Transcript You Gotta Learn to Walk Before You Run!

You “Gotta” Learn to
Walk Before You Run!
MICHAEL J. LEFORT
P R O F E S S I O NA L S C H O O L C O U N S E LO R
C O O R D I N AT O R
BLAINE J. DEGRUISE
S E C O N D A R Y E D U C AT I O N / S C H O O L C O U N S E L O R
SUPERVISOR
L A F O U R C H E PA R I S H S C H O O LS
Imagine…
 comprehensive professional school counseling
Questions to be answered…
The Who?
The What?
The When?
The Where?
The How?
“Who” are school counselors?
 A little winding up and down
counselor history here…
…hold on!
1907 …J. Davis, Principal/and English teacher
 1908…Frank Parsons assisted youth
transitioning from school to work.
 1920’s/30’s…growth due to progressive
education; declined due to The Depression
 1940’s…psychologists recruited military
personnel to test students; Carl Rogers
influence

grip harder…
1950’s…government influence with NDEA due to
Soviet launch of Sputnik
 1960’s…federal funding establishes counselor
education programs in universities; major shift
 1970’s…view of “solitary professional” in
schools lost due to comprehensive K-12
programs
 1980’s/90’s…standards-based educational
reform; counseling not considered a part

more twists ahead…

In 1997… National Standards for School
Counseling created by ASCA.



Focus: closing the achievement gaps hindering life
successes of school children
Standards define roles/responsibilities of counseling
programs; illustrate necessity for overall educational
development of every child
Title of “School counselors” evolved from guidance
counselors
final turn to ride’s end…
 In 2002…ASCA releases the National
Model Framework
 In 2004…Code of Ethics revised
 In 2008…ASCA releases School
Counseling Competencies to implement
“Comprehensive Professional School
Counseling Programs.”

Evolution of “Professional School Counselors!”
“We need to be the change
we want to see happen; we
are the leaders we have
been waiting for.”
The “What?”
 American School Counselor
Association and the Louisiana
Comprehensive Professional School
Counseling Models
 These are guides used to implement
the comprehensive program…
 Now, a mini-review of the models…
What are the models?

Collaborative efforts benefitting students,
parents, teachers, administrators and the
community

Comprehensive, data-driven frameworks
proactively addressing academic, career and
personal/social skills

Integral parts of students’ daily educational
environments
they also…

Provide avenues for students to acquire
attitudes, knowledge and skills

Represent school counselor skills and
attitudes of leadership, advocacy and
collaboration, which lead to systemic change

Answer: “How are students different as a
result of what professional school counselors
do?”
What are the parts?
based on school’s goals for
student achievement (how students will
benefit)
 DELIVERY SYSTEM: activities, interactions
and methods to deliver the program
 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: organizational
processes/tools ensuring program is concrete,
delineated and reflective of school’s needs
 ACCOUNTABILITY: evaluation, data collection
and use linking it to student achievement
 FOUNDATION:
What’s in the foundation?
 BELIEFS and PHILOSOPHY…set
principles guiding the program
 MISSION…program’s purpose
and goals; aligns with missions
of the school and district
What’s the delivery system?
 GUIDANCE CURRICULUM…structured
lessons for student achievement of desired
competencies; knowledge and skills
appropriate to developmental level; infused in
school’s overall curriculum systematically
presented
 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PLANNING…ongoing
systematic activities assisting individuals in
establishing personal goals/developing future
plans
 RESPONSIVE SERVICES…activities
meeting the immediate needs of
students due to life events; require
counseling, consultation, referral,
mediation or information
 SYSTEMS SUPPORT…requires
administration and management to
establish, maintain, and enhance the
total program
What’s the management system?
 MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT…ensures effective
implementation of the delivery system;
addresses school counseling program
organization and what will be accomplished;
negotiated with/approved by administrator at
beginning of school year
 ADVISORY COUNCIL…committee (counselor,
student, teacher, administrator, community
member) appointed to review counseling
program and make recommendations
 USE OF DATA…used to affect change;
counselors must show activities
implemented were developed from
analysis of students’ needs and/or
achievement
 ACTION PLANS…plan outlining the
process and desired result to be
achieved
 USE OF TIME…80% in direct service to
students (f2f) is the goal; adherence to
recommended time guideline to four
delivery services components is
encouraged
 USE OF CALENDARS…weekly/monthly
information sources for students,
parents, teachers and administrators
What’s accountability?
 RESULTS REPORTS…ensure programs are
carried out, analyzed for effectiveness, modified
as needed
 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS…counselor
standards of practice; basis for evaluation
 PROGRAM AUDIT…collection of
guide future action of program
information to
“Change is the law of life…and
those who look only to the
past or the present, are
certain to miss the future.”
The “When”…
NOW!
or never!
The “Where”…
 A comprehensive professional school
counseling program is being implemented in all
Lafourche Parish Schools including pre-K to
high school and two alternative sites.
 Location of Lafourche Parish:

We’re over here…
The “How”…
 Refer to: “Implementation of a
Comprehensive School Counseling
Program…The Process; The Phases”
brochure.
 Refer to: “Principal/Counselor Questionnaire”
handout.
 A “baby step” change in each quadrant was
planned and is currently being
implemented…here’s what Lafourche is doing:
In the foundation component…
 Collaborated efforts between the
school counselor and the principal
to develop mission and
belief/philosophy statements for the
counseling services at their school
 Deadlines established, copies on
file in central office
In the delivery services component…
 Delivery of two mandatory classroom
guidance lessons required by all
counselors
 Support groups required
 Minimum of one parenting session
 In system support, counselor not testing
coordinator nor chairs of PBS, RTI,
SBLC committees…however, expected
to do fair share in each
In the management component…
 Written management agreement
between principal and counselor
required
 Written action plans (modified) for
classroom guidance lessons, support
groups and parent sessions required
 Counselor calendar required (monthly)
and in the accountability component…
 District needs assessment to be
conducted in spring
 Introduction of “Professional School
Counselor Performance Standards”
and “Student Competencies”
 End of year program auditing
a few other changes…
 Position title
 Clearer delineation of
administrative tasks and clerical
duties
 Provision of more networking
and professional development
opportunities
Where we’re going next…
 Review mission, belief/philosophy statements
 Require additional lesson in another domain
 Require more support groups
 Review “management agreement”
 Establish advisory council at each school
 Create data reports
 Weekly calendars
 Continue towards “f2f/80%” goal
What to expect…
RESISTANCE!
If you keep doing what
you’re doing,
you’ll keep getting
what you’re getting!
Join Lafourche in working with students to get…
 higher academic achievement
 improved personal/social skills
 realistic career decisions
Implement the Comprehensive
Professional School Counseling
Model!
Sources…
 American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
 www.schoolcounselor.org/files/findway.pdf
 www.schoolcounselor.org/files/closerlook.pdf
a final quote…
 “It takes a lot of courage to release the
familiar and seemingly secure, to
embrace the new. But there is no real
security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the
adventurous and exciting, for in
movement there is life, and in change
there is power!”

~Alan Cohen
Q & A…
 CONTACT INFORMATION…
 Michael J. Lefort
 Professional School Counselor Coordinator
 Lafourche Parish Schools
 P.O. Box 879
 805 East 7th Street
 Thibodaux, LA 70301
 985.435.4634
 [email protected]