developing & managing

I'

Part III

Implementing

Chapter 7 .lOS)

I'Malting the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

.Implementing-Making the Tramition..Develop the personnel, financial, and political resources needed for full pro-

gram implementation.Focus on special projects.Facilitate building..level changes.Implement public relations activities.

CfA Having organized for change, adopted a comprehensive guidance and counseling program model, assessed the current program, established the de sign for the desired program, and planned the transition, you, as the guid ance and counseling program leadert are now ready to make the transition to an improved program. You also are ready to develop mechanisms to main tain the program once it is in operation. This is one of the most critical phases of the entire program improvement proces. . The questions to be an swered include, How is the transition to a comprehensive guidance and counseling program to be made? What new resources are needed to cn hartce the effectiveness and efficiency of the program? Are there special projects that will provide impetus to the needed changes in direction? Howcan we assist each building to improve its program?

This chapter first discusses the tasks involved in implementing the master plan for change and presents recommendations concerning the staffing patterns nnd the finnndal and po litical resources required to operate a comprehensive guidance and cmmsding program. The change strategy of focusing on special projects is then introduced. Attaching the guidrtnce and counseling program improvement process to federal, state,. and local priorities can provide the energy, motivation, and support to carry the overall improvement process to completion. Next, the chapter describes how to facilitate the. building-level changes required to implement the district comprehensive guidance and counseling program fully in each building, as wetl as how to institute a districtwide system for monitoring progrnm changes and overall program implementation at the building level to ensure th:u the program docs not revert to its original, traditional operation. We also present ideas about planning and implementing, with district leadership, public relations activities to make sure that stu dents, teachers, parents, administrators, and the public at large arc aware of the remodeled

Developing & Ivbnaging Your School Guid:lllce and Counseling Program

and revitalized comprehensive guidance and counseling program. Next, we focus on meth ods tor attending to the diversity in the district and buildings. Finally, the chapter delin eates the roles and responsibilities of guidance and counseling program leader$ in the transition process.I'Develop the Personnel, Finaneial, and Politieal Resources Needed for Full Program Implementation

In developing the master plan for system-level resource development, the guidance and counseling program leader with the help of the guidance steering committee identified the major tasks that needed to be done, developed an order for doing them, and identified peo pie who would be involved in accomplishing them. Plans of action to accomplish the major tasks also might need to be developed to facilitate the efficiency of those responsible. A plan of action includes several parts: identification of the tasks to be done, the order in which they m\1St be done, the person(s) doing them, the time for accomplishing them, and a state ment of how you will know they have been done, that is, identification of the end prod uct or result. Table 7.1 presents a sample plan of action from the Northside Independent School District master plan.orThe ta ks that need to be done, their degree of feasibility, and the specific time framefor each building district may be different. For example, if the school syster.1 is currently into curriculum writing, then resource/curriculum guide development fits right into already established district priorities. Or-if the system's thrust is staff development, then the recommcndations tbr in-service training, job description development or supervision, and performance evaluation improvement might be the most feasible to accomplish. Of course, any systemic improvement of resources requires the support and collaboration of the dis trict administration. The guidaoce and counseling program leader must continue to work closely with the superintendent .and other senior-level administrators to effect needed chang :s. .There arc, however, some recurrent recommendations that need attention for the pro gram actually to change. ld that the guidance and cowlScling program leader might want to consider tbr the improved use pf personnel, financial, and political guidance and counseling program resqurcc;s as the mast r plan for change is implemented are included in the follo\ving list and explained in detail jn this section.

