Importance of Principal-School Counselor Relationship

Format

Individual Presentation

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Jefferson County Middle School

First Presenter’s Email Address

popem@jefferson.k12.ga.us

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Moya A. Pope serves as the principal of Jefferson County Middle School and has also served as a seventh grade math teacher, School Counselor, and Assistant Principal. Community development has always been her service area and education has definitely been her most enjoyable time spent giving back and being in service to others. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration in 1995 from the University of South Carolina-Aiken and her Masters of Business Education in 2005 from Nova Southeastern University. After working in city and county government, nonprofit organizations and consulting for ten years, she decided to become an educator. She became a seventh grade math teacher in 2005 and completed her Educational Specialists in Teaching and Learning from Georgia Southern in 2009. After seven years as a math teacher, the opportunity opened for her to become the school counselor at Louisville Middle School. She completed her Masters in Education in School Counseling in 2014 and received her NCC certification in June 2015. She served as a School Counselor for 8 years and an Assistant Principal for 2. This is her 18th year in Education. She is passionate about students and their holistic well-being - academically, behaviorally and socially - knowing that all are important for their overall student achievement.

Second Presenter's Institution

Swainsboro Middle School

Second Presenter’s Email Address

mypace@emanuel.k12.ga.us

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Monica Y. Pace is currently employed by Emanuel County Board of Education as a middle school counselor at Swainsboro Middle School. She has also served as a high school counselor. Working with children has always been a deep passion of hers, which is one of the main reasons that she is grateful to be provided with the opportunity to impact her students on a daily basis. She has worked in the field of Social Services since 2003. She has experience as a Therapeutic Foster Care Provider as well as a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor in the area of Child and Adolescents. In 2010, she began her career as a school counselor. She is hopeful that she and her students will continue to be able to learn from each other. Further, she is looking forward to providing her students with much needed support to make their academic year a great success. She is a proud graduate of Coffee High School Class of 1998. Her college studies began at South Georgia College, where she studied abroad at the University of London, London, England. She received her Associate of Science Degree in General Studies in 2001, and furthered her education at Georgia Southern University by obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 2003; a Master's of Education Degree in Counseling and Psychology was completed in 2005 from Troy University and an Education Specialist Degree in Community Counseling from Georgia Southern University in 2009.

Location

Scarbrough 2

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Relevance

The Counselor-Principal relationship is important because it is necessary for student achievement. I have been a school counselor and understand the importance of maintaining a good relationship with my administrator. This relates to the Head and Heart Strand because the School Counselor plays an integral role in cultivating a positive school culture and meeting the goals of student achievement and overall well being. The School Counselor is an important leader in the building and needs to be treated and trained as such. From classroom guidance, supporting teachers, advising and calming parents and many areas in between, school counselors help bridge the gap between administration and other stakeholders. The school counselor - principal relationship is important because it helps strengthen effective school leadership for Title I schools, help student achievement, improve social and emotional skills, build emotional intelligence and communication skills of all stakeholders and encourage student empowerment and leadership skills.

Brief Program Description

Principals and School Counselors - y'all alright?!? What's your relationship like: Good? Bad? Ugly? The relationship between the school counselor and principal can affect the school as a whole - and when they have a strong relationship, the school community is stronger. This presentation will give you tips on how to strengthen your relationship, become better leaders and positively affect student achievement and school climate.

Summary

My name is Moya A. Pope, Principal and this is Monica Pace, School Counselor. Today we will be sharing insights on the importance of the School Counselor – Principal Relationship. As a former school counselor, this position is close to my heart. I moved into administration only with the promise that we find a good school counselor to assist the needs of the students, which were especially crucial during and after Covid. Today we will talk about What Counselors have to say, What Principals have to Say, the Characteristics of an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship, ways to strengthen the principal-counselor relationship, how the School Counselor is a Leader in their school and have some discussion.

Two slides talking about how counselors and principals feel about each other – have some discussion about the comments.

Characteristics of an Effective Relationship – discuss the information on the slide and give scenarios about how this works effectively and ineffectively.

How Can You Strengthen the Relationship –

  • Clearly define roles, responsibilities and expectations
  • Build mutual trust
  • Establish regular communication cycles

Counselor as Leader – discuss topics and how this helps build community

  • Recognize and showcase diversity
  • Develop community partnerships
  • Help during difficult situations
  • Maintain strong home-school connections
  • Maximize educational success
  • Lead Staff trainings
  • Protect and Advocate for Disadvantaged Students
  • Bring Data to life
  • Mediate difficult situations between parents, students and staff
  • Organize and lead crisis response
  • Empower and inspire students

Ms. Pace and I will lead discussion on how ASCA defines school counselor roles, how using data (MTSS/RTI, SIP, etc) can help school counselors and administrators collaborate on programs and meet their goals. If time permits, we will have some interactive activities to encourage discussion

Evidence

There are many articles written and research conducted about the importance of the relationship between the principal and the school counselor and how it affects the culture and climate of the school as a whole. Edwards, et al discuss how an effective relationship is essential for improving student achievement. The College Board (2009) conducted a survey of the relationship between principals and counselors and found that both of them wanted the same things within their schools, they just needed to collaborate and communicate more to align their processes. Establishing and/or strengthening an effective principal-counselor relationship is beneficial to your school in a variety of ways and will only help the staff and students flourish.

Edwards, L., Grace, R., & King, G. (2014). Importance of an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship. Alabama Journal of Educational Leadership, 1, 34–42. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1097546.pdf

http://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.iasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/district-6-april-6-meeting-handouts.pdf

https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/counselor-principal-relationship

https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-ways-strengthen-principal-counselor-relationship/

https://www.weareteachers.com/school-counselors-as-leaders/

Learning Objective 1

Characteristics of an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship

Learning Objective 2

Ways to Strengthen the Principal-Counselor Relationship

Learning Objective 3

Principal-Counselor Collaboration

Keyword Descriptors

Leadership, school counseling, collaboration, communication, social-emotional, emotional intelligence, student empowerment, leadership skills, student achievement, mental health

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-3-2025 10:15 AM

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Mar 3rd, 10:15 AM

Importance of Principal-School Counselor Relationship

Scarbrough 2

Principals and School Counselors - y'all alright?!? What's your relationship like: Good? Bad? Ugly? The relationship between the school counselor and principal can affect the school as a whole - and when they have a strong relationship, the school community is stronger. This presentation will give you tips on how to strengthen your relationship, become better leaders and positively affect student achievement and school climate.