School counseling programs use data to understand student needs, provide school counseling classroom, group and closing the-gap interventions and remove systemic barriers to ensure all students as early as preschool and kindergarten have opportunity to develop academic goals at all grade levels reflecting their abilities and academic interests and can access appropriate rigorous, relevant coursework and experiences (ASCA, 2019).

The School Counselor’s Role School counselors support students’ academic success by:

• Leading development of a safe and caring school culture

• Delivering a school counseling program based on data identifying student needs

• Delivering information to students and teachers within the school counseling curriculum on best practices in mindsets and behaviors (i.e., learning strategies, self-management skills, social skills) and metacognition skills (McGuire, 2015) critical in academic success

• Providing relevance to academic effort and educational pursuits by assisting in students’ career planning and future career-related goals

• Working with administration, teachers and other school staff to create a school environment encouraging academic success and striving to one’s potential (Stone & Clark, 2001)

• Working to remove barriers to access and provide students with the opportunity for academic challenge in the most rigorous coursework possible

• Establishing data analysis methods to identify and target systemic barriers deterring equitable access

• Emphasizing family-community-school relationships in addressing academic needs (Brown, 1999)

School counselors working in educational environment play a critical role in ensuring students have the academic development (in addition to the social/emotional and career development) knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be successful. School counselors can assist schools in providing an environment conducive to and supportive of academic success.

Reference

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.