Format
Individual Presentation
Location
Scarbrough 1
Strand #1
Academic Achievement & School Leadership
Relevance
The strand of Academic Achievement and School Leadership is addressed in this proposal through a presentation that will share a unique university/school district partnership model in which school counseling students annually mentor low-income students in academic and college going and support them throughout the year in a weekly 1 ½ hour mentoring session and reinforce the college going mentoring with classroom guidance lessons, college tours/fairs, individual career planning, scholarship searches, essay writing, college applications, FAFSA completion and college signing days called Instant Decision Days, which last year approximately 12 colleges/universities admitted 184 students instantly to their institutions and gave out $504,931.00 in scholarships awards.
Brief Program Description
A 16 year partnership of a large urban school district and a graduate school counseling preparation program presents how this partnership resulted in higher grade point averages and increased college going rates of first generation, low-income students and, impacted graduate students to emphasize college/career readiness as practicing school counselors.Targeted audience: universities, district level administrators, counselor educators, school counselors.
Summary
This model will detail a unique university/school district partnership model in which an average of 20 graduate school counseling students annually mentor students in urban, high needs schools, and support them throughout the year in a weekly 1 ½ hour mentoring session and reinforce the college going mentoring with classroom guidance lessons, college tours/fairs, individual career planning, scholarship searches, essay writing, college applications, FAFSA completion, and college signing days called Instant Decision Days. Details for how the university school counseling preparation program combines practicum and internship hours for school counseling candidates to complete the 80+ hours of after school mentoring will be discussed.The steps and tools for how to do an Instant Decision day will be shared and results for how this model had approximately 12 colleges/universities admitted this past year 184 students instantly to their institutions and gave out $504,931.00 in scholarships awards. Overall, this presentation will discuss how this model can be replicated, extended, and/or adapted to their institution, including the basics of the curriculum that has been delivered over the last 15 years in academic and college/career readiness programs. The development and maintaining the model has not been without pitfalls and challenges with logistics. Lessons learned and necessary changes to the evolvement of the model will be discussed and concrete specifics of how the sequential steps to implementing the model for maximum efficiency even with minimum resources will be presented. Become inspired to reach out to the school counseling preparation programs in your areas to replicate and adapt this proven model.
Evidence
This proven model has existed for 16 years and over this time period has prepared over 250 school counseling graduate students emphasizing academic advising and college career readiness by completing their practicum and one of two internships (a total of 400 clock hours) in high needs middle and high schools (98% African American and over 75% free/reduced lunch). The model recognizes how a partnership that provides mentoring services to middle/high school students to support successful academic achievement, and career and college readiness benefits the future of society, as well as the future work of the school counseling students. The mentors (graduate students) recognize the pitfall of summer melt (student accepted into college, intends to enroll, does not go) and continue throughout the summer to support their mentees to transition from home to college. One of a number of data results we intend to present is GPA. Last year’s mentees averaged 2.66 as compared to 2.42 for those not receiving mentoring. This year’s average GPA for mentees hit over 3.0 for first semester of this senior year. The university preparation program benefits greatly by better preparing school counseling candidates who hone their skills in urban, low income schools, learning to love, appreciate, respect urban students and schools. The school district principals in urban settings with few exceptions insist on hiring only these school counseling graduates as they appreciate that their training supports them to and helps the candidate transition easily into urban schools with skills to create college going cultures. Therefore, the 250 school counseling candidates prepared in this model are impacting the entire district.
Biographical Sketch
Presenter 1 and Presenter 2 have both had a career focused on equity, access, academic and postsecondary success for every k-12 student. Specifically both have emphasized social justice, especially developing strategies needed to eliminate the achievement gap between minority and low-income students and their more advantaged peers. Both have served as the program director of the school counseling preparation program and worked closely with the local school district where this model partnership has developed over the past 16 years.
Presenter 1 has facilitated groups in schools, supervised school counseling candidates, directed collaborative projects, and consulted with practicing school counselors. She has conducted over 100 presentations, authored on school counseling supervision, service learning and urban students, group work, and school counseling programs, and trained school counselors across New England and the Southern states in on using data to develop comprehensive school counseling programs. She is past leader in national and state counselor associations.
Presenter 2 has national prominence in school counseling, having presented and trained school counselors across the country and internationally. She is a national trainer, keynoter, and author of school counseling journals and books, and instrumental in transforming the school counseling profession.
Keyword Descriptors
Partnership, Urban schools, school counseling preparation, first generation college student
Presentation Year
2015
Start Date
3-4-2015 9:45 AM
End Date
3-4-2015 11:00 AM
Recommended Citation
Schumacher, Rebecca A. and Stone, Carolyn, "Partner for Proven Results: A Model Partnership Impacting Academic Achievement and Post-Secondary Going" (2015). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 168.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2015/2015/168
Included in
Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons
Partner for Proven Results: A Model Partnership Impacting Academic Achievement and Post-Secondary Going
Scarbrough 1
A 16 year partnership of a large urban school district and a graduate school counseling preparation program presents how this partnership resulted in higher grade point averages and increased college going rates of first generation, low-income students and, impacted graduate students to emphasize college/career readiness as practicing school counselors.Targeted audience: universities, district level administrators, counselor educators, school counselors.
