UNF SOAR School Counseling Program Portfolio - University of ...

School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) University of North Florida UNF SOAR School Counseling Program Portfolio UNF Counselor Education Faculty: Chris Janson, Associate Professor [email protected] 904-620-1520 Sophie Maxis, Assistant Professor [email protected] 904-620-1112 Rebecca Schumacher Assistant Professor and Program Director [email protected] 904-620-1546 Carolyn Stone, Professor [email protected] 904-620-1826 INTRODUCTION TO SOAR AND UNF School Counselors: Supporters Of Academic Rigor (SOAR) is a partnership between the University of North Florida (UNF) and the Duval County Public Schools with outreach efforts to St. Johns, Clay, Putnam and Nassau counties with the expected outcome of preparing counselors who will practice as advocates, leaders, and academic advisors helping to create the conditions necessary for academic achievement for all children. The counselor education program at UNF is embedded in a college and university committed to K-12 school district partnerships for educational reform. The University of North Florida, located in Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County), has joined forces with the Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to restructure the preparation program for urban teachers and school counselors. For the past 14 years the College of Education and Human Services and DCPS have worked in partnership to increase achievement for public school students in urban classrooms and redesign the preparation of urban teachers and school counselors. Supported by over $4,000,000 in grants, the UNF/DCPS partnership has become a national prototype for successful urban university/school district collaboration. In December 2011, The Education Trust named the UNF School Counseling Program a stand out program and an example of excellence in establishing “educational equity and academic success for every pre-K - 12 student” as part of our mission statement. The University of North Florida was founded in 1972 and currently has a student body of over 16,000 students enrolled in over 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students come from all over the United States and from over 90 foreign countries. UNF emphasizes quality undergraduate and graduate education while playing a vital role in the cultural, economic and civic fabric of the Jacksonville community.

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Admissions to the UNF SOAR School Counseling Program is twofold: 1. Admission to the UNF Graduate School, and 2. Admission to the SOAR program through interview, public speech and a review of a portfolio containing information specific to 21st Century School Counseling. SCHOOL COUNSELING: School Counseling focuses on preparing counselors to meet the academic, career and personal/social needs of culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. The School Counseling Track will prepare school counselors to:  serve as advocates, educational leaders, team members, counselors, and consultants to maximize opportunities for students to succeed academically;  develop in students a commitment to achievement and provide conditions that enable students to accomplish their goals;  help students recognize their potential and enhance their capacity to make academic and career decisions;  serve as leaders and stewards of equity and achievement and be able to impact institutional and environmental barriers impeding students’ progress;  provide all students with academic and career advising in order for them to form values, attitudes, and behaviors conducive to their educational and academic success: and,  manage resources and build partnerships by enlisting the support of parents, agencies, and community members. The SOAR School Counseling Program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Graduates of the SOAR program will have fulfilled the educational requirements for Florida certification as school counselors and for the English as a Second Language requirement for school counselors. ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM: 1. Apply to the Graduate School Applicants: 

 

must apply to the UNF Graduate School. The Graduate School requires 1) all official transcripts, 2) General Knowledge Test or GRE scores, 3) three letters of reference, one of which needs to be from your school principal and/or vice principal, or for non-educators a current or recent supervisor, 4) a letter of intent, and 5) an application fee. must have a 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours of their undergraduate study. For students with a lower GPA please read the section below entitled “Exception.” must take and pass the General Knowledge Test (http://www.fl.nesinc.com/ ) or take the GRE and receive a combined verbal and quantitative score of 297 or higher.

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2. Complete a portfolio and interview with a SOAR Selection Team Applicants: 

must submit a completed portfolio to the SOAR Program in the Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management Department. A complete SOAR Portfolio contains:  Applicant Statement of Understanding  unofficial copies of transcripts from all institutions previously attended**  copy of your General Knowledge Test score report or copy of GRE scores  Individualized School Experience Contract  written reaction to a journal article and a school scenario  a copy of your teaching certificate if you are certified by the Florida Department of Education

