Sunday, December 13, 2015
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
School Counseling at a Crossroads: The Road Ahead for Iowa’s School Counselors
David Ford is Postsecondary Success Lead for Mississippi Bend AEA in Bettendorf, Iowa. Dave is also part of a statewide collaborative known as the Iowa College and Career Readiness Roadmap Team, which has been leading the charge in Iowa to ensure that ALL Iowa students will be able to #ReachHigher and have postsecondary success. In this blog, he shares the work that is being done and how it will impact the role of school counselors. Check out this interesting and exciting account of school counselor advocacy at the highest level!
Throughout the last year, I traveled around the state engaging in conversations with a wide variety of stakeholders, organizations, and education and business leaders. Using those good old-fashioned counseling skills of listening, reflecting, and paraphrasing, I learned a lot about what others think of school counseling, specifically as it relates to college and career readiness. It has taken its toll on me - I had to face some harsh realities that the perception we hold of ourselves is often quite different from the perceptions others hold of us. Let me share some of the comments I heard, often from very influential individuals in high-ranking positions:
- “Counselors don’t want to provide career guidance to students”
- “Counselors aren’t interested in helping students with postsecondary planning”
- “Counselors lack the training to support students career development and college planning”
- “Counselors say they are too busy with mental health issues to take on college advising”
My initial reaction (in my head) was, “Which counselors? I’ll call them!” But the reality is there may be a degree of truth to these statements. As Dr. Hatch mentioned last year, we are “a marginalized profession advocating for marginalized students.” School Counselors must engage in important advocacy efforts to change this perception. Now is the time to get in the game and refuse to sit idly by while others define the role of School Counselors in Iowa.
Now is the time to take a stand and BE BOLD!
Unfortunately, I will not be attending the ISCA Conference this year. Instead, I will be representing ISCA, along with Meredith Dohmen, ISCA’s VP for Counseling Directors and the Student Supports Coordinator at Des Moines Public Schools, at the White House Convening on Strengthening School Counseling and College Advising. We will be attending along with seven other leaders strongly committed to this cause. Even more exciting are the names and positions of the others who will join us and thus have accepted the call to strengthen school counseling and college advising in Iowa:
- Nancy Ankeny-Hunt, Consultant, Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Learner Strategies and Supports
- Rob Denson, President, Des Moines Area Community College
- Jeff Herzberg, Chief Administrator, Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency
- Wade Leuwerke, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Drake University, School of Education, Department of Leadership and Counseling
- Duane (D.T.) Magee, Executive Director, Iowa Board of Educational Examiners
- Rachel Scott, Division Administrator - Outreach, Iowa College Student Aid Commission
- Amy Vybiral, Consultant, Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Career and Technical Education
These individuals represent agencies which have a vested interest in supporting school counseling to achieve Future Ready Iowa’s goal - 70% of Iowans in the workforce to have education or training beyond high school by 2025. The outcomes of their respective organizations and professions are tightly connected to the idea that strong school counseling and college advising is necessary.
Specifically, the White House Convening will address state policies and metrics associated with six areas, all of which were identified in 2014 during the first White House Convening on this topic:
- Designing or revising school counselor preparation at higher education to ensure adequate standards for school counselors in College and Career Readiness (CCR)
- Developing, improving, and sustaining partnerships between university training programs and K-12 school districts to ensure field site placements and activities during fieldwork and training for site supervisors and administrators align with new requirements in CCR
- Writing and implementing minimum credentialing/certificate standards for all who participate in CCR activities (university training programs, K-12 school districts, college access staff, and not-for-profit/non-profit college access groups)
- Supporting professional development in districts for school counselors and CCR service providers ensuring a collaborative scaffolding of agreed upon roles and services
- Creating policies, practices, and procedures that support hiring, supervision, and placement of appropriately trained/certificated/licensed CCR service providers ensuring responsibilities are tied to training (job descriptions, evaluation tools, etc.)
- Providing opportunities to develop strategic partnerships with donors, funders, and researchers interested in evaluating or supporting any or all of this work, promoting new systemic change models, and discovering evidence based practices to support school counselors and the students they serve
The Convening will bring together state leaders and national experts to create state-specific action plans and address policies and practices most likely to leverage an impact toward creating a Future Ready Iowa and support President Obama’s College Opportunity Agenda and the First Lady’s Reach Higher Initiative. Hosted by the National Consortium for School Counseling and Postsecondary Success, the end goal is to “increase the number of traditionally underserved students prepared for, entering, and succeeding in postsecondary education by focusing on ways to strengthen, align, and expand the college-going pipeline locally, and concomitantly, at the state and national levels.”
To continue the question Trish Hatch posed to us all at last year’s ISCA Conference, what will your commitment be to improve college and career readiness outcomes for all students? Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted, “School Counselors are truly the deciding factor in whether our young people attend college” - what other inspiration do we need? Now is the time. Be BOLD.
David has been a school counselor in New York and Iowa and has worked in the elementary, middle and high school levels. His previous position before working for the Mississippi Bend AEA was the District At-Risk/Counseling Coordinator at Southeast Polk CSD.
