible, it is essential.

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The Peer Coaching Program is the latest development in a three year longitudinal study examining the causal links of peer connections in academic performance. This presentation will highlight the development and implementation of a data-driven peer coaching program for students transitioning into the ninth grade. Presenters will discuss peer coach training, curriculum development, and gathering and utilizating data to inform next steps. Lessons learned will be shared and participants will work in small groups to strategize potential action plan steps for at home implementation.

To produce well prepared, cutting-edge school counselors, pre-service training programs must be cutting edge. In this interactive program, presenters will examine characteristics and curricula of exemplary school counselor training programs, and a model or state-of-the-art training program will be presented.

For the past three years, a partnership between the Oregon School Counselor Association and the Oregon Department of Education has supported a statewide rollout of the Oregon’s Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Frameworks. The addition of student advocacy as a companion component to the foundation, management, delivery, and accountability quadrants of the ASCA model helps assure that every member of the school faculty and staff is committed to equity and social justice.

Response to challenging behavior in schools is typically a reactive solution, such as detention and suspension. Such responses generally hinder efforts to close achievement gaps. This presentation will describe how functional behavioral assessment knowledge can be paired with the advocacy, leadership, collaboration, and consultation skills of school counselors to promote positive interventions with teachers, administrators, and K-12 students conducive to learning and closing achievement and opportunity gaps.

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