**OFFICIAL copies of transcripts and test scores must be sent to the UNF Graduate School as part of the Graduate admissions process. Applicants will interview with a selection committee comprised of program faculty and practicing school counselors and will deliver a brief public speech on the achievement gap (see page 10). General Knowledge Test (GKT) The GKT is recommended for entry to the School Counseling Program because it is one of the Florida Teacher Certification Exams and must be taken by the end of your first fall semester in addition to being required by the Florida Department of Education for certification. You can get more information at http://www.fl.nesinc.com/ . Please note: It takes approximately 6 weeks to receive all your GK test results. All test results must be received by the Graduate School admission deadline. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) You can take the GRE in lieu of the General Knowledge Test, but you must receive a combined verbal and quantitative score of 297 or higher (or 1000 on the old test). Contact the UNF Testing Center (www.unf.edu/dept/testing/index.html) for more information. Please note, once in the program you will still be required to take and pass the GKT by the end of your first fall semester. Exception An exception may be awarded to an applicant who meets all the admission criteria except their GPA. An applicant with a GPA of less than 3.0 in their last 60 hours of undergraduate studies as calculated by the Graduate School is eligible for award consideration. Each program has a very limited number of exceptions, so awards are competitive. An applicant who has a GPA of lower than 3.0 may request a review of his/her application by submitting a letter detailing the reasons that an exception to the admission policy should be granted. This letter should be submitted to the School Counseling Program Director prior to the closing date for receipt of applications. The

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letter will become part of the application and be reviewed during the student selection process.

CONTINUANCE IN THE PROGRAM: All candidates admitted are on a trial basis; during the second semester instructors will provide written feedback regarding each student’s progress. Final admission will occur at the end of the second semester. The SOAR program faculty is ethically obligated to monitor each student’s performance throughout his/her studies. Completion of the program is dependent not only upon academic performance but also on the demonstration of appropriate interpersonal skills, professional demeanor, and social and ethical judgment. Faculty will advise students in cases where they receive grades lower than a “B” and/or are not performing satisfactorily.

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School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) Application Checklist University of North Florida This page should be the first one in your portfolio. Name______________________________________ Address____________________________________

N #__________________________ This is the identification number assigned to you once you apply to UNF for admission.

___________________________Zip code________ Telephone Numbers

(H) _____________________

(C)_____________________

Preferred Email Address_________________________________________________________ I am applying for which term (circle one)

Summer

Fall

for the YEAR ________.

SOAR School Counseling Admissions Portfolio: Your portfolio should contain these items. Please check them off and place them in this order. Portfolio materials submitted become the property of the SOAR program. Please make sure that you keep copies of all your work. ***Portfolios

should be mailed or hand-delivered to:

UNF/SOAR, Bldg. 57/Office 3200, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida, USA 32224 _____Applicant Statement of Understanding _____Unofficial Transcript from all institutions previously attended _____Unofficial copy of GRE exam score (verbal and quantitative) _____Unofficial copy of your GK scores or a copy of a FLDOE teaching certificate *Needed if you have not taken the GRE or your combined verbal and quantitative score is less than 297 (1000 on the old version). _____Individualized School Experience Contract _____Journal Article Response _____School Scenario Response

Graduate School Application: Your application should include the following. Please check each item that you have submitted to that office. All documentation should go to the following address:

UNF Graduate School, Bldg. 1/Office 2000, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224 _____ Official Transcript from all institutions previously attended _____ Three references _____Letter of Intent – detailing why you want to be a school counselor and a description of any leadership activities in which you have been involved as a volunteer or professional _____ GKT Scores or a copy of a valid Florida Professional Educator’s Certificate, or _____Official GRE scores

*If you have taken the above exams, but have not received your official scores yet, please write the date you took the exam next to the exam name.

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School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) University of North Florida APPLICANT STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING

We are delighted that you have chosen to pursue graduate study in the UNF SOAR School Counseling Program. It is our goal to identify outstanding students and to support them throughout their program of study. SOAR candidates are given an opportunity through their portfolio to present their personal qualifications. The SOAR Selection Team will nominate those candidates for admission that are admitted to the UNF Graduate School and demonstrate the personal qualities needed to be an outstanding school counselor and who have the best opportunity for success. All nominated students will be admitted on a trial basis with final admissions coming at the close of the second semester with written feedback on the student’s progress during the second semester. Beyond the second semester, the SOAR Faculty is ethically obligated to safeguard the school counseling profession by continuously monitoring student performance. Completion of the program is dependent not only upon academic performance, but the demonstration of appropriate interpersonal skills, professional demeanor, and social and ethical judgment. Grades are only part of what is needed for a student to be successful in the SOAR Program. If concerns arise, students will be directed to do one of the following: participate in a writing and/or speech course, drop temporarily from the program, perform voluntary or paid work in a school, repeat a course, seek personal counseling, or withdraw from the program permanently. As a student, you have the right to appeal any grade or decision about your standing in the program. ***The SOAR Program is designed to accommodate working students who have busy lives. However, a challenging, demanding two years/ 6 semesters will be required from each of you. This program cannot be completed in less than 6 semesters. Please carefully weigh the commitment against your personal and professional demands. Attendance in each class is paramount and high quality work is a given. Employed students are asked to save 6 personal/vacation days a year for school/course related activities. Because of the need for quality school counselors we MUST graduate every student who begins the program. The SOAR program relies on a continuation of skill building rather than discreet courses. It will be difficult for you to sit out a semester or to take only a portion of the semester’s course work. Students who have emergencies will be accommodated to the extent possible with a new sequence of courses. Each situation will be addressed individually. *** Initial that you have read the above statement. _________ Active class participation is needed. Courses are designed for self-reflection and selfevaluation. Also, class discussion will be frank and open to help you become comfortable dealing with uncomfortable subjects such as the examination of “isms”, e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Confidentiality, professionalism, willingness to be open and forthrightness are necessary. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… I have carefully read the above statement and I agree to the terms as outlined. _____________________________

_________________________

___________

Student’s Signature

Print Name

Date

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School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) University of North Florida INDIVIDUALIZED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE CONTRACT To the Applicant: As an applicant for the school counseling program it would be desirable for you to have some sort of experience, either voluntary or paid employment, within a school setting. Applicants who do not have such experience may be asked to contract with us to gain a specified number of hours of experience in a school. If you are admitted into the program and need school experience your program sponsor will discuss the details with you. You will have until the end of the first year of your graduate studies to fulfill your school experience requirement. Please note however, that the terms of your individualized learning contract may be subject to revision during the first semester of graduate studies depending upon your needs and performance in the program. Name___________________________________ Please indicate all school experience to date: Volunteer (ie. PTA Board Member, room mother, tutor). Please specify your role, your function/duties, the location(s) and the date(s)

Employment (list current and previous school employment) Please specify your role, your function/duties, the location(s) and the date(s)

Other school experience: Please specify your role, your function/duties, the location(s) and the date(s)

If you hold a Florida Professional Educators/Teaching Certificate, please include a copy.

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… School experience to be gained by the applicant: Date to be completed by: Student’s Signature: Sponsor’s Signature:

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School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) University of North Florida WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS Directions to the Applicant: Please respond to the following writing assignments. Clearly indicate the assignments and include in the portfolio.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1. JOURNAL ARTICLE Directions to the Applicant: Please go to the attached journal article and respond to the following question. Be sure to type your response. Do not exceed three pages double spaced. Advocacy as a critical role for urban school counselors: Working toward equity and social justice, Professional School Counseling, February, 2005 The article is located at the end of this portfolio. DO NOT print and submit the written article with your portfolio. Only submit the response to the question below.

What implications does this article have for your future as a school counselor? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. SCHOOL SCENARIOS Directions to the Applicant: Below you will find a series of problem situations you might encounter in your job as a school counselor. Select one of the three scenarios and respond to the question that follows it. Be sure to type your response. Your response should not exceed two pages, double spaced. Clearly indicate the scenario to which you are responding. SCENARIO #1 This is your first year as a school counselor at Johnson Elementary School. You received a note today from Mrs. Brown, fourth grade teacher, requesting a conference with you. She indicated her concern about Joan D., a student in her class who is currently repeating the grade. You agree to meet with Mrs. Brown the following day. At which time she expresses several concerns about Joan’s performance and personal circumstances. She explains that Joan was highly motivated when school first started and was determined to get promoted so that she could advance to the fifth grade. Since that time, Joan’s behavior and school performance have drastically changed. She rarely ever completes class assignments, her attendance is sometimes poor, and she often falls asleep in class. Mrs. Brown has made several attempts to have Mrs. D., Joan’s mother, come in for a conference, but her mother cancelled the appointments. Other teachers and students have indicated that there are problems at home. Mr. D. recently left the family and Mrs. D. is struggling to provide for her family of four. At least one of the other children, Johnny, a sixth grader, is experiencing trouble in school. As the school counselor what would you do? What would you say to Joan D.’s teacher Mrs. Brown?