David Ford
Postsecondary Success Lead & General Education Consultant
Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency
729 21st Street
Bettendorf, IA 52722
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Show and Tell Time!
The author of this entry is Aimee Hospodarsky. Aimee has served on the ISCA board as elementary VP for the last four years and is now the President Elect-Elect. Aimee is currently an elementary school counselor in Monticello, Iowa.
As school counselors, we often talk about advocating for our positions and our programs, whether it be to administrators, other staff in our districts, school boards, parents, community members, legislators, or any other audience. In spite of this, in my conversations with other school counselors, I find this is often an area where counselors feel uncomfortable. Sound familiar? Raise your hand if any of these reasons sound like why you might feel uncomfortable with advocacy:
However, what if we replaced the word “advocacy” with “show and tell” or “sharing”? Think back to when you were in elementary school and it was your day for “show and tell”. Maybe it was marked on the calendar on the fridge as a special day. Or perhaps you are a parent and have helped your own child with his/her own “sharing” day. Most kids, even shy ones, enjoy those days where they can share something personal to them. I remember my little brother as an alternative kindergarten student sharing ME one day with his class. Though he couldn’t say his “r’s” and was a bit quieter than his talkative older sister, it was a special day for him because he was sharing something important in his life. And, even today as I observe in elementary classrooms as students share things, it’s not only the students who are doing the sharing that seem to enjoy themselves. What I’ve noticed is the students on the listening end are really attentive when one of their peers is sharing something they are passionate about, even if it’s not a personal area of interest for the listener.
When you get to the root of it, being an advocate really is very much the same thing as “show and tell” or “sharing”. It’s a few moments of talking to people about something you are passionate about – working with kids as a school counselor. All you really have to do is tell your story. Talk about the students you work with in real life situations. Give examples of challenges in your job. Explain ways that you’ve delivered interventions to help students conquer hurdles in their lives. That
is being an advocate – and it doesn’t have to be so intimidating.
This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the ASCA conference in Phoenix. Being able to go to a national conference is a unique and enriching experience, and is also a unique opportunity for a little “show and tell”! Here are some of my ideas related to the conference to advocate, share, and promote school counselors/counseling:
Becoming a good advocate is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. However, realizing that we all are advocates worthy of sharing our stories is a step in the right direction.
As school counselors, we often talk about advocating for our positions and our programs, whether it be to administrators, other staff in our districts, school boards, parents, community members, legislators, or any other audience. In spite of this, in my conversations with other school counselors, I find this is often an area where counselors feel uncomfortable. Sound familiar? Raise your hand if any of these reasons sound like why you might feel uncomfortable with advocacy:
- I don’t like to “blow my own horn”.
- I’m not enough of an expert.
- People will think that I’m bragging about what I do.
- I’m uncomfortable talking to groups of people, especially ones I don’t know.
- I don’t know what I would say.
- I am not sure people care/are interested.
- The word “advocacy” sounds intimidating to me.
- I think others are better suited for that than me.
However, what if we replaced the word “advocacy” with “show and tell” or “sharing”? Think back to when you were in elementary school and it was your day for “show and tell”. Maybe it was marked on the calendar on the fridge as a special day. Or perhaps you are a parent and have helped your own child with his/her own “sharing” day. Most kids, even shy ones, enjoy those days where they can share something personal to them. I remember my little brother as an alternative kindergarten student sharing ME one day with his class. Though he couldn’t say his “r’s” and was a bit quieter than his talkative older sister, it was a special day for him because he was sharing something important in his life. And, even today as I observe in elementary classrooms as students share things, it’s not only the students who are doing the sharing that seem to enjoy themselves. What I’ve noticed is the students on the listening end are really attentive when one of their peers is sharing something they are passionate about, even if it’s not a personal area of interest for the listener.
When you get to the root of it, being an advocate really is very much the same thing as “show and tell” or “sharing”. It’s a few moments of talking to people about something you are passionate about – working with kids as a school counselor. All you really have to do is tell your story. Talk about the students you work with in real life situations. Give examples of challenges in your job. Explain ways that you’ve delivered interventions to help students conquer hurdles in their lives. That
is being an advocate – and it doesn’t have to be so intimidating.
This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the ASCA conference in Phoenix. Being able to go to a national conference is a unique and enriching experience, and is also a unique opportunity for a little “show and tell”! Here are some of my ideas related to the conference to advocate, share, and promote school counselors/counseling:
- Before you go, let your staff, especially your building principal, know that you are going, and any mention any specific sessions you are planning to attend and what you hope to gain.
- During the conference, use your social media of choice - tweet, post, blog, whatever - about things that you are learning. Attend sessions specifically about advocacy. Network during the conference with counselors from all over the country; learn about how they are advocates and share ideas of your own.
- After the conference, share resources with colleagues in your district or at your school. Present some learnings from the conference to your staff, school board, PTO, or another group. Post things from the conference in your office as talking points. Reflect on your learnings and set goals for your program.
