Generally, school counselors counseling services in three important areas including social/personal, academic, as well as career. School counseling programs and services are necessary as they assist students to resolve social, emotional or behavioral issues as well as aiding them to develop a clear direction sense and focus as well. It, therefore, needs no telling that effective counseling programs are vital to the climate of a school and a fundamental element in enhancing the achievement of students. School counselors together with other educational professionals are growingly being demanded to indicate proof of effective practice. It is, therefore, imperative for student counselors to demonstrate accountability for the achievement of students by showing how the counseling program effectively contributes towards supporting the prosperity of students.
The primary presenting issue, in this case, is raising the student’s academic success by minimizing the various barriers that impact negatively upon the students’ success. Teachers, students, as well as the institution, in general, should be able to attain their long or short-term educational objectives. This includes increasing the number of students who enroll for college after completing their high school education.
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In developing a comprehensive school counseling program, it is critical to put into account all multicultural, legal, and ethical issues that may arise. The school counseling program should address several developmental and cultural problems that may affect students and the academic success of the school. For this reason, school counselors should establish an environment for learning that supports all students in a positive way, regardless of culture and ethnic background. This will, in turn, minimize the achievement gap. Besides multicultural considerations, the school counseling program will also observe ethics by maintaining confidentiality with the students in order to establish trusting relationships with them so that the students can easily open up about their issues. Thus, it will be easier for school counselors to help them. Also, the school counseling program will encourage counselors to maintain a professional distance as well as respecting differences in traditions and cultural values as well.
Generally, the intended counseling program will be based on a developmental theory framework. In other words, it will be focused on an approach of cognitive development, including concepts, theoretical principles, as well as proof of prosperous practice. As such, can aid parents and teachers understand the developmental process and how it can be promoted at the same time. The program will center on learning as well as teaching, instead of remediation and crisis-intervention; this will, in turn, encourage the development of complex structures of meaning-making. The results expected include higher cognitive levels, interpersonal and ethical maturity which will translate into academic success.
Generally, the school counseling program aims to implement a guidance program that is comprehensive and effective in order to remove numerous barriers to students’ academic success such as poverty, the lack of motivation, poor attendance and many others. This will not only result in academic success but also a positive learning environment for the students.
MEASURE
Six Step Accountability Process for School Counselors
Name and Address of School: Stewart County Middle School/ High School
15582 GA-27, Lumpkin, GA 31815
Name of Counselor(s) Leading the Initiative: Nelza I Marzan
Principal: Viola Feed
Enrollment: 220
School Demographics: African American
Free-Reduced Lunch: Yes
ESL/ELL: N/A
Other data of interest based on the assigned topic: Title 1 School.
Step One: Mission Statement
District goals/mission/vision statement: The vision of the Stewart Country School District is to become one of the highest performing school districts in the state of Georgia. The mission of the Stewart Country Board of Education is “to provide a quality education to all students.”
Campus Mission/Goal: Steward County School aims to develop young women and men with creative and active minds who commit to an equal education. We stress the whole development of each student including moral, intellectual, physical, emotional, social, as well as mental growth.
Program mission statement: The counseling department holds the belief that all students in the school can attain academic excellence in a positive learning environment. Our responsibility is, therefore, to promote that favorable outcome via the successful implementation of an effective guidance program to eliminate several barriers that may adversely impact the academic success of students.
Discussion with campus principal on the assigned topic and needs: The counseling program will stress on the effective planning, transferring, evaluation, and managing the services of counseling with the objective of facilitating career, academic, social or personal development of all students. Also, the program aims to reduce the possible barriers to the academic success of students, more specifically, poverty, the lack of motivation, failure to enroll to college after completing high school, lack of parental involvement, socio-economic status, and ethnic status as well. The outcome of this discussion was coming up with effective strategies to increase the motivation level of students, parental involvement, test scores, as well as increasing graduation rates and class attendance.