PlmiJmu:J ltcsiJurc,:s Implementing recommended counselor-student ratios

Developing school counselors' j9b descriptionsEstablishing roles and responsibilities for .building-level guidance and counseling program leaders..Developing job descriptions for other staff members working in the guidance and counseling programClarif)ing o1ga1iizational relationships widun the guidimce and counseling program

Fiwm cia/ B..i;sourcesEstablishing budgets for guidance departments at the .district and building levelsExploring use of otherthatllocal funding sourcesDeveloping guidance and counseling program component resource guidesEstablishing g\lid nce facititie$ standards d making recommendations for their application

204

Table7.1

Plan of Action

Make recommcncbtionsregarding ed..contractS 1. Develop questionnain:2 ..Train,. steeringcommittee counsc:lozs

- and principalS toconduct suney withcourudorsfprincip.tls. using qucsdonnairea: Place on meetingagendas

4. Make. presentation; conduct _surVeys 1. Diaor of gtiidancc2. Director of guidance

".3. Stccringcommi .. principals. :andc:owUcJorsSteering committee.

. principal$. and coun. sclo(s Marchi

2. MarchS

MarchS

March 6-13

None additional.S, Tally .-esults by school : S. Director of guidaQcclel-el'(demenwy. mid-

dte school, highschool) S. March206:. Prqnl-c repon:and m:tke.recommendations 6. Director of guidance6. March2SDeveloping & M:ln:lging Ym1r School GlJidnnce and Counseling Program

Pulitict l Rt:.IWtrw10. Uptbrins policies and pocedures11. Engendering support th)m building staff12. Wurk:ing with resistant statl'mcmbcrs I 13. Wurking with cl'itical constituents: concerned parents'Personnel Resoutces

As the preceding list indicates, to improve use of personnel resources, you need to consider implementing recommended counselor-student ratios, developing counselors' job de scripdons, establishing roles and responsibilities for building guidance and counseling pro gram leaders, developing job descriptions for other staff members working in the guidance and counseling program, :ind clarifYing organizational relationships within the guidance and counseling pr >gram.

Impletn tJ.titlJJ Recommended Counselor-St tdetlt RatiosBased on the rationale of the design for the desired program; recommendations have been established for appropriate counselor-student ratios. Ratio improvement, however, is one of the more ditlicult resource improvements to make for two reasons: It is ex tremcly costly, an9 there must be some evidence that the counselors already in the system are willing m extend their services to all students. Once that intent has been established and som;.: effort has been applied in that direction, justification for improved ratios is more credible:As districts with which we have worked have implemented the comprehensive guidance and counseling program more fully, lower ratios have been put in place. Elementary coun selors have been added in rather dramatic numbers in these program development projects.Further, many elementary guidance and counseling programs are developmentally basedand thus are already closer to the desired program as defined by these districts than are sec

ondary programs, which are traditionally entrenched in reactive services and system sup port or quasi-administrative/clerical tasks {Peer, 1985). No district with which we have worked has stated that coun'.ielors as supporters of the system should have top priority inthe program; all of the districtS have assigned high priority for all school levels to the guid ance curriculum and to individual stJ,ldent planning assistance for all students at the mid. dle and high school levels. It should be dear that the effectiveness of the program is tied direcdy to the ratio. Thenumber of rograni.LeadersKey to implcmcnring qu lity con1pi'chcnsive guidance nd counseling 'programs in the buildings is appropriate delegation of responsibility and authority to leaders of guidance dipartmcnts throughout a district. Their authority canbe delegated from both the build ing principal and dle district guidance and counseling program leader. Such delegation must be clearly spelled out and be such that their responsibilities are dearly supported. On a day to-day basis, thcylcad and manage the details of program planning and implementation as well as the quality of school counselors' use of theirtime and applications of their talent.The roll;s that guidance and counseling program leaders fulfill are those ofadministration, management, supervision, and prQfessionalleadership (Henderson & Gysbers, 1998). In their administration role, they apply their '4Uthority and responsibility over the guidance and counseling program and its =ttaff. They are ultimately accountable for the quality of pro gram delivery and staff performanf sionalle-adenbip role, they assist school counselors to enhan their protessionnlism through adherence to the standards and the advancement of the school counseling protession.The rcspr,ou have documented something you already knew: A number of activities for which youare responsible are not guidance activities at all or are, at best, only tangentially related to guidance. They have become. a part:of the guidance and counseling program over theyears, perhaps by design, but more likely by default. As you also know, no matter how tl1ese activities became part of the program, once established, they are difficult to remove. And what is worse, these responsibilities c.onsume the valuable time and resources needed to con duct the actual guidance and counseling program. Ways to manage the improvement of pro gram activities, including displacing nonguidance acdvities, are discussed in ch:ipter 8.Making optimum use of school counselors' professional skitls is a: goal of program re modeling. An issue related to recommending lower ratios, which increase student access to their counselors, is ensuring opportunities for the counselors to access their students. Time for guidance and counseling must be seen as legitimate and valuable, and p licie and procedure must be established to ensure that there is time to deliver the program appropriately.