Becoming a good advocate is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. However, realizing that we all are advocates worthy of sharing our stories is a step in the right direction.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Advocacy Mindset
Advocacy comes in all shapes and sizes. It is so important that we don’t overlook the advocacy opportunities that we have right in our own schools. As we begin a new school year, be aware of the many places you can use your advocacy skills.
Advocacy is an ongoing process. There are so many ways to advocate on so many different levels. Having an ADVOCACY MINDSET means you are always ready to have that advocating conversation, no mater the scale of the audience. Be BOLD-ADVOCATE!
- Meet with your principal regularly to discuss your school counseling program. Early in the school year, you can have a conversation regarding your annual agreement (page 64-65 of the ASCA National Model) which includes your school counseling program goals. Throughout the school year, your meetings can be used to discuss what you are doing to meet those goals and report on student progress.
- School-wide professional development is a great opportunity for advocacy. Everyone in your building is in the same place for the meeting and you should take the opportunity to share what you can do through your comprehensive school counseling program. Let your teachers and staff know what you can do to help their students (and them)!
- PTO/PTA groups are a great platform for advocating for your program. It is so important to get parents and families involved in your school and help them understand the importance of your comprehensive school counseling program.
- Every building has a number of teams and committees. As a part of these teams, you have a great opportunity to advocate for students and for your school counseling program. In addition, if given the opportunity, you can also become a part of any district teams and advocate for your students, program and school.
- Other opportunities can randomly arise throughout the school year. If you have school board members or community leaders visit your school, you can have a brief conversation about what you do as a counselor and the impact it has on students.
Advocacy is an ongoing process. There are so many ways to advocate on so many different levels. Having an ADVOCACY MINDSET means you are always ready to have that advocating conversation, no mater the scale of the audience. Be BOLD-ADVOCATE!
Sarah Majoros – School Counselor
Madison Elementary School-Des Moines Community Schools
Iowa Elementary Counselor of the Year 2014
ISCA Elementary VP
Friday, August 21, 2015
In mid-May, I was privileged to be invited to participate with a group of educators from Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire in Spokesperson Training for early caucus states. It was held in Washington DC and sponsored by the NEA (National Education Association). It was a very busy and exciting weekend with a lot of learning and fellowship. We did get in a trip to see the monuments at night. I am so thankful to the ISEA (Iowa State Education Association) folks for providing this opportunity. It was very worthwhile, and I am ready to pay it forward.
The two days were very well organized, and I learned so much. On Saturday, we had several sessions with folks sharing their expertise and tips on how to ask and answer questions from the media and to the politicians. The session that was most helpful was facilitated by Christine Clapp. Christine's credibility is outstanding, and she truly walks her talk. Check out her website at www.spokenwithauthority.com for helpful tips and resources. I just ordered her book, Presenting at Work: A Guide to Public Speaking in Professional Contexts. It looks like a great resource and excellent summer read!
On Sunday morning, we got to practice being interviewed by the media while being videotaped. We then got critiqued by a member of the NEA staff. All the leaders were professional and helpful, but I really liked our guy. Richard Allen Smith is a freelance writer, commentator and veteran who also works with NEA. His background and credibility helped us learn so much about how to step out of that box to say what you mean and have people listen. Richard is a great role model. Check out his website at www.therichardallensmith.com or on Twitter @rockrichard. Of course, no one likes to be taped and watched by everyone in the group. It is a big step out of most people's comfort zone. I had been through an experience similar to this years ago and found it terribly intimidating and frightening. Also, I did an awful job. I got defensive and talked too fast. All the things they told us not to do. This time it was different. I felt confident. After hearing tips from Richard and my group members, I wanted to keep practicing.
I will keep practicing. The stakes are just too high. We must get our stories out there. We need to advocate for ALL of our students. It is a critical time in education and if we do not advocate, no one else will! I look forward to sharing more in the future with ISEA and ISCA members. Thank you again to the ISEA folks who made this incredible experience happen. I look forward to using what I learned!
Advocacy Highlights:
The two days were very well organized, and I learned so much. On Saturday, we had several sessions with folks sharing their expertise and tips on how to ask and answer questions from the media and to the politicians. The session that was most helpful was facilitated by Christine Clapp. Christine's credibility is outstanding, and she truly walks her talk. Check out her website at www.spokenwithauthority.com for helpful tips and resources. I just ordered her book, Presenting at Work: A Guide to Public Speaking in Professional Contexts. It looks like a great resource and excellent summer read!
On Sunday morning, we got to practice being interviewed by the media while being videotaped. We then got critiqued by a member of the NEA staff. All the leaders were professional and helpful, but I really liked our guy. Richard Allen Smith is a freelance writer, commentator and veteran who also works with NEA. His background and credibility helped us learn so much about how to step out of that box to say what you mean and have people listen. Richard is a great role model. Check out his website at www.therichardallensmith.com or on Twitter @rockrichard. Of course, no one likes to be taped and watched by everyone in the group. It is a big step out of most people's comfort zone. I had been through an experience similar to this years ago and found it terribly intimidating and frightening. Also, I did an awful job. I got defensive and talked too fast. All the things they told us not to do. This time it was different. I felt confident. After hearing tips from Richard and my group members, I wanted to keep practicing.
