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Ozona Middle School Campus Improvement Plan (CIP)

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Ozona Middle School Campus Improvement Plan (CIP)

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The Ozona Middle School CIP states "staff will use all available resources to provide individualized instruction to students, especially those identified as At-risk" (CCCCSD Ozona Middle School CIP, 2021-2022, p. 21). Another goal is to "schedule designated time in schedule to serve identified at-risk students and tracking At-risk student data, regrouping and intervening through additional support" (CCCCSD Ozona Middle School CIP, 2021-2000, p. 23). Both the CCCCSD DIP and CIP align with its approach to achieve this goal coming from the school counselor offering preventative lessons addressing behavioral issues and being certified in accordance to Texas state law. Alignment is evident with the Ozona Middle School counselor responsibilities and Section F Supervision, Training, and Teaching of the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association, 2014).

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The Crockett County Consolidated Common School District (CCCCSD) District Improvement Plan (DIP) states "all CCCCSD students will be educated in learning environments that are safe, drug-free and conducive to learning" (CCCCSD DIP, 2021-2022, p. 21). The approach to achieve this goal comes from the school counselor offering preventative lessons addressing behavioral issues and being certified in accordance to Texas state law. Also included within the DIP is continual education for educators regarding duties and the establishment of boundaries and procedures promoting learning in the classroom. This aligns with the requirements of the school counselor as stated in the Texas Administrative Code School Counselor Certificate (19 TAC §239.15).

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Ozona Middle School Campus Improvement Plan

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Ozona Middle School Campus Improvement Plan

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Crockett County Consolidated Common School District- District Improvement Plan

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Crockett County Consolidated Common School District- District Improvement Plan

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The school counselor applies most of Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatments to maximize the efficiency of each group session and learned coping skills.

The school counselor administers:
* Instillation of Hope
* Universality
* Imparting of Information
* Altruism
* Development of Socializing Techniques
* Imitative Behaviors
* Catharsis
* Existential Factors
* Direct Advice
* Interpersonal Learning
(Yalom, 1995)

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The school counselor utilizes the Participative Leadership (Democratic) style guiding the Middle School Misfits while actively interacting and building trust with the group members (Cherry, 2022). The Middle School Misfits are encouraged to participate and receive support from the school counselor and other group members to ensure mastery of skills. The school counselor also implements the Transformational Leadership style to help the Middle School Misfits efficiently make appropriate behavioral changes to manage and to develop happy, healthy lifestyles (Cherry, 2022). Group support and empowerment is shared among group members to transform into productive lifelong citizens.

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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Yalom's Curative Factors of Group Treatment

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Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

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Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

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It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

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Stage 1: The school counselor builds a trusting relationship among group members by explaining the purpose for meeting and by asking for input on guidelines and rules. The school counselor participates during the group sessions and asks for a volunteer to share, never forcing a member to participate. The school counselor emphasizes the importance of confidentiality and clarifies the law requires  reporting imminent danger and harm.

Stage 2: The school counselor informs the Middle School Misfits about the activities, goals, and expectations throughout each session as to not catch a member off-guard. The school counselor ensures members are knowledgeable and well-informed to move productively from one session to another. The school counselor is aware of frequent issues and strategies to stop and deal with the situation constructively keeping progress. The school counselor modifies or enhances lessons accordingly safeguarding progress continues with positive results.

Stage 3: The school counselor observes the Middle School Misfits while participating and listening during each session watching for reactions and behaviors to address or elaborate on to obtain mastery of the skills and goals placed for the small group members. The school counselor elaborates the end is near reinforcing and giving positive feedback throughout to build confidence and security that the Middle School Misfits have successfully mastered the skills and can apply them when necessary.

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The Middle School Misfits receive the Guidelines/Ground Rules form during his first group session. The school counselor includes predetermined rules as in confidentiality, respect, and participation among group members. The school counselor asks the Middle School Misfits to add other rules they request ensuring their input is valued. One example is to not tease or laugh when a member shares personal information with the small group.

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The Middle School Misfits are minors therefore, informed consent from a legal guardian is required by law. After teacher referrals are issued and a need for the small group is established, a letter of informed consent is mailed to the guardian of the participants. The school counselor includes additional information explaining the purpose for the small group and intended goals along with the informed consent form.

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The Middle School Misfits is a group of six students whose impulsivity leads to misbehavior and continual disturbance and disruption within the classroom and school setting. The Middle School Misfits are classified as sixth to eighth graders, ranging from 11-16 years in age. Tier I strategies and interventions gain no desired results after implementation; therefore, Tier II interventions proceed following the district behavior plan.

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As I have previously discussed, five of the six Middle School Misfits are clinically diagnosed having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) supporting their impulsive tendencies. Tier I strategies and techniques are unsuitable for the Middle School Misfits due to their diagnosis. Impulsive behaviors continue after implementing Tier I strategies as stated within the district behavior plan. Teachers share continual concerns reporting misbehaviors to the school counselor and tracking incidents in a data tracker, including Tier I strategies that are utilized. The trackers’ data shows a need for Tier II interventions with this population.

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The Middle School Misfits will master the following Mindset standards upon completion of the small group sessions as listed in the American School Counselor Association (2021):

M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being

M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning

B-SMS 2. Self-discipline and self-control

B-SMS 6. Ability to identify and overcome barriers

B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them

B-SS 6. Effective collaborations and cooperation skills

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The school counselor documents concerns shared by the teachers, collects data trackers, and behavioral referrals issued by the teachers. The school counselor meets with the Middle School Misfits and each participant completes a pre-test, receives an explanation of the purpose for the small group, and the benefits for participating in the group sessions.