School Counselors as Social Justice Leaders

Abstract

Teaching and Reaching Every Area (TAREA) is a comprehensive school–family–community partnership designed to increase Latino student achievement. The authors use action research to describe how a school counselor developed TAREA and post hoc analysis to provide examples of social justice and systemic collaboration leadership dimensions. The authors detail parent, staff, and student engagement outcomes. Throughout, they transform the abstract concept of leadership into concrete steps for school counselor advocacy and action.

Factors Influencing School Counselor Involvement in Partnerships With Families of Color: A Social Cognitive Exploration

“…Counselors can develop this understanding through reviewing the school's student demographics data, attending functions outside of schools where students and families of color may be present (such as church services and events in the neighborhood), and engaging in dialogue beyond the counseling relationship as a way to learn more about students' cultural backgrounds. When school counselors engage with families of color both inside and outside of the school, students are more likely to achieve (Betters-Bubon & Schultz, 2018;Henry et al, 2017). Moreover, practicing school counselors may attend multicultural-related conferences and workshops to facilitate more partnerships with families of color, such as the National Multicultural Conference and Summit sponsored biennially by the Society of Counseling Psychology.…”

The Varied College Pathways of Latino Young Adults: A Narrative Study of Empowerment Theory

“…Indeed, it is their ethical imperative to identify and dismantle systemic barriers to student achievement (ASCA, 2016). As potential collaborators with internal and external stakeholders in schools, families, and communities (Allen et al, 2016), school counselors hold promise to forge innovative partnerships with these stakeholders (Betters-Bubon & Schultz, 2018). Access to achievement data also empowers counselors to engage in planning and assessment efforts that might inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive school counseling programs (ASCA, 2019).…”

Enhancing Student Learning by “Building a Caring Climate”: School Counselors’ Experiences With Classroom Management

“…The National Council on Teacher Quality (Greenberg et al, 2014) recommended two strategies that were not present in the current study: family/community involvement and focusing on social/cultural factors. This omission on the part of school counselors is particularly interesting, given that school counselors are called to be school leaders who collaborate with family and community members and who provide culturally competent services, taking into account student/school social and cultural factors (ASCA, 2012(ASCA, , 2019Betters-Bubon & Schultz, 2018;Ratts & Greenleaf, 2018;Young & Dollarhide, 2018). Hence, although instrumental to school counselors' roles, use of family/community partnerships or social/cultural issues within classroom management by school counselors in the current sample remains unknown.…”