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Collaboration is coordinating with other educational stakeholders in the interest of students. Stakeholders is a person or organization that has vested interest in a particular program. These include staff, students, school boards, parents, families, community organizations, businesses, and universities. They are school counselor partners (ASCA National Model, 2012). Collaborative relationships that involve students can help to target the needs of high school students that can not be achieved through school alone. High school students who are developing properly will more accurately understand the world around them and will be engaged, with others, in shaping their own futures (Leonard, 2011).

-Provide incentives for intra- and interagency collaboration. All levels of government need to take preemptive measures to strengthen the ability of schools to provide coordinated services to address mental health and school safety.

-The role of the school counseling program in ensuring data driven academic, career/college and personal/social success competencies for every student, resulting in specific outcomes/indicators with all stakeholders (ASCA Ethical Standards).

-When parents believe that the school values their involvement, barriers could begin to be eliminated.
Ways to Collaborate with Parents/Guardians

Parent Resource Center

Solicit ideas, suggestions, and questions

Directory of Community Resources

Strategies to Help Students Learn at Home

Parent Education Workshops

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The purpose of systemic change is to create a better educational system than what currently exists (Jenlink, Reigeluth, Carr, & Nelson, 1998). Professional school counselors can serve as leaders within their educational communities in order to promote systemic change, creating positive changes to school policies and procedures that will remove barriers and encourage student success (McMahon, Mason, & Paisley, 2009).

Systemic change helps to create a safe school environment in many ways. Some examples are: increasing awareness of school safety issues, creating clear guidelines for inappropriate behavior such as bullying and harassment, promoting knowledge and skills to promote a multicultural school setting, modeling inclusive language, and creating an environment that allows students to feel comfortable coming forward with any problems they may face (ASCA National Model, 2012).

System change can be utilized to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed academically by first identifying systemic barriers after reviewing achievement gaps and opportunity gaps (ASACA National Model, 2012). Once these systemic barriers have been recognized, collaboration is required to begin systemic change. Collaborating with teachers, parents, administration, and the community to find ways to remove systemic barriers is how equal opportunities for learning and academic success can be created (ASCA National Model, 2012).

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This video depicts the many roles that high school counselors play when it comes to supporting students and making a difference in their lives and education. This can be anywhere from asking how their freshman year is going to helping seniors apply for college and scholarships.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOrKg3ZEk0g

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Advocacy is school counselors working to ensure that the needs of all students are addressed by promoting high academic, career, and personal/social standards (ASCA National Model, 2012).

School counselors can advocate for students in many different ways. The ASCA National Model explains these examples through levels: from micro-level to macro-level (ASCA National Model, 2012). School counselors can help create a safe school environment through the micro-level: student advocacy, by working directly with the school and other allies on behalf of the students to promote a healthy and safe space for learning and development (ASCA National Model, 2012).

Advocacy is the most relevant theme when it comes to ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed academically. Oppression can manifest itself at individuals through stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, in addition, on social/cultural and institutional levels. Therefore, the necessity for school counselors to include advocacy in their work is especially important (Ratts & Hutchins, 2009). School counselors are in a unique position where they have access to student achievement, attendance, and behavioral data which helps to identify and remove systemic barriers that prevent students from receiving their highest levels of success (ASCA National Model, 2012). School counselors work with student, teachers, parents, administration, and other school board staff and allies to advocate for change in their schools and school systems in order to promote the highest quality of education for ALL students (ASCA National Model, 2012).

A school counselor collaborates with students and teachers to design individual student planning and improve classroom success (ASCA National Model, 2012). School counselors collaborate with school administration and the community to share counseling data, evaluate program goals, and design action plans for counseling and curriculum (ASCA National Model, 2012).

Advocacy is an important role of the school counselor. It requires leadership and collaboration with many different stakeholders in order to meet one common goal: ensuring that ALL students have equal opportunities to achieve success in school.

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A school counselor’s ability to demonstrate leadership is essential in order to implement and sustain data-driven comprehensive school counseling programs.   According to the ASCA National Model, school counseling leaders are culturally responsive change agents who integrate instructional and school counseling best practices to initiate, develop and implement equitable services and programs to promote success for all students (ASCA, pp. 11, 2012). An effective school counseling leader exemplifies characteristics and practices such as; visionary thinking, challenging inequities, shared decision-making, collaborative processing, modeling excellence, and a courageous stance. (pp. 11).