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SCENARIO #2 As the school counselor in a local high school you have an appointment with a female student with whom you have had prior contact and you know well. The student comes into the office frustrated and distraught. She indicates that her teacher has consistently expressed preferential treatment to the most advanced students in his classroom. As the school counselor, in this situation what would you do? What exactly would you want to say to this student? What recommendations would you make? SCENARIO #3 You have been a high school counselor for three months. You recently received a memorandum from the District Supervisor of Guidance about the requirements of the Bright futures Scholarship (a $2,500 per year scholarship for four years). Scholarship requirements are: four years of English, three years of mathematics that must be Alg. and above, three years of science to include two lab classes, two years of foreign language, a 3.0 GPA: and a 970 on the SAT. The GPA and SAT requirements are attainable for a large number of students but many students will miss the requirements because they may not have had the foreign language or three higher level math classes. The School Counseling Department at your school has weekly staff meetings. This week’s Department Meeting is devoted to getting ready for presentations in sophomore English classes to discuss scheduling for next year’s courses. You ask the Department Chairperson if this would be a good opportunity to begin informing students of the requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarships so that students will enroll in the right courses. The Department Chairperson responds, “This scholarship is for the motivated students who strive towards academic success. The students who should get this scholarship are going to take the right courses and will not need prodding from us. We are going to let this scholarship be a natural consequence for those who strive towards high standards. We will not be bringing this up in English class.” What would you do in this case? What would you say to your Department Chairperson? What is your personal reaction to the Department Chairperson’s response?

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School Counselors: Supporters of Academic Rigor (SOAR) University of North Florida PUBLIC SPEECH Directions to the Applicant: The statistics below show a gap in high school and postgraduate completion based on minority and non-minority status, and socio-economic status. Prepare a three to four minute speech responding to this data. In other words, what does this data mean to you as a future school counselor? You may support your position with research. You may use only one 4x6 index card for notes and to list references. Do not present handouts or use any visual aids. You will deliver the speech on the day of your interview. Please do not go over the four minute time limit. You speech will be evaluated in three areas: 1) topic

2) delivery

3) overall impression.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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7.4% of students dropped out of high school in 2010.

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5.0% of white students dropped out in 2010.

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8.0% of African American students dropped out in 2010.

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15.1% of Hispanic students dropped out in 2010. National Center for Education Statistics 2010

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Article for journal response: DO NOT submit a copy of this article with your portfolio.

Advocacy as a critical role for urban school counselors: working toward equity and social justice Professional School Counseling, Feb, 2005 by Fred Bemak, Rita Chi-Ying Chung The academic achievement gap of students of color and low-income students as compared to middle and upper socioeconomic students and White students has been clearly documented. Historically the long-standing role of the school counselor has contributed to the status quo of these inequities, inadvertently maintaining educational and social disparities. This has been reflected in school counselors' training, role or job descriptions, and actual practice. This article explores the need for a change of the school counselor's role to incorporate advocacy as a key component in decreasing the achievement gap and fostering social justice and equity for all students. Challenges in being an advocate are discussed along with recommendations for school counselors. In today's society, educational achievement gaps of poor students and students of color as compared to middle and higher socioeconomic classes and European American students have been clearly documented (Education Trust, 2000; Haycock, 1998). Although this can be attributed to many facets of public education in the United States, school counselors have the potential to play a major role in eliminating academic inequities. This article addresses the importance of K-12 urban school counselors in assuming an advocacy role as part of their work with the aim toward creating social justice in the school environment that will ultimately lead to decreasing the achievement gap. The article will begin with a brief history of the role of advocacy in counseling as it relates to school counselors, followed by a discussion of inequities in schools and how the school counseling profession has maintained the status quo. The importance of a role shift that includes school counselors becoming advocates and strategies to empower school counselors will be discussed. Finally, recommendations will be made for school counselors to infuse advocacy into their work and training. ADVOCACY IN COUNSELING: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE After decades of school counselors being in a stationary position in schools, there has been some recent movement to change this role. The changing role involves an effort to evolve from simply addressing the needs of individual students to becoming leaders, change agents, and advocates (Bemak, 2000; Lee, 1998; Stone & Hanson, 2002). We would strongly suggest that advocacy be an integral part of the school counselor's changing role. To better understand modern-day advocacy, it is important to briefly review the history of advocacy in the counseling field and the role of the school counselor.