Bnge11dering Support From Building StaffRecognizing that the.new program de ign causesmany operational-level changes in a building's guidance and counseling program, the district guidance and counseling program leader and all school counselors need to expertd some energy reeducating the building staff members about the rationale and goals for the changes. Reeducation and engender ing support call for communicating dearly what these changes are; providintrguidelines'for . support from building administrators, and coUaborating \\ith building personnel to design and implement the local changes...Armed with the district plan for guidance and counseling program improvement, you need to ensure that every staff member has the working knowledge he or she needs to re spond to the. changes. This ent.tils formal presentations regarding the program conducted. at the district levei.for the prinCipals and at the building level for the 1culty. .Because principals arc accountable for the successful operation ofevery program in theirbuildings, they should have available a copy of the pr gram framework written at the end of the designing phase. It is also useful to provide a written set of guidelines that suggestto building administrators appropriate levels of support for their guidance and counsel ing programs. These might entail statements about adequate facilities for counselors as well as adequate budget appropriations for guidance department supplies. Statements also might be. made about work schedules for counselors concerning, for example, their ex pect d work hours and including recognition of htnch ho.urs and preparation periods. Some tasks identified for displacen,tent ma be handled in this n1anner, especially those that have become common practice at the building level but are not rooted in district policy. Examples indude .stating that elementary .counselorsshould benefit from the sccre arial. services available at the school and should not be required to do their own'typing; rec ommending that new .middle school students begin the registration process in the administrative office and be. referred to the guidance department after sudt items as verification of address and immunizations are taken care of; a.nd recognizing that the,standardized testing. program provide! useful. information t() faculty andad ministrationas well as counselors and thus test administration is a shared rcsponsibilit>'ofall buildingstaff members. - -.'t :.. ' ..

219 seDeveloping & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling Program

At1oil er w;\y tocncuuroge building principals'. support is for the senior district staff rnembcr who cvalltatc tl1e pl'in;iprking cf.fectively in the often difficult intemctions with these parent$, determining motivation is im:.:.portant. The.motivations tend to fall intO five categorl s. Some parents are. misinformed, some are contemed about materials, some mistru.ttcertainptctctices, sorne have experienced mistakes, and some are ml11uing an isSue. Identif)?ng whicfi category desJ.tegory are those parents/S:Oll$tituents who are acting in bad fuith, those wboare mis\.ising an issue for their own purpos . Such purposes may be po6tical; they may wantto;engcndcr support for a school board candidate. Such purposes may be economic; theymay be trying to nurture a clientele tbr a private or parochiaJ school. Such purposes maybe immonl or illegal; they may be hiding something going on in their homes. Some of the parents who use this critical posture are child abusers who do not want to be found out. It is fortunate that the number ofcritics in this category is very sm;ijlbecause they are the most difficult to deal with. Wbat are tiJe school coJmselorrtiJpics and motivatiom? School counselors in these sit uations arc well servecJ by being clear as to meii' own topics and motivations. The ASCA (2002) position st;ucmcnt on.ccnsorship states a belief of the professional as follows:

In order for students to develop in a hcaldly nlanncr arid obtain the skills necessary for citizen ship, they need to exist in a climat that foster the ability to .n ke hlformcd decisions b.Ued upon independent inquiry and sound scholarship. Professional &chool counselor have a personal and l'rolcssion;\l (>bligation to support be b; sh: tenets of democracy to help ensure informition about-and 01ccess to-a range of developmentally appropriate school counseling programs for every student.