I will keep practicing. The stakes are just too high. We must get our stories out there. We need to advocate for ALL of our students. It is a critical time in education and if we do not advocate, no one else will! I look forward to sharing more in the future with ISEA and ISCA members. Thank you again to the ISEA folks who made this incredible experience happen. I look forward to using what I learned!
Advocacy Highlights:
- Stand tall
- Breathe from the belly
- TALK slow
- Less is more
- NO whining
- Use the bridge and pivot
- Stay on message
- Stay student-focused
Written by Susan Langan, ISCA Advocacy Chair
ISCA Advocacy Committee update
The ISCA Advocacy Committee recently met with The Capital Group lobbyists to review the year. It was the first year ISCA hired The Capital Group lobbyists. Overall, it was a great success. We were so much better informed about the legislative bills that pertain to school counselors. More school counselors reached out to legislators, and when needed, we were able to mobilize contacts in a timely fashion to influence the committee composition of the Anti-Bullying Bill to include a school counselor. We also made an impact on stopping a bill from going further by one of the legislators to review requirements for school counselors.
We appreciated the assistance from our lobbyist when we visited the legislators during Visit the Hill Day and other times when members went to the capital. It was great having them tell us who to visit with and what to say to make the most impact. We made a very positive difference with many of the legislators. We ALL must continue this important work. Please check out the following highlights for ways to advocate for our great profession. Remember, most of the legislators do not know what the school counselor’s role is in our schools and how important our work is with the students. It is going to be a tough couple of years with the budget. The legislators are making very important decisions so we need to make sure they know who to contact when bills that include us come up for votes!!
· Please continue to contact your legislators this summer. If your town is having celebrations, parades or fairs, please BE BOLD and introduce yourself. It is a great way to start building a relationship. Follow up with an email or short note. It doesn’t matter if they are Democrats or Republicans. We need a voice with all of them!!
· We are working on the Advocacy website page on the ISCA website. We hope to make it a helpful resource for our members.
· Please check out the School Counselor Advocacy Effect Blog. It has great stories from our members.
· ISCA Conference: Please mark November 1st through 3rd for the ISCA conference on your calendar. It is our 50th anniversary, and we will have a great time!
· Visit the Hill Day: Please mark Wednesday, February 24, 2016 on your calendar!
Susan Langan
ISCA Advocacy/Government Relations Chair
Iowa School Counselor Association
W: http://www.
E: isca@assocserv.com
ISCA Advocacy/Government Relations Chair
Iowa School Counselor Association
W: http://www.
E: isca@assocserv.com
My Advocacy Journey or How I Learned to “Be Bold”.
I was lucky. In my school counseling career, I always felt valued by my building and district. Being
respected, being allowed to implement a comprehensive program, being seen as an integral part of the school’s functioning was never questioned. Beyond making sure the needs of our district were met, I
never thought about advocating for school counselors.
Joining the ISCA board, I became aware for the first time of the need for advocacy at the state level.
Prior to my board involvement, I had paid virtually no attention to the political side of education in the state of Iowa. I lived in my own little safe school/district world. I had not even been really understood that school counselors had been written out of and then back into the code during my Iowa school counseling years.
I had no idea that I was about to begin my advocacy journey, one step at a time.
Step one.
Visit the Hill, February 2013.
I had never even been inside the Iowa state house. A morning of instruction in advocacy – how to communicate with your legislators effectively, educational issues of concern, the emphasis on telling your story. What were they talking about? I found it all overwhelming, and the prospect of our afternoon trip to the state house to meet with our legislators generally terrifying. U of I school counseling interns (who had attended previously) guided me through the procedure of signing in to see our legislators. Then the nervous meetings, not knowing what to say and unsure that they would be interested in anything I did say. My only message, “Hi, I’m Sue Farran, one of
your constituents, and I want you to know that school counselors are important.” Not much of a
message. But I did survive. No one laughed. And now I at least understood the process and had met my legislators.
Step two.
Visit the Hill, February 2014.
Amazing what a difference one year makes! The morning workshop sessions now seemed to speak directly to me and ISCA’s work in supporting school counselors legislatively. Things I would not have seen myself doing now seemed more comfortable – discussions with ISEA lobbyists, creating an advocacy plan that could include lobbyists for ISCA, feeling passionate about our need to speak up and speak out. Meeting with my legislators in the afternoon was much more comfortable, being able to say I had met with them before, being better prepared with stories to keep school counselors in their minds, and asking what questions they had.
Step three.
Establishing email conversations.
In the 2014 legislative season, the Operational Sharing bill with its direct impact on school counselors demanded some response. My first email contacts with my legislators regarding specific legislation. Why was I so nervous? Why did my usual confidence disappear in this process? I composed my first messages and, my heart racing, took a deep breath and pushed the send button with my message to each legislator. What was I so worried about? My laptop did not explode. I was still alive. No one laughed. And I received a few responses.