Creating a Safe School Environment
School counselors demonstrate leadership in creating a trusting school environment to help promote student achievement. Effective and safe schools are places where there is strong leadership, caring faculty, parent and community involvement including law enforcement officials and student participation in the design of programs and policies (Hernandez & Seem, pp. 260, 2004). Creating a safe school environment requires the collaboration of all education stakeholders, however, there are specific opportunities for school counselors to utilize a leadership role. In the article, A Safe School Climate: A Systematic Approach and the School Counselor, Dr. Hernandez and Dr. Seem provide many ways school counselors can utilize leadership to create a safe school environment including:

·        Fully implementing school counseling programs and ensuring each high school student is reached; creating a more positive school climate.

·        Coordinating mentoring programs to help train students to deal with their peers and anger.

·        Providing leadership in prevention and intervention programs in response to the evaluation and assessment of student problem

·        Playing a key role in communicating with students, teachers, staff, administration, parents, and the community.

Ensuring All Students have Equal Opportunities to Succeed
According to Clark and Stone, as cited by Dollarhide and Saginak, “In looking to improve the educational experience for students, school counselors need to lead in multicultural awareness efforts, pupil assistance committees, mentoring programs, student leadership development, connection with external constituencies, and political activism”

(Dollarhide & Saginak, 2017).

High school counselors act as leaders to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to succeed. The U.S. Department of Education offers various ways school counselors can take on leadership roles by engaging in behaviors such as;

·        collaboration with teachers to review career education and curricular materials to ensure they do not create or perpetuate stereotypes or limitations based on race, color, national origin, sex, or handicap.

·        Examining data to effectively identify patterns and behaviors that impede student success

·        Cooperate with parents and get them involved in their child’s education

·        Implement an ongoing career guidance program to meet students' needs

·        Assist students in such activities as resume writing, job interviewing, decision making, financial aid applications, educational/career planning, and on-the-job adjustment

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The roles of a high school counselor are plenty. The video discusses the various roles and responsibilities of a high school counselor and their main program areas including; guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, and system support.
Citation:
Tarantiles, C. (2018). Role of the high school counselor. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDt_nR13hE

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Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/youtube/ -- Create animated videos and animated presentations for free. PowToon is a free tool that allows you to develop cool animated clips and animated presentations for your website, office meeting, sales pitch, nonprofit fundraiser, product launch, video resume, or anything else you could use an animated explainer video.

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Transforming High School Counseling: Counselors' Roles, Practices, and Expectations for Students' Success

This is a peer-reviewed article that was retrieved from the Walden Library. This article is about a study that was performed by educators from Wichita State University. The purpose of this study was to examine the current roles of high school counselors to see if they are in alignment with the ASCA National Model. The researchers addressed three main questions:
1. What are the goals of high school counseling programs?
2. What different kinds of services do high school counselors provide, and how do counselors spend their time as they engage in these activities?
3. How do counselors’ expectations for student performance compare to those of teachers’ and administrators’?

After working with 852 school counselors from 944 different high schools across the US, they found that high school counselors are "fairly well aligned with the national models and best practices." They found that the main goal of high school counseling programs was helping students prepare for post-secondary education. The study found that most high school counselors spend their time assisting students with course selection, scheduling, and college selection and admissions.

This article is relevant because it shows how important a high school counseling program is for the future of students. This articles depicts the many tasks and roles that a high school counselor has when it comes to being leaders, advocates, and collaborators.

Citation:
Mau, W. J., Li, J., & Hoetmer, K. (2016). Transforming High School Counseling: Counselors' Roles, Practices, and Expectations for Students' Success. Administrative Issues Journal: Connecting Education, Practice, And Research, 6(2), 83-95.

A Safe School Climate: A Systemic Approach and the School Counselor
This is a peer-reviewed article retrieved from Walden University’s Library. The article surveyed school safety research and discovered that shifting the school’s climate can have a significantly positive impact on the school community and feeling of safety. The article discusses issues of school violence and its consequential interference with the learning process. In addition, effective communication, high morale among school faculty and students, positive treatment of students and feelings of belonging significantly decreased behavioral disruptions in schools.

The article is greatly applicable to my topic because it singles out leadership qualities of a school counselor and offers various practices for school counselors to create a safe school environment.

Citation:

Hernandez, T. & Seem, S. (2004). A safe school climate: A systemic approach and the school counselor. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

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Whether its leadership, advocacy, collaboration, or system change, school counselors depend on the feedback they receive from their students to help them succeed and help our schools move forward to close achievement gaps and reach high levels of success.

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Here we see a high school counselor assisting a student with their college applications.