Their tqpics fit into three categories. Counselors want to (a) improve the services pro vided to the specific parents' individual children or to all students, (b) maintain the pro gram benefits tor individual or all students, and (c) allow the program to continue for students other than those ofd1c critical parent(s). While keeping the conversation focused on manageable problems, school counselors usually identify which of rl1esc represents the best-case scenario for rl1e outcomes ofthese interactions.In some cases-perhaps many-school counselors want the children of the- adversarial parents to b!! able to benefit from more extensive services than they arc participating in.Specifically, many of the children evidence themselves as being in need of individual or small group counseling services. Some ofthe parent$ are fearful of what counseling will do toe minds of their children. Others feu what coimseling will reveal about the family dy

namics, abuses, or other practices. In advocating for the students, school counselors striveto .convince parents to let their children participate fully in guidance and counseling activities. Adversarial parents often do not want their own-children toparticipate in some or aU of the activities and services in thecomprehensive guidance and counseling program. Typically they do not want their children to participate in counseling. Many request that they not participate in guidance curriculum activities as well, Those whoare truly fearful of government intervention in their lives do not want tlieir students participating in career .

Misinformed parents may asktO have their children removed from classroom guid

. ance becatis isplacementofnonguidancetasks, including school-counselors' appropriate role in standardized testing programs. 2. Program accountability.3. Accountability for the quality of school counselor perfotmr counselors and arc discussed more extensively in chapters 9 and 10 and morefully in Leading aml MntzRgino 'nurSchool Guiila11ce Prooram Sta.ff(Henderson & Gysbers;1998). Asking counselors to write their plans for counseling s.essions and guidatlee lessonsis a companion piece to asking teacbQrs to develop better lesson plans. Districts across theUnited States are using school imprQvement planning techniques and developing multi"year-stra cgic plans. Counselors and guidance departments, too,shoutd be aske.d to dar ity their plans. tor the year by submitting cnlendars and using a goal based improveil.1ent approach. This tits nicely into.the comprehensive program concept. . . .Curriculum development in other disciplines 'provides counselors with the opportu nity to write the:guidn-nce- curriculum and to provide for infusion of guidance curriculum in the acaden1ic curricula. for examplej in addition to d1e guidance dimellSion within the mental health curriculum strand in the health and science curricula, the soda! skills out comes that are part of the guidance curriculum can easily be infused into the social stud. ies curricula; communication skills can be infused intolanguage arts; and problem solving can be infusedinto science and math. Perhaps because the concept of a guidance curiiculum has grown, much of what we see as students needs already has been stated in outcome terms, mak.ingus prepared to work within tht outcomes-based'approach. Another relevant aspect of this approach, and one that already is a part of dte guidance curriculum, is the emphasis on helping students-learn-processes, such as decision-making, planning, andre lating o ,od1ers) including those ffom cultures different from their 'oWn. .. , The C() tin ed.emphasis on t.esting callsfor counselors to help 'studentS with.their test taking skills .and. to help teachers use te.st results responsibly This provides counselors the opportuni!:}' tp .shift .their role from- being test administrators "to bein"g' consUltants in appropria m counselors. They perceive us as paper push rs who were not helpful when they percdved theywere having a problem. In general, because ur programs have not been well defined, people have had unrealistic expectations about counselors and tpeserviccs counselors can andshould pr vi e.. . ...., .. . . I - .. . .. ,We mi ht consider some od for thou ht gleaned from the corporate reput.'ltion literature. Corporations and companies have learrted that their reputationsare important inachieving not only employee but also customer satisfaction ..One delineation {Davies, Chun, Da Silva, Be Roper, 2004) of the dimension that make up a corporation's image identifies them as nAgreeabtencis," "Competence,". "Enterprise;" ' Ruthlessness," and"ChiC." Davies et al. fatind J'OSitive. cti tornc. satisfuttion to be most hishly