Step four.
Becoming active on the ISCA Advocacy Committee.
I gain so much from our computer chats as we learn and grow together and support one another’s efforts.
Step five.
Interviewing, hiring, and working with our lobbyists.
This was huge! Learning about the work of lobbyists and who could be a good match for ISCA. Now working with the Capitol Group (Jim, Pete, and Rob) and learning, learning, learning about the legislative process and the power of constituents. This is exciting and almost addictive!
Step six.
Presenting at the Iowa DE Newer Counselor Conference and the 2014 ISCA Conference on
“Advocacy and the School Counselor”.
Just two years earlier this topic left me confused and fearful. Now it fills me with a passion that I cannot wait to share with others! Wow!
Step seven:
Beginning the 2015 legislative season.
Emails to my legislators are much easier. As per our lobbyists’ recommendation, in the fall of 2014 I email my legislators to introduce myself, let them know of my desire to stay current on educational issues, and ask to be placed on their mailing lists and to be advised of their local coffees. I also extend thanks for their service and an invitation to contact me about any questions they might have regarding the role of school counselors. I received responses from each of them. This laid the groundwork for my later emails about the bullying bill, educational funding, and mental health resources. We asked to have a school counselor included on the advisory committee for the bullying bill and the bill was amended to include a school counselor! Hey, this stuff can work,
and it really isn’t so scary!
Step eight:
Vist the Hill 2015.
I am prepped and pumped! I have contacted my legislators that I am looking forward to meeting with them at Visit the Hill 2015. I have my stories ready and issues understood. Then the snow hits and I cannot go. I am genuinely disappointed! (How far I have come!)
Not to be shut out of this opportunity, Susan Langan arranges an alternate date (St. Patrick’s Day) and we have a wonderful experience. Working with our lobbyists at the state house, we met individually with the key legislative players about educational bills and funding. It was great! We came away energized and ready to press on!
Step nine:
Continuing on the ISCA Advocacy Committee.
Although my term on the ISCA board is ending, I will continue my involvement with the Advocacy Committee.
What have I learned so far?
1. Our legislators our hired by us. They are interested in what their constituents have to say and want to be responsive to us.
2. The message we want to have our legislators hear about the role and importance of school
counselors is the message we give them, not their recollection of their former” guidance
counselor” or forgetting that we exist at all.
3. We need to build relationships with our legislators. When they have questions about the role of
school counselors, we want them to ask us. When we need to share a point of view or make a
request, that already existing relationship makes us more credible.
4. If we are not at the table, we will be at the mercy of those who are.
5. If we do not define our role and importance as professional school counselors, someone else will.
And so my advocacy journey will continue. I encourage each of you to take a deep breath, step
outside your comfort zone, and start your own journey - one step at a time. BE BOLD!
Sue Farran
Past President ISCA (2014-15)
sue.farran@gmail.com
I was lucky. In my school counseling career, I always felt valued by my building and district. Being
respected, being allowed to implement a comprehensive program, being seen as an integral part of the school’s functioning was never questioned. Beyond making sure the needs of our district were met, I
never thought about advocating for school counselors.
Joining the ISCA board, I became aware for the first time of the need for advocacy at the state level.
Prior to my board involvement, I had paid virtually no attention to the political side of education in the state of Iowa. I lived in my own little safe school/district world. I had not even been really understood that school counselors had been written out of and then back into the code during my Iowa school counseling years.
I had no idea that I was about to begin my advocacy journey, one step at a time.
Step one.
Visit the Hill, February 2013.
I had never even been inside the Iowa state house. A morning of instruction in advocacy – how to communicate with your legislators effectively, educational issues of concern, the emphasis on telling your story. What were they talking about? I found it all overwhelming, and the prospect of our afternoon trip to the state house to meet with our legislators generally terrifying. U of I school counseling interns (who had attended previously) guided me through the procedure of signing in to see our legislators. Then the nervous meetings, not knowing what to say and unsure that they would be interested in anything I did say. My only message, “Hi, I’m Sue Farran, one of
your constituents, and I want you to know that school counselors are important.” Not much of a
message. But I did survive. No one laughed. And now I at least understood the process and had met my legislators.
Step two.
Visit the Hill, February 2014.
Amazing what a difference one year makes! The morning workshop sessions now seemed to speak directly to me and ISCA’s work in supporting school counselors legislatively. Things I would not have seen myself doing now seemed more comfortable – discussions with ISEA lobbyists, creating an advocacy plan that could include lobbyists for ISCA, feeling passionate about our need to speak up and speak out. Meeting with my legislators in the afternoon was much more comfortable, being able to say I had met with them before, being better prepared with stories to keep school counselors in their minds, and asking what questions they had.
Step three.
Establishing email conversations.