Step Two: Data
Current Data That I Am Going To Impact
The success of a school, in general, is measured by results. These are crucial elements of data that are fundamental to the external and internal stakeholders. Therefore, in this regard, the current data that I am going to impact include school attendance, college or career readiness, school completion, as well as graduation rates. Firstly, class attendance is low. Only 45% of the students attend classes every day. African-Americans are ordinarily minority groups; therefore they have limited access to education opportunities. Also, because of high poverty levels, the majority of students skip school to work in order to earn a living. Secondly, it is only 50% of our students who seem ready to go to college and even pursue a college education together with other opportunities after graduation. Thirdly, the rates of school completion as well as graduation rates are indeed low. Only 55% of our students complete their high school education with the rest dropping out of school due to many reasons such as poverty, and community factors such as gangs and drug abuse.
Step 3: Analyze
Firstly, class attendance is very low where only 45% of the total number of students manage to attend their classes on a daily basis. For this reason, there is need for more students to attend their classes in order to attain academic success. The primary goals of this project is to increase the number of students attending classes by at least 20%. Analysis of data brought to light that 25% percent of those attending classes were mostly girls. Most boys skipped to school in order to work or hang out with the community boys.
Secondly, only 50% of our students are ready to attend college and even pursue a professional career; more students need to be college ready and even aspire to have professional careers. Our goal is to raise students’ college and career readiness by 10%. The data demonstrated that 30% of students who are college ready attended transition courses for 12 th graders that adequately prepared them for college. As a result, their college readiness increased. Organizing transition courses for the students is positive practice, hence, it should be emulated by other educators.
Thirdly, only 55% of our students complete their high school education as well as graduate. More students should be able to complete their high school education as well as graduate. Our goal is to increase the number of students graduating by 10%. Data analysis revealed that among the 55% who graduate, 30% are boys, whereas 25% are girls. Also, 30% of the students graduating come from middle-class families.
Step Four: Stakeholders-Unite
Firstly, school counselors need to create a career and college readiness program for the students to increase college awareness among the students. Also, they need to implement both programmatic and systemic changes in schools to inhibit students from dropping out of school. This will also increase class attendance. Secondly, teachers should adopt ways to increase students’ motivation to increase class attendance which will, in turn, increase graduation rates. Also, English teachers should encourage their students to apply for college as well as guide them in writing their college essays. Thirdly, the school social workers should provide workshops and training for parents, school staff, and teachers on the importance of attendance and college education for the success of the school. Fourthly, the clerical staff should monitor the number of people applying for college as well as those signing up to attend career seminars. Fifthly, community agencies should organize events to raise funds for the school as well as students in order to reduce the number of students dropping out for work-related reasons. Also, they should come up with a mentoring program that will positively impact both boys and girls.
Step Five: Reanalyze, Reflect and Revise
Presently, there is a 23% increase in the number of students attending classes. That is from 45% to 68%. Also, 60% of students are now career and college ready indicating that the figures increased with 10% from the previous 50%. Finally, there is an 8% increase in the number of graduating students. In the past, only 55% of students completed school; presently, we have at least 63% of students graduating. The data demonstrate that the program was indeed successful. The strategies that worked include increasing students’ motivation levels, creating a career and college readiness program, and providing workshops and training for parents, school staff, and teachers on the importance of attendance and college education for the success of the school.
Step Six: Educate
School and enrollment: Stewart County High School &220
Principal: Viola Feed
Counselor: Nelza I Marzan
Principal Comments: The counseling program was a success as there was a remarkable increase in class attendance rates, graduation rates, as well as career and college readiness rates.
Baseline Data: Class attendance increased from 45% to 68%. Also, college readiness increased from 50% to 60%. Finally, graduation rates increased from 55% to 63%.
Students Impacted: 220
End Data: The program was a Success.
Hours Invested: Five hours a day was invested to make the program a success.
School Counseling Program Interventions Completed: Creation of career readiness programs, providing training for teachers, students, and parents, increasing motivation levels in students, and organizing events to raise funds for the school.
Barriers: Ethnicity and Poverty.
Plan Improvement Ideas: There is a need to organize school events where all stakeholders and students can discuss the issues affecting the school and provide effective solutions.