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Advocacy can be defined as the belief that, to fight injustices, individual and collective actions that lead toward improving conditions for the benefit of both individuals and groups are necessary (House & Martin, 1998). Advocating for clients or students can be viewed as an act of speaking up or taking action that leads toward environmental changes on behalf of clients (Kiselica & Robinson, 2001). Although advocacy is just reemerging in the counseling field, it has been present in mental health work since the 1700s when there was a movement to improve the conditions of mentally ill people (Brooks & Weikel, 1996). It took another two centuries for advocacy to emerge in schools. The guidance programs of the early 1900s aimed to help students develop personal and moral character while assisting them in locating good jobs that would contribute to the social good. Frank Parsons (1909) introduced vocational counseling as a means to address unemployment for youth who left school. During the same time period, Clifford Beers became an advocate for people suffering from mental illness (Kiselica & Robinson). More recently during the 1970s, the community mental health movement advocacy gained recognition as a component of counseling only to lose ground in the late 1980s and 1990s, when advocacy and social change diminished in importance as counselors strove for professional credibility and narrowly defined scientific research standards (McClure & Russo, 1996). During the past 15 years, with the exception of multicultural counseling and feminist counseling, the term advocacy has regularly been used to affect legislation and policy and enhance the credibility of the profession, rather than to promote change that addresses social inequities and institutional changes affecting clients and students. Important strides were made in promoting advocacy with the development of the multicultural counseling competencies by Sue, Arredondo, and McDavis (1992). Four years later, the competencies were operationalized (Arredondo et al., 1996). Even with the call for advocacy in the recent literature (Bemak, 1998, 2000; House & Martin, 1998; Kiselica & Robinson, 2001; Lee, 1998; Lewis, Lewis, Daniels, & D'Andrea, 1998; McWhirter, 1994; Myers, Sweeney, & White, 2002), there is still a significant gap between the theoretical discussions about the need for advocacy and actual training and practice. This article addresses the importance and practice of advocacy for school counselors. INEQUITIES IN SCHOOLS: THE NEED FOR ADVOCACY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND EQUITY As a result of the overall poorer quality of education and subsequent achievement gap experienced by students of color and lower socioeconomic students in the United States, there is a self-fulfilling expectation fbr their low academic performance (American Association for Higher Education, 1992). The National Initiative to Transform School Counseling was a first systematic attempt to examine the school counselor's role as a means for contributing to equity and services for all students. As a result, a redefinition of the school counselor's role emerged. Part of this role redefinition included a strong advocacy component contributing to systemic change aimed toward improving academic performance for all students. The attempt of the National Initiative 12 updated 10/13

was to decrease the achievement gap between students of color or low-income students and middle/upper socioeconomic groups of White students, leading to social and academic equity. SCHOOL COUNSELING: MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO School counselor training and practice has been in a position of perpetuating the status quo and maintaining the inequities that currently exist in our schools. School administrators and school systems have externally defined the job of the school counselor. In many instances, school counselors have adopted and then internalized these roles, with little or no input or discussion. In turn, entire school systems adopt these job specifications and provide supervision and job performance evaluations based on that definition. The great risk here is that the system, the administrators and supervisors, and the school counselors themselves implicitly and explicitly agree to maintain the traditional and externally defined school counselor's role, thus maintaining the status quo. In fact, we would suggest that the achievement gap that now exists for poor students and students of color not only is based on the inadequate funding and the subsequent poor quality of many schools serving these populations, but is also, in part, due to the negligence, low expectations, and job goals and outcomes adopted as important by school counselors and other school personnel. This is not to say that school counselors lack commitment and dedication to their work, but rather to suggest that school counselors, similar to disenfranchised students, have been in some cases inadvertent victims of the systems in which they work, adopting values and practices conducive to bringing about categorical discrepancies in achievement. Even so, it is our firm belief that school counselors can make a difference by becoming proactive and assuming responsibility to adopt a position as an advocate who no longer tolerates these discrepancies. Criticisms of counseling have centered on the focus on individualism, the maintenance and perpetuation of the current societal power structures, and the disregard for social and political issues facing clients and students (Bemak, 1998, 2000; Kantrowitz & Ballou, 1992; Prilleltensky, 1997; Sue & Sue, 1999). To continue to emphasize the individual without regard to the ecological context of the individual's world (Bemak & Conyne, 2004)--which includes factors such as poverty, discrimination, racism, sexism, violence, and bullying--is to ignore significant contributing influences that impact on one's school life, academic performance, and long-term career. We would suggest that it is imperative that school counselors pay close attention to social, political, and economic realities of students and families, with an aim to simultaneously address these as critical elements within the school counselor's role. For school counselors to ignore the impact of inherent power structures that contribute to the achievement gap is to participate in the insidious cycle of low performance and failure for poor students and students of color. To break away from traditions that tenaciously maintain the status quo, it is critical for school counselors to become advocates who challenge old paradigms and power structures. 13 updated 10/13