In the 2014 legislative season, the Operational Sharing bill with its direct impact on school counselors demanded some response. My first email contacts with my legislators regarding specific legislation. Why was I so nervous? Why did my usual confidence disappear in this process? I composed my first messages and, my heart racing, took a deep breath and pushed the send button with my message to each legislator. What was I so worried about? My laptop did not explode. I was still alive. No one laughed. And I received a few responses.
Step four.
Becoming active on the ISCA Advocacy Committee.
I gain so much from our computer chats as we learn and grow together and support one another’s efforts.
Step five.
Interviewing, hiring, and working with our lobbyists.
This was huge! Learning about the work of lobbyists and who could be a good match for ISCA. Now working with the Capitol Group (Jim, Pete, and Rob) and learning, learning, learning about the legislative process and the power of constituents. This is exciting and almost addictive!
Step six.
Presenting at the Iowa DE Newer Counselor Conference and the 2014 ISCA Conference on
“Advocacy and the School Counselor”.
Just two years earlier this topic left me confused and fearful. Now it fills me with a passion that I cannot wait to share with others! Wow!
Step seven:
Beginning the 2015 legislative season.
Emails to my legislators are much easier. As per our lobbyists’ recommendation, in the fall of 2014 I email my legislators to introduce myself, let them know of my desire to stay current on educational issues, and ask to be placed on their mailing lists and to be advised of their local coffees. I also extend thanks for their service and an invitation to contact me about any questions they might have regarding the role of school counselors. I received responses from each of them. This laid the groundwork for my later emails about the bullying bill, educational funding, and mental health resources. We asked to have a school counselor included on the advisory committee for the bullying bill and the bill was amended to include a school counselor! Hey, this stuff can work,
and it really isn’t so scary!
Step eight:
Vist the Hill 2015.
I am prepped and pumped! I have contacted my legislators that I am looking forward to meeting with them at Visit the Hill 2015. I have my stories ready and issues understood. Then the snow hits and I cannot go. I am genuinely disappointed! (How far I have come!)
Not to be shut out of this opportunity, Susan Langan arranges an alternate date (St. Patrick’s Day) and we have a wonderful experience. Working with our lobbyists at the state house, we met individually with the key legislative players about educational bills and funding. It was great! We came away energized and ready to press on!
Step nine:
Continuing on the ISCA Advocacy Committee.
Although my term on the ISCA board is ending, I will continue my involvement with the Advocacy Committee.
What have I learned so far?
1. Our legislators our hired by us. They are interested in what their constituents have to say and want to be responsive to us.
2. The message we want to have our legislators hear about the role and importance of school
counselors is the message we give them, not their recollection of their former” guidance
counselor” or forgetting that we exist at all.
3. We need to build relationships with our legislators. When they have questions about the role of
school counselors, we want them to ask us. When we need to share a point of view or make a
request, that already existing relationship makes us more credible.
4. If we are not at the table, we will be at the mercy of those who are.
5. If we do not define our role and importance as professional school counselors, someone else will.
And so my advocacy journey will continue. I encourage each of you to take a deep breath, step
outside your comfort zone, and start your own journey - one step at a time. BE BOLD!
Sue Farran
Past President ISCA (2014-15)
sue.farran@gmail.com
Confronting Injustice: The Practice of School Counselor Advocacy
I experienced a pivotal and life-changing personal and professional situation as a former school counselor that strengthened my voice to transform school counselor advocacy. Specifically, my duties were enlisted from school officials to help respond to an increasing problem, where elementary students were using anti-LGBT remarks, such as “that’s so gay,” in negative and discriminatory matters. My intervention approach involved the use of a developmentally appropriate and research driven anti-bullying curriculum, Ready, Set, Respect!, from The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
Network (GLSEN) and a children’s story, The Family Book by Todd Parr. To my
surprise, pushback surfaced as a result of my respect-for-all advocacy efforts. It first began with phone calls and quickly led to the first board meeting, where I walked through a prayer vigil, while protestors voiced opposition to one page in Parr’s storybook that stated, “some families have two moms or two dads.” Further, my advocacy efforts directed me to explain the rationale of the challenged materials to the school district’s formal curriculum committee, where the curriculum was deemed age-appropriate and evidence-based. However, as the opposition grew louder and parents began to pull their children out of the guidance lessons to mount pressure on school stakeholders, the school board and officials issued a directive to discontinue using any GLSEN resources and/or
materials that fostered an acceptance for LGBT populations in my building.
Self-reflective practice and consultation with mentors guided me to a deeper understanding-that I could not sit back and allow this injustice to perpetuate. Therefore, my voice for change led to partnerships at the local, state, and national level, where an advocacy message was crafted and delivered. For example, a family reading night at the town library was provided, as an opportunity for families and children to hear LGBT-welcoming and respectful stories, even while these materials were banned at school. The posters announcing this event were the first to be removed from the school bulletin boards. Although the school district never officially lifted the ban on the use of LGBT-inclusive materials, continuing to model and advocate the importance to do the right thing-even when all seemed impossible, was critical.
