Transcript Slide 1

Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Transforming
School Counseling
In The Images of
Children’s
Potential
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D.
There can be huge changes in a
lifetime, but PEOPLE have to be given
a chance! And the smallest changes
can contribute to that chance!”
-Stephen Raudenbush
Sociologist and Educator, Univ. of Chicago
Given A Chance
 My personal narrative
How Do We Provide That
Chance?
Why focus on the
achievement gap?
 Achieving middle-class living
standards is more dependent than
ever on having basic reading and
math skills. People with weak basic
skills earn substantially less now, in
real terms, than in the middle 1970s.
 Near the middle of this century,
nonwhites will become the majority of
the US population and workforce; the
nation’s economic future will depend
fundamentally on the skills of
nonwhite workers.
Advanced Math Would
Advance Equity
 College Access: Students whose parents did not
go to college can more than double their own
chances of doing so by taking advanced math.
 College Success: Taking advanced math has a
greater influence on whether students graduate
from college than other factor— including race and
family background.
 Economic Opportunity: Inequities in advanced
math courses account for one-quarter of the
income gap between students from low-income
and middle-class families ten years after
graduation from high school.
Advanced Math: Big Inequities by
Race and Ethnicity
Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2007, June). High School
Coursetaking: Findings from The Condition of Education 2007.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. (p. 24, Table SA-8).
Advanced Math: Even Bigger
Inequities by Family Wealth
Percent of 2004 Graduates Completing Math Beyond Algebra II
Some Inequities Are
Getting Worse
Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2007, August). Advanced Mathematics and
Science Coursetaking in the Spring High School Senior Classes of 1982, 1992, and 2004.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. (p. viii, Figure D)
NOTE: Data represent top and bottom quartiles of high school graduates based on parents’
socioeconomic status.
The Problem Is Lack of
Opportunity, Not Lack of
Ambition
 Students-of-color express just as much
interest in taking advanced math courses—
and minority girls express the most.
 Yet they are far less likely to say that
advanced math courses are available to
them.
 The problem is not peer pressure, either.
Students-of-color are less likely to say their
friends discourage them from taking
advanced math and twice as likely to say
their TEACHERS do.
For Minority Students, Interest in
Advanced Math Greatly Exceeds
Availability
Source: National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Progress Toward Power:
A Follow-Up Survey of Children’s and Parents’ Attitudes about Math and Science,
Research Letter, October 2001. Survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 1999.
How successful is Virginia
in moving students
successfully through the
education pipeline?
Is educational attainment
improving?
Are elementary school students
achieving “proficiency” in math?
*Median of top five states in percent proficient or advanced.
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress. Analysis of data downloaded from
www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/
Are elementary school students
achieving “proficiency” in reading?
Are there inequities in math
achievement in Virginia?
…in reading achievement in
Virginia?
Are students taking “gateway”
courses in Virginia?
Is math achievement improving?
Is reading achievement improving?
Are there inequities in math achievement
in Virginia? Have gaps narrowed?
African
American
Asian
Latino
Native
American
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress. Analysis of data downloaded from
www.nces.ed.gov/nationsrep
White
…in reading achievement in
Virginia?
African
American
Asian
Latino
Native
American
White
Are students participating in AP
courses?
* Median of top five states.
Source: Analysis of data from College Board AP Summary Reports for 2004 and NCES
Common Core of Data. Includes public school students only.
Are there inequities in AP
participation in Virginia?
How many high school students
graduate on time?
* Median of top five states.
Source: Manhattan Institute, April 2006, Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School
Graduation Rates.
Are graduation rates equitable in
Virginia?
Source: Manhattan Institute, April 2006, Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School
Graduation Rates.
How many graduate from college?
* Median of top five states.
Source: Unpublished data provided by National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems. Data are from federal IPEDS survey.
Are college graduation rates
equitable in Virginia?
Now we know more
about THE
PROBLEM……
School Counseling Works!
We Add Value!
Classroom Guidance
Research

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Comprehensive curriculum about career,
academic and social/personal development
can positively impact student knowledge in
each of those domains.