SHIFTING ROLES: A HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL It is not easy to move from being a well-liked and friendly school counselor to being an advocate. Because the role of the school counselor has been consistent for the past 40 years (Baker, 2001), the expectations for whom the school counselor is and what the school counselor does are well established in school systems. Notably this does not include advocacy. The recent attention regarding a shift in responsibilities and role is more evident in the profession of school counseling but is less prominent in the education field among school administrators and teachers. House and Martin (1998) described the need to change the school counselor's role to include social advocacy that aims to eliminate the obstacles for academic success for all students. We would concur that for effective school counselors to be capable and focused on providing services for all students, an essential aspect of their job must be social advocacy. To not advocate is to uphold social and academic inequity, hence doing an injustice to selected groups of clients and students. In contrast, to advocate for all students means challenging the system, which has the potential to produce personal and professional difficulties. "Taking on" a system to become an advocate for social equity means assuming a dramatically different position as a school counselor. Resistance and resentment for "rocking the boat" are bound to occur. For example, advocating may require confronting teachers who hold low expectations for students of color or poor students and who consciously or unconsciously discriminate against these student groups by harboring lower academic demands or giving lower grades. Or, advocacy may mean directly challenging administrators who promote policies and practices that are overtly and covertly nonsupportive of all students or talking to peers and administration about instituting school-wide or system-wide policies that promote academic success for all students, not just some students. One potential outcome for this type of activity is that school counselors are viewed as disruptive or as troublemakers. The aim of a school counselor, of course, is not to be seen in that light, but rather as a team player who challenges the team to improve, to not accept historical practices as "given practices," and to fight and advocate for fairness and equity that will benefit all students. Given that school counselors do not have administrative authority within schools, coupled with their dependency on administrators for their professional livelihood, it is important to have a good working relationship with administrators. The reality for school counselors is that by and large they are hired and evaluated by principals and school administrators. The administrators are their professional lifelines within a school system, deciding on contracts, promotions, and other personnel actions, so that assuming the role of an advocate within schools may create potential difficulties for school counselors. To advocate, to challenge, to confront, and to take a leadership role in moving a school system forward toward social equity is to risk tension and discord with supervisors and peers. In fact, advocacy may create a threat to school settings by challenging the politics, procedures, and structure of the school itself, which may lead to 14 updated 10/13

negative repercussions (Lee, 1998). Yet, the goal of equity and social justice for all students is so important that we would strongly encourage that advocacy toward these goals become an integral aspect of the school counselor's role. One important aspect of successful advocacy by school counselors, therefore, is understanding how to sustain good professional relationships while challenging school systems to adopt goals that benefit all students, including those who have been marginalized or discriminated against in the educational system. Thus it is important to anticipate the personal and professional ramifications of being an advocate rather than simply adopting advocacy as part of one's role without any preparation or advanced consideration. The school counselor who is an advocate must walk a fine line, supporting the causes of inequity, injustice, and unfair practices within a school and advocating for and promoting educational equity, for all students, while keeping his or her job. It is essential for school counselors to have the skills to balance the institutional realities of working within systems where they may have minimal power yet have the ethical and moral responsibility, to advocate for social justice and equity for all students. Critically important is to be aware of the realities that school counselors must face as advocates and introduce strategies to deal with the institutional and individual barriers. STRATEGIES FOR EMPOWERING URBAN SCHOOL COUNSELORS AS ADVOCATES To become more effective as advocates, urban school counselors need to have the skills to manage complex and oftentimes resistant systems. To meet this end, we would propose the necessity of addressing three different levels of training for school counselors. First is pre-service training, graduate-level training for those up-and-coming school counseling professionals. Second is in-service training, for those school counselors already in the field. Third is the provision of supervision with a focus on social equity and advocacy for current school counselors. Each of these levels is discussed below. Level 1: Pre-Service Training The first level would assist in the preparation and training of school counselors as advocates. It would be ideal if school counselors were trained during their university education to be advocates for dealing with systemic obstacles to social equity and unsupportive, disinterested, and even hostile administrators. Unfortunately, the preparation and training for school counselors as advocates has been woefully inadequate. Advocacy is markedly absent from most graduate school counseling training curricula, and social change, social reform, and school reform are not typically discussed at all. Internship and practicum placements remain the same as decades ago, with a focus on guidance activities and individual counseling. We would propose that the starting point for future school counselor advocates is university training programs, where the adoption and integration of advocacy into the curricula is imperative. This is 15 updated 10/13

essential if we are serious about and committed to eliminating educational unfairness, injustice, and inequalities. The infusion of advocacy in graduate-level university training programs can be done in one of two ways. First, university programs that have difficulty in adding new courses, securing support by colleagues, or acquiring administrative support to incorporate advocacy or social justice courses into the curricula can add components for advocacy training to already existing classes. For example, an introductory counseling class may incorporate information on the theory and practice of advocacy by counselors; a principles and practices school counseling class can include a section on advocacy and examine how social equity comes into play in various aspects of the job; and a practicum or internship class can include assignments about developing advocacy projects as part of the field experience. If training programs are committed to advocacy as a core aspect of the school counselor's job, it makes sense to include content and skill development along with other basic theories and skills. A second way to include an advocacy curriculum in a graduate-level university training program is to redefine the mission and rebuild courses around the new mission. This requires greater support from faculty and administration. It may be helpful to introduce one example of this by illustrating the redesign of a graduate program that dramatically changed to include a mission of social justice and advocacy. Three years ago the two authors of this article arrived at George Mason University (GMU). The decision to accept the faculty positions at GMU was largely based on administrative support for the redesign of the entire counselor education program. The outcome was that the Counseling and Development Program at GMU created a new mission statement emphasizing social justice, multiculturalism, advocacy, and leadership. The GMU program redesigned 90% of the courses to reflect the new mission and now has a course on counseling and social justice that includes the theory and practice of leadership, social change, and advocacy as well as internship classes in leadership and social justice. In addition, aspects of the mission statement were infused into the content of all the classes; the practicum and internship were redesigned to require assignments that include advocacy toward social justice through the development of prevention projects and the evaluation of existing programs using data. The end result is that counselors in training are taught about social justice and advocacy and through the training they gain an understanding about systems as well as the tools to use as advocates and change agents of systems. Level 2: In-Service Training A second way to ensure that urban school counselors are advocating for parity for all students is to provide in-service training. Typically, in-service training emphasizes specific issues or information and procedures about changes in the school system. Inservice training is a reflection of the defined role of school counselors, and markedly 16 updated 10/13

absent from in-service workshops are sessions related to social equity, leadership skills, or advocacy. Emphasizing advocacy for the success of all students inclusive of poor and ethnic students would be a critical area of training to include for school counselors. One example of this type of training is illustrated by a training conducted by the first author. As one of the principal investigators of a DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund National Initiative to Transform School Counseling grant, this author set up an in-service training program for school counselors in Columbus, OH. The training program was an ongoing weekly program that focused on advocacy through the use of skill development, projects, and data. Issues and theories in advocacy, leadership, and social justice were presented and discussed. Skills in these areas were introduced and practiced by the participants. Each school counselor identified an issue particular to their school that focused on improving academic achievement for students of color and poor students. In concert with the instructor, targeted evaluations and interventions were developed. This was done through a case study format that included designing evaluative methods, collecting data, and analyzing the data. School counselors then discussed intervention advocacy strategies or ways to introduce the findings from the evaluations to appropriate parties in their schools and school systems. Through an inservice training of this nature, school counselors learned about advocacy on the job. Level 3: Supervision The third level of supporting school counselors to become advocates is through supervision. This involves a person in a supervisory position who includes advocacy as an element of supervision with the school counselor. This position is best assumed by a supervisor within an urban school system who is aligned with the goals for social justice or an outside counselor supervisor or university professor who is attuned to the issues inherent in advocating for the success of urban students. The supervision is different from other supervisory relationships in that it incorporates advocacy as an important aspect of the job. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS AS ADVOCATES In order to become advocates, school counselors must change their role. Currently, many school counselors remain rooted in traditional roles that have been existent since the 1960s, focusing on the three "C's"--counseling, consultation, and coordination. In contemporary times this old definition of the school counselor's role has become outdated, and it perpetuates a situation whereby counselors are unable to serve all students as advocates and leaders with a focus on social and educational equity. The present focus continues to be narrow with an emphasis on mental health that frequently neglects academic goals and achievement; individualized concerns and services; record keeping and "clerk work" activities; and little accountability (Bemak, 2000; Erford, House, & Martin, 2003; Martin, 2002). The result of maintaining the current role leaves schools with guidance counselor rather than school counselors, an 17 updated 10/13