Throughout this journey, it became very clear to me the importance of self-reflection and the need to assess my efficacy as an advocate. This immensely benefitted my work for what I believed was right and to not give up, even when faced with adversity. I believe this experience truly benefited my students, families, and deepened my commitment to school counselor advocacy. Observing the impactful dialogue between community members and challenging their exclusionary views were invaluable lessons for all in this story. I was reminded that planting the seeds of respect for all student populations begins the first day children walk into our schools. The elementary years serve as a critical time for school counselors to respect and honor how students and families come in many shapes, colors, and sizes and to give voice to opportunities where all students can thrive in an
academic environment that accepts and celebrates who they are. Sometimes this may require school counselors to systemically advocate beyond the walls of their offices, in efforts to support the academic, personal/social, and college and career readiness in all of our students.
Carry On!
Matthew J. Beck, M.S.Ed., LCPC, NCC
PhD Student
Counselor Education and Supervision Program
The University of Iowa
Email: matthew-beck@uiowa.edu
Twitter: @mattjbeck
Website: http://matthewjbeck.weebly.com
Network (GLSEN) and a children’s story, The Family Book by Todd Parr. To my
surprise, pushback surfaced as a result of my respect-for-all advocacy efforts. It first began with phone calls and quickly led to the first board meeting, where I walked through a prayer vigil, while protestors voiced opposition to one page in Parr’s storybook that stated, “some families have two moms or two dads.” Further, my advocacy efforts directed me to explain the rationale of the challenged materials to the school district’s formal curriculum committee, where the curriculum was deemed age-appropriate and evidence-based. However, as the opposition grew louder and parents began to pull their children out of the guidance lessons to mount pressure on school stakeholders, the school board and officials issued a directive to discontinue using any GLSEN resources and/or
materials that fostered an acceptance for LGBT populations in my building.
Self-reflective practice and consultation with mentors guided me to a deeper understanding-that I could not sit back and allow this injustice to perpetuate. Therefore, my voice for change led to partnerships at the local, state, and national level, where an advocacy message was crafted and delivered. For example, a family reading night at the town library was provided, as an opportunity for families and children to hear LGBT-welcoming and respectful stories, even while these materials were banned at school. The posters announcing this event were the first to be removed from the school bulletin boards. Although the school district never officially lifted the ban on the use of LGBT-inclusive materials, continuing to model and advocate the importance to do the right thing-even when all seemed impossible, was critical.
Throughout this journey, it became very clear to me the importance of self-reflection and the need to assess my efficacy as an advocate. This immensely benefitted my work for what I believed was right and to not give up, even when faced with adversity. I believe this experience truly benefited my students, families, and deepened my commitment to school counselor advocacy. Observing the impactful dialogue between community members and challenging their exclusionary views were invaluable lessons for all in this story. I was reminded that planting the seeds of respect for all student populations begins the first day children walk into our schools. The elementary years serve as a critical time for school counselors to respect and honor how students and families come in many shapes, colors, and sizes and to give voice to opportunities where all students can thrive in an
academic environment that accepts and celebrates who they are. Sometimes this may require school counselors to systemically advocate beyond the walls of their offices, in efforts to support the academic, personal/social, and college and career readiness in all of our students.
Carry On!
Matthew J. Beck, M.S.Ed., LCPC, NCC
PhD Student
Counselor Education and Supervision Program
The University of Iowa
Email: matthew-beck@uiowa.edu
Twitter: @mattjbeck
Website: http://matthewjbeck.weebly.com
Happy New Year! ISCA is getting ready for a great year, and we need your help. As you know, we hired our very own lobbyists this year. We will have a great voice on the hill representing Iowa School Counselors. However, as school counselors, we all need to do our part! We all need to step up for school counselor advocacy. Everyone is very busy, but these things do not take much time and can make a tremendous impact on what we want to achieve to be represented in the upcoming Iowa Legislative session!
Please make a commitment and complete at least one of the following tasks! BE BOLD!! Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, January 28th. More information will be sent out soon!!
1. Contact your local legislators. Either send a quick email or post card. Send them a message of congratulations if they won last fall. Introduce yourself and tell them you are a school counselor in their district. Let them know you will be contacting them again. The first step is all about building relationships. Here is the page to look up who the senators and representatives are for your district.
- It doesn't have to be a long email. It is recommended to keep correspondence short and to the point.
- We recommend that you use a private email address for communication with the legislators. It will ensure that your communication and lobbying efforts are private and that there are not any conflicts with your school district policy.
2. Attend your local legislative forums. Find out when and where these will be held and attend! You will especially want to go to the meeting that has an Education focus. We will be sending out emails with information on where to find the meeting locaitons and times. Ask to be notified in your email for the information about the forums.
3. On Wednesday February 25th, please join educators from all levels and from across the state of Iowa in Des Moines for the Iowa ACAC and ISCA Visit the Hill Day.
- This opportunity is an incredible collaboration of school counselors, college admissions counselors, teachers, administrators and students coming together to learn about the issues and advocating for important educational matters. It is an incredible day! Registration is now open, and the travel scholarship is available to bring your students.