Social skills training can increase the social
attractiveness of gifted and special needs
students, but did not impact student
self-esteem or school behaviors.
Classroom Guidance
Research
 Multicultural conflict resolution
education can provide students with
more positive perspectives on conflict
and can build related skills, but does not
impact on cultural understanding.
 Classroom curriculum about stress
reduction techniques can improve
student self-concept, sense of locus of
control, and appropriate coping
strategies.
Classroom Guidance
Research
 Classroom guidance focusing on
academic achievement can influence
elementary students’ behavior and
attitudes toward school, impact MS
students’ school attitudes, and improve
MS students’ knowledge about how to
succeed in school. This curriculum did
not have a significant impact on grades
in any of the studies.
Classroom Guidance
Research
 Classroom curriculum designed to
educate HS students about goalsetting, problem-solving, career
exploration, and school resources
significantly improved student
behavior, attitude and knowledge
in these areas. A prior needs
assessment to determine content
may help focus classroom
interventions.
Group Counseling
Research
 Group counseling interventions can
reduce the acting out behaviors of atrisk, inner city students, improve
students’ behavioral adjustment, reduce
hostility and aggression, improve selfesteem and coping skills of children of
alcoholics, improve self-esteem of
children from divorced families, and
improve students’ racial attitudes.
Peer Counseling Research
 Peer counseling training programs
can provide many benefits to
students, schools, and community;
 peer counselors gained significant
knowledge and skills as a result of
their training
 students’ attendance, grades,
attitudes, and classroom behaviors
improved as a result of peer
intervention services
Individual Counseling
Research
 A comprehensive drop out prevention
program involving counseling and
tutoring can significantly assist at-risk
students in improving school
achievement, self esteem, and
classroom behavior (Edmondson &
White, 1998)
 Single-session brief-counseling can help
high school students reduce their
concerns about problems and move
closer to their goals (Littrell, Malia, &
Vanderwood, 1995).
Career Counseling
Research
 Eighth grade math and science career
interventions (implemented by school
counselors) can help minority and female
students choose academically challenging
courses.
 While career inventories are a good choice for
school counselors to use as part of career
guidance programs designed to meet ASCA
standards, school counselors should not rely
too heavily on them.
 Because each student has unique learning
experiences that influence their behaviors,
career development activities and learning
experiences should begin at an early age and
continue into high school and beyond.
 DISCOVER can lead to more age-appropriate
decision making in middle school students.
School Counselors Can….
Perform and Behave Within a
Social Justice Framework!!!
And
…Promote Equity
What is Social Justice?
 Social justice refers to the idea of a
just and equitable society
 Social justice targets marginalized
groups of people in society,
schools, etc. (whereas equality or
equal rights are applicable to
everyone).
What is Social Justice?
 Social justice refers to the idea of a
just and equitable society
 Social justice targets marginalized
groups of people in society,
schools, etc. (whereas equality or
equal rights are applicable to
everyone).
What Is Social Justice
Based Counseling?
Social justice counseling represents
a multifaceted approach to
counseling in which practitioners
strive to simultaneously promote
human development and the
common good through addressing
challenges related to both
individual and distributive justice.
Social Justice recognizes
that there are situations in
which the application of
the same rules to unequal
groups can generate
unequal results.
Traditional vs.
Social Justice Approach to School Counseling
Traditional SC Approach
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Dependence on
counseling theories and
approaches with little to
no regard for cultural
background
Emphasis on individual
student factors (e.g.,
unmotivated, depressed)
Emphasis on equality
Reliance on labels
Little to no use of data
Focus on maintaining
status quo
Focus on enrolling
students in “comfortable”
courses
Social Justice Approach
1.