important distinction that supports the continuation of old practices that are outdated and obsolete in terms of being effective for all students (Bemak). The call for a new and transformed role places school counselors more in line with educational reform (Bemak, 2000; Erford et al., 2003) by becoming advocates and leaders. To assume these roles, we would recommend the following 13 guidelines for becoming advocates: 1. Define one's role as contributing to academic success for all students. All roles, responsibilities, and tasks should lead toward this goal. 2. Emphasize social and educational equity and equal opportunity for all students. This requires equal and fair treatment, support, and time allocation; an equal distribution of resources; and advocacy for each and every student in one's school. 3. Given the large ratios of students assigned to each counselor, refocus intervention strategies to work with groups of students, parents, and teachers. Individual counseling is not conducive to limited time and assigned student caseloads. The same holds true for individual consultations with teachers and parents on a regular basis. Adjust accordingly, emphasizing the work with groups of students, teachers, and parents, and the larger community, rather than with individuals. 4. Teach students and parents about their rights and provide them with the tools to promote constructive changes for themselves that lead toward social justice, equal opportunities, and parity (Kiselica & Robinson, 2001). 5. Formulate partnerships with students who may lack the requisite skills and knowledge to advocate for themselves (Lee, 1998). 6. Align with parents who may lack the skills and knowledge about how to gain access to existing resources within the school and community. This requires knowledge about organizational systems and schools that may be helpful in promoting positive and healthy change toward educational and academic equity, (Bemak & Cornely, 2002; House & Martin, 1998). 7. Forge partnerships with principals and administrators in schools and school systems who will assist in working toward social change and decreasing the achievement gap for poor and ethnic minority youth. 8. Utilize data to change one's role and incorporate advocacy. It is not enough to approach administrators and suggest that one redefines one's role as an advocate. Rather, gather data and factual information that support the changing role and actually advocate for that change. For example, facilitating a group for children of divorced parents should lead to improved grades, better attendance, reduced tardiness, and 18 updated 10/13

fewer disciplinary referrals. Successful data about student changes should be presented to administrators and teachers to further solidify. their support for school counselor interventions. 9. Get training in leadership and advocacy skills. This requires knowledge about organizational change, how school systems work, the politics of change in educational arenas, and leadership skills. School counselors can encourage school counseling district coordinators to build this into the in-service training programs, while students in graduate training programs can advocate within their universities to include advocacy, social change, and leadership in their programs. 10. Join with other school counselors in one's own school and larger school system to compile data that can be presented to school-based administrators and central office administration. The transformation of the role requires advocacy at the system level as well as in one's own school. 11. Volunteer and participate in school reform efforts. Most often school counselors have not been considered or included in broader reform efforts within their schools or school systems. Advocate to become a participant who contributes to these important efforts. An example of this can be seen in Virginia where the School Counseling Leadership Team was formed with university professors and school counseling directors from various districts in Northern Virginia. The team sent letters to the Virginia superintendent of education and the Virginia Board of Education with concerns and recommendations relevant to school counselors throughout the state. A meeting with the president of the Board of Education resulted in a commitment to have school counselors represented on all future statewide education committees. 12. Understand how to promote social action within a sociopolitical context (Bemak & Conyne, 2004; Lee, 1998). 13. Become highly active in collaborating with community agencies that provide other services (Bemak, 1998). Agencies provide additional services such as counseling, social support, and prevention programs that school counselors do not have time for in their hectic days. Having clear and good working relationships with outside resources generates a team approach to meeting the needs of all students and more effectively contributing to their academic success. CONCLUSION We are in a critical time in our history with regards to the plight of impoverished and ethnic students. Data show a marked achievement gap, social inequities, and social, economic, and politically based problems that are associated with race, ethnicity, and poverty. School counselors are in a unique place and pivotal moment to make a difference. In this article we have highlighted the absolute need for school counselors to 19 updated 10/13

assume a dramatically different position in their work and to become social change agents and leaders by adopting an advocacy role and working toward social justice. In our opinion, as reflected in this article, the hard facts are a calling to our profession, leaving us little option but to proceed on this path.

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