- Please check out more information about Visit the Hill 2015 and register by visiting the Iowa ACAC website, http://www.iowaacac.
org/visit-the-hill.
4. Celebrate National School Counseling Week during the week of February 2-6, 2015. Whether it is an email to your stakeholders or sharing, I Heart My School Counselor stickers; everyone needs to celebrate this week and use it as an opportunity to advocate. Please see other ideas on the ISCA website at http://www.
5. Please use School Counselor instead of guidance counselor on ALL or your mailings, signs and signatures. If you have questions about WHY you need to do this, please contact one of the ISCA board members. We all need to stand together on this issue! It is time!!!
Sincerely,Susan Langan
ISCA Advocacy Chair
Cedar Falls High School Counselor
susan.langan@cfschools.org
1015 Division Street
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
319-553-2515 ext. 2632
ISCA Advocacy Chair
Cedar Falls High School Counselor
susan.langan@cfschools.org
1015 Division Street
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
319-553-2515 ext. 2632
Iowa School Counselor Association
W: http://www.
E: isca@assocserv.com
W: http://www.
E: isca@assocserv.com
Building Relationships with your Legislators
During the campaigning time over last summer, I was at the county fair and noticed Tim Kraayenbrink’s booth. I decided to stop and ask him where he stood on education-related issues. I introduced myself to Tim as a school counselor at Fort Dodge Senior High and let him know the amount of needs our students have. He informed me he too taught at one time, and that his wife is an administrator at a local private school. I let him know that I had good relationships with both of our legislators at the time and that I really appreciated the amount of support Daryl Beall and Helen Miller gave to school counselors and education in general. We exchanged business cards and Tim did follow up with me before election time to remind me that he did support education and I had quite a few other questions for him that we discussed via phone and email.
Tim did win the election so I sent him a congratulatory e-mail the following week. I also sent a thank you to Daryl Beall for everything he did to support mental health, school counselors, and education because he truly did a lot for us and will be missed. I continued to talk with Tim regarding my thoughts on college and career readiness and the state’s current IHAPI program in which he has been working with me to explore all options. We have invited Tim into our classrooms to talk to students and we also have had him attend one of our weekly school counseling meetings. There are issues I talk to Tim about that we are not necessarily on the same page about (such as the current allowable growth funding fiasco we have going on). Even though we may disagree on certain things there are things that I will always be able to work towards with both Helen Miller and Tim Kraayenbrink on in order to move education in Iowa forward. We have taken some of our students to Day on The Hill and Helen Miller has been so gracious to give us tours, listen, and ask us questions so she can better understand our needs. I am thankful for the amount of time these individuals put into the youth of Iowa. In order to help our students we, as educators, need to put parties aside and build relationships with our legislators so they know what we are seeing in our schools...better yet, invite them into your schools to see for themselves!
Trista Thompson, M.A.
Professional School Counselor
Fort Dodge Senior High School
819 North 25th Street
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Office: (515)-574-5773
Fax: (515)-574-5771
ISCA Advocacy Efforts-Time for all of us to STEP UP!!
It is such an exciting time to be a school counselor! After keynoting ISCA 2014, Trish Hatch, and many talented folks met for the White House Convening at San Diego State University on November 17-18. A lot of commitments were made to reinforce the #Reach Higher Initiative. It is phenomenal that the First Lady Michelle Obama has validated the importance of school counselors.
“School Counseling is a necessity to ensure that all our young people get the education they need to succeed in today’s economy.” Michelle Obama, ASCA 2014
Now is the time for school counselors to step up and do our part to make the #Reach Higher commitments happen and make sure everyone knows our role! Keep the fire burning from ISCA 2014 and make it your time to continually reach higher! Some school counselors have an easier time doing this due to many reasons. Maybe their administrators understand their role and the student-counselor ratio is reasonable. Many times this isn’t the case. We all need to make efforts to advocate for our profession every day. However, sometimes we need help. Education is a very hot topic in the Iowa legislation and school counselors have not been well represented. We are so proud to announce that ISCA has hired “The Capital Group” lobbyist firm. We will be working closely with lobbyists Pete McRoberts, Bob Mulqueen, and Jim Obradovich to make sure that school counselors now ARE represented.
However, our work has just begun. The lobbyists will help us be heard. We need to make sure ALL school counselors are doing their part. We need to continue our efforts so that every student in Iowa has a school counselor doing work that will help him/her graduate and be ready for the next step. We need to make sure school counselors are being represented by our lobbyists but also by our organization.
Please make your voice heard. Attend Visit the Hill Day on February 25th at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines. The morning is spent within sessions, and the afternoon is spent at the Capitol visiting with legislators. Iowa ACAC and ISCA work very closely to make sure this is a worthwhile day. Iowa ACAC provides a stipend also to bring students. There is NO cost to attendees. We have had a great turn out the last few years. We need to be well represented this year and continue the work that our lobbyists will be doing for us in the trenches. Please attend Visit the Hill Day! Also, be looking for more information about our legislative efforts and be ready to act to advocate for school counselors!!
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