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Major focus is on
highlighting the strengths
of students
(empowerment-based
counseling)
Emphasis on socio-cultural
and environmental factors
that influence student
behavior
Major goal is to challenge
oppression
Emphasis on equality and
equity
Avoidance of labeling
Dependence on data
Focus on changing existing
policies and strategies
Focus on enrolling
students in more rigorous
courses
Six Key Elements to Social Justice
Focused School Counseling
1. Counseling and
Intervention
Planning
2. Consultation
3. Connecting Schools,
Families, and
Communities
4. Collecting and Using
Data
5. Challenging Bias
6. Coordinating
Student
Services
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2007). School Counseling to Close the
Achievement Gap
Counseling
and
Intervention
Planning
(Empowerme
nt Based)
Coordinating
Student
Services
Consultation
(Teacher and
Parent)
Social
Justice
School
Counseling
Connecting
Schools,
Families and
Communities
Challenging
Bias
Collecting
and Using
Data
Each component’s focus is on
EQUITY
Counseling and
Intervention Planning
 Counseling must be culturally
responsive and inclusive of cultural
implications
 Assess and consider environmental
factors (e.g., immigration laws, fear in
community, distrust in community,
poverty) that impact student and
parent problems
 Use a strengths-based approach or
“empowerment-focused” approach
 Focus on the resilience of students
and their families rather than their
deficits.
Consultation
 Acknowledge cultural differences between
the consultant (counselor), teacher/parent,
and student.
 Develop a “quality” helping relationship
with teachers and parents so that issues of
equity can be discussed honestly.
 Use questions to incite “new perspectives”
(“Have you ever thought about how Chris
feels when you tell him that he is “not
college-material?”
 Culturally responsive and empowermentfocused parent consultation
Connecting Schools,
Families, and Communities
 CREATE PARTNERSHIPS with community
groups, businesses, community leaders,
places of worship, etc.
 CREATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH ALL PARENTS
(BE INCLUSIVE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT
PARENTS)
 Five Principles of Effective Partnerships
 Policies
 Leadership
 Communication
 The Community
 Evaluation
Collecting and Using Data
 Data can be useful in determining
inequities in schools…What do I want
to know about my school’s ability to
educate students? What questions do
I have about my students’
achievement, attendance, etc.? My
school’s community?
 Types of data that can
collected…achievement, attainment,
school culture
Challenge Bias
 Be aware of your own attitudes, stereotypes
and expectations
 Actively listen to and learn from others’
experiences
 Acknowledge and appreciate diversity, don’t
just tolerate it!
 Be aware of your own hesitancies to
intervene
 Expect tension and conflict
 Work collectively with others
 Challenge the “negative” language used to
describe and talk about students
 Pay attention to the interactions between
students and teachers/administrators
(Positive Relationships are Key To Success!)
Coordinate Student
Services
 Implement scheduling that
encourages rigorous course taking
 Say “no” to gatekeeping
 Say “no” to tracking
 Coordinate college preparation
interventions
 Coordinate
tutoring/academic/mentoring
services
 Participate on special committees
(IEP, G/T) to promote EQUITY
Narratives Illustrating the
POWER of Giving A
Student a Chance!
A Prayer for Children
By MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN
We pray for children
Who sneak popsicles before supper,
Who erase holes in math workbooks,
Who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
Who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
Who never "counted potatoes,"
Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
Who never go to the circus,
Who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children
Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions
Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money
And we pray for those
Who never get dessert,
Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
Who watch their parents watch them die,
Who can't find any bread to steal,
Who don't have any rooms to clean up,
Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
Whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
Who spend all their allowance before
Tuesday,
Who throw tantrums in the grocery store
and pick at their food,
Who like ghost stories,
Who shove dirty clothes under the bed
and never rinse out the tub,
Who get visits from the tooth fairy,
Who don't like to be kissed in front of the
carpool,
Who squirm in church or temple and
scream in the phone,
Whose tears we sometimes laugh at and
whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
Whose nightmares come in the daytime,
Who will eat anything,
Who have never seen a dentist,
Who aren't spoiled by anybody,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to
sleep,
Who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children who want to be carried and for
those who must,
For those we never give up on and for those who
don't get a second chance.
For those we smother ... and for those who will grab
the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Thanks and Good Luck!