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School counselors, teachers, parents, administrators, and other community members meet at a school board meeting to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to succeed.

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Guidelines for Facilitating Systemic Change in School Districts
This article offers guidelines for professional educators to create positive change in their schools through describing the essential components of facilitation and systemic change. This resource is relevant to this project because it provides an in-depth look at when systemic change is necessary and how to take action in order to make it a reality.

Citation:
Jenlink, P., Reigeluth, C., Carr, A., & Nelson, L. (1998). Guidelines for facilitating systemic change in school districts. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 217-233.

School Counselor Educators as Educational Leaders Promoting Systemic Change

This article summarizes the roles that school counselor can utilize by demonstrating the necessary skills in the school counseling profession and how they can work towards systemic change. This article is relevant to this topic due to its framework for incorporating important fundamental ideas of leadership, advocacy and systemic change.

Citation:
McMahon, G., Mason, E.,& Paisley. P. (2009). School counselor educators as educational leaders promoting systemic change. Professional School Counseling, 13(2), 116-124. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5330/psc.n.2010-13.116
The U.S. Department of Education
The  guide summarizes the requirements relevant to counseling practices and views policies and practices that portray school counseling qualities of leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and systemic change. The policies have been adopted by many school systems to ensure equal educational opportunity.

Citation:
U.S. Department of Education. (2015). The guidance counselor’s role in ensuring equal educational opportunity. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq43ef.html

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American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Dahir, C. A. (2004). Supporting a nation of learners: The role of school counseling in educational reform. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82(3), 344–353.

Dollarhide, C. T, & Saginak, K. A. (2017). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K–12 delivery systems in action (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Granite Schools. (2018, February 2). The Role of the School Counselor. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOrKg3ZEk0g

Hernandez, T. & Seem, S. (2004). A safe school climate: A systemic approach and the school counselor. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Jenlink, P., Reigeluth, C., Carr, A., & Nelson, L. (1998). Guidelines for facilitating systemic change in school districts. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 217-233.

Leonard, J. (2011). Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to understand community partnerships: A historical case study of one urban high school. Urban Education, 46(5), 987–1010. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Mau, W. J., Li, J., & Hoetmer, K. (2016). Transforming High School Counseling: Counselors' Roles, Practices, and Expectations for Students' Success. Administrative Issues Journal: Connecting Education, Practice, And Research, 6(2), 83-95.

McMahon, G., Mason, E.,& Paisley. P. (2009). School counselor educators as educational leaders promoting systemic change. Professional School Counseling, 13(2), 116-124. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5330/psc.n.2010-13.116

Ratts, M. J., & Hutchins, A. M. (2009). ACA advocacy competencies: Social justice advocacy at the client/student level. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(3), 269–275.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Tarantiles, C. (2018). Role of the high school counselor. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZDt_nR13hE

U.S. Department of Education. (2015). The guidance counselor’s role in ensuring equal educational opportunity. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq43ef.html

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The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs is a guide written by the American School Counselor Association that offers extensive guidelines and procedures to design, coordinate, implement, manage, and evaluate comprehensive school counseling programs in order to promote student achievement. The guide is relevant because it provides significant focus on leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and systemic change.

Citation:
American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Comprehensive School Counseling Programs: K-12 Systems in Action
This course text provides thorough instruction to the facets of creating and achieving a comprehensive school counseling program that considers the needs of all students. The text is relevant to the topic of leadership because it focuses on a school counselor’s ability to exude leadership qualities in order to help students achieve success.

Citation:
Dollarhide, C. T, & Saginak, K. A. (2017). Comprehensive school counseling programs: K–12 delivery systems in action (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory to Understand Community Partnerships: An Historical Case Study of One Urban High School
This article discussed a study of an urban high school using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in order to comprehend its impact on student development. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory involves studying children in multiple environments in order to understand their development. The article is relevant to this project because it is specific to high school students and discusses the beneficial impact of collaboration has on student development.

Citation:
Leonard, J. (2011). Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to understand community partnerships: A historical case study of one urban high school. Urban Education, 46(5), 987–1010. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

ACA Advocacy Competencies: Social Justice Advocacy at the Client/Student Level

The article acts as a guideline to support school counselors in their efforts to become change agents and advocates for their students. The article is applicable to this project because it offers a clear understanding of the necessity for school counselors to take on the advocacy role and expand the profession beyond the office.

Citation:
Ratts, M. J., & Hutchins, A. M. (2009). ACA advocacy competencies: Social justice advocacy at the client/student level. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(3), 269–275.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.