Principal and School Counselor Collaboration to Design and Deliver a Comprehensive School Counseling Program

• In Event: Principal and School Counselor Collaboration to Support All Students

Abstract

There is a growing emphasis to improve every student’s academic, social-emotional, and career development, and the responsibility lies with the effective principal and counselor partnership. Many schools strive to design and delivery counseling programs that help students’ development in these areas. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perspectives on improving a high poverty urban school’s counseling services.
With an emphasis on improving urban students’ outcomes to succeed in the 21st century, this study makes a meaningful contribution to a better understanding of school counselors’ and school leaders’ roles and responsibilities by an examination of student perspectives. The present study investigates important school counseling priorities. With this is mind, this study will answer the following research questions:
(a) What are the high priority counseling programs with respect to improving urban students’ academic development?
(b) What are the high priority counseling programs with respect to improving urban students’ social and emotional development?
(c) What are the high priority counseling programs with respect to improving urban students’ college and career readiness?
Since it is important to understand what counseling programs for urban students need to prepare for college and careers, this quantitative exploration study investigated 208 high school students’ views on offering academic, social-emotional, and career development programs. In order to collect responses, with the approval of the school administration, a comprehensive needs assessment online survey was sent to urban high school students. Participation was voluntary. The initial findings and high priorities in each domain are listed below.
Students’ Highest Academic Needs (Top 3)
1 Improving my self-motivation toward learning and schoolwork
2 Improving my effective study and organizational skills
3 Improving my academic weaknesses
Students’ Highest Social and Emotional Needs (Top 3)
1 Understanding the balance between school, work, and leisure
2 Understanding and accepting my personal strengths and weaknesses
3 Improving my self-confidence and self-esteem to achieve my goals
Students’ Highest College and Career Needs (Top 3)
1 Searching and applying for a job (cover letter, resume writing, interviewing, etc.)
2 Identifying what education, training, and skills are required for different jobs
3 Exploring grant, financial aid and loans
This study was designed to help urban school principals and counselors explore what support students believe the program needs. The results will assist urban schools to plan helpful and effective programs for students' success. The initial results were reported above. The findings provide valuable information about how to design student academic and counseling services strategically and effectively to increase college and career readiness of all underprivileged urban students. Particularly, these data will allow school leaders, policy makers and educators to identify the high and low program needs of urban students to become college and career ready. The findings can also be helpful for urban schools to better understand the school needs from students’ perspectives, and provide insight into designing comprehensive programs that will help urban students enter and succeed in college and career.

Author

• Olcay Yavuz, Southern Connecticut State University