ENHANCING THE RELATIONSHIP · relationships with their principals or school counselor counterparts. Their stories were told in Finding a Way. The stories from the teams were striking:

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7>Toolkit © 2011 The College Board. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy this for educational purposes.

IntroductionTheprincipal-counselorrelationshiptoolkitcomesfromamultiyearresearchprojectundertakenbytheCollegeBoard’sNationalOfficeforSchoolCounselorAdvocacy(NOSCA),theAmericanSchoolCounselorAssociation(ASCA)andtheNationalAssociationofSecondarySchoolPrincipals(NASSP)tolearnwhatprincipalsandschoolcounselorsthinkisimportantintheirrelationships,howtheyviewthecurrentstatusoftheirownrelationshipswithintheirschools,andwhateffectiveprincipal-counselorrelationshipsmightlooklike.

In2008,thousandsofschoolcounselorsandprincipalsweresurveyedabouttheirrelationships.TheresultswerepublishedinA Closer Look at the Principal-Counselor Relationship.Afterthedatawereanalyzed,principalsandschoolcounselorswhohadbeenrecognizedforpersonalorschoolexcellence(i.e.,ASCASchoolCounseloroftheYearandRAMP(RecognizedASCAModelProgram)Awards,NASSPPrincipaloftheYear,CollegeBoardInspirationAwardSchools)wereinterviewedtodeterminewhethertheseaward-winningprofessionalshaddevelopedeffectiveworkingrelationshipswiththeirprincipalsorschoolcounselorcounterparts.TheirstoriesweretoldinFinding a Way.

Thestoriesfromtheteamswerestriking:althoughtheycamefromdiversegeographicalandsocialbackgrounds,thestaffateachoftheseschoolshad“solved”theissuesandchallengesthatwerementionedbytheirpeersinthesurvey,leadingtogreateracademicsuccessfortheirstudents.

Thetoolkithasbeenreviewedbyaverybroadanddiversegroup,includingprincipalsandschoolcounselors,stafffromtheCollegeBoard,ASCAandNASSP,membersoftheCollegeBoard’sonlinecounselorcommunity,theCollegeBoardSchoolsprincipals,severaloftheschoolcounselorsandprincipalswhosestoriesarehighlightedinFinding a Way,andotherinterestedcounselorsandprincipals.

ENHANCING THE RELATIONSHIP

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ENHANCING THE PRINCIPAL-SCHOOL COUNSELOR RELATIONSHIP

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Statement of BeliefTheCollegeBoard,NASSPandASCAbelievethattheprincipal-counselorrelationshipisadynamic and organicrelationshipthatevolvesovertimeinresponsetotheever-changingneedsofaschool.Thegoalofaneffectiveprincipal-counselorrelationshipistousethestrengthoftherelationshipto collaboratively leadschoolreformeffortstoincreaseachievementforallstudents.Thedesired outcomeofaneffectiveprincipal-counselorrelationshipistoraiseachievementlevelsforallstudentsandensureequityineducationaloutcomes.

Toolkit OrganizationThetoolsprovidedinthistoolkitaredesignedtohelpschoolcounselorsandschoolprincipalsanalyzeandenhancekeyareasoftheirworkingrelationshipwiththeoverallgoalofincreasingstudentachievement.

Thetoolkitisorganizedinfoursections:

• Communications

• Trust/Respect

• Leadership

• CollaborativePlanning

Thesetoolsallowprincipals,schoolcounselorsandteamsto:

• Analyzethecurrentstatusofkeyaspectsoftheprincipal-counselorrelationshipforeachindividualandschool;

• Developwaysofmoreeffectivelyandcloselyworkingtogetherasateaminanatmosphereinwhichallteammembersfeelabletoparticipateinopenandhonestcommunication;and

• Improvestudentachievementbyeliminatingbarriersamongstaffmembersthatinhibittheireffectiveness.

Please noteThistoolkitisnotdesignedasaschoolcounselorevaluationtoolandcannoteffectivelybeusedassuch.Itis,rather,ameanstoassess,buildandenhanceapositive,effectiveworkingrelationshipbetweenschoolprincipalsandschoolcounselorstobenefittheirstudents.Inordertodothis,itisvitaltokeepanopenmindandapositive,nonjudgmentalattitudethroughout.Remember,itisnotwhereyoubeginthatcounts,itiswhereyoufinish.Enhancingtheworkingrelationshipwillmakebothprincipals’andschoolcounselors’jobs(andlives)easier,anditwillhelpyourkids.


Thegoalistohelpprincipalsandschoolcounselorsbuildeffectiverelationshipsinwhichcommunicationsareopenandfluid,allprofessionalstrustandrespectoneanother,allprofessionalsserveinleadershiproles,andplanninginvolvesclosecollaboration.Whilethistaskistooinvolvedtobe“fixed”bytheuseofanynumberoftools,thistoolkitcanhelpschoolprofessionalsassess,understandandbuildtheirrelationships.Thetoolkitisdesignedforgroupuse,althoughanumberofthetoolsprovidevaluebythemselves.Similarly,someofthetoolscanbeusedbyindividualpractitionerstoassesstheirrole,buttheseself-assessmentsaremoreusefulwhencombinedwiththegroupexercisesthatfollow.Foranumberofthesegroupexercises,werecommendthatdiscussionstakeplaceafterindividualscompletetheirself-assessmenttoolsandworksheets.

Werecommendthatasaprerequisitetousingthetoolkit,teammembersreadA Closer Look at the Principal-Counselor RelationshipandFinding a Way: Practical Examples of How an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship Can Lead to Success for All Students.Thesecanbedownloadedathttp://advocacy.collegeboard.org/college-preparation-access/national-office-school-counselor-advocacy-nosca.Inaddition,pleasehavedisaggregatedstudentachievementdataavailable.

Using the ToolkitThesetoolsareflexibleandaredesignedtobeeffectivewhethertheyareusedasagrouporasindividualexercises.Theycanbeusedbyindividualsfortheirownprofessionaldevelopment,asgroupexercisesonasingletopic,asrefreshers,forplanningpurposesoranynumberofotherways.Sometoolsareusefulevenifdesignedforsomeoneinanotherrole.Forexample,the“leadershipstyles”toolforprincipalscontainsinformationthatcouldbebeneficialtoacounselor,especiallytoaheadcounselorordistrictleader.Duringthereviewprocess,numerousschoolcounselorsandprincipalsnotedthatmanyofthetoolswouldbeequallyeffectiveforotherschoolanddistrictpersonnel,fromteacherstosuperintendents.Someofthetools,suchasthevisionandmissiontools,maybeequallyorevenmoreeffectivewhenusedwiththelargerschoolcommunity.

Thewayateam(orindividual)usesthesetoolswilldependprimarilyontwofactors:thecurrentenvironmentattheschoolandtheamountoftimeavailable.Forexample,oneschoolteammayhaveeffectivecommunicationsskillsbutmaybeseekingwaystoincreasetheirleadershipskillsorjointplanning,whileothersmightrecognizeaneedtobuildmoreeffectivecommunicationsstrategiestoimprovestudentoutcomes.Itmaybehelpfultoviewthetoolkitasaprocessratherthanasanevent.

Inschoolswheremorethanoneschoolcounselorisparticipatinginactivitiesthatmaybelistedasanactivitybetweenonecounselorandoneprincipal,pleasemodifyhowyouusethetool/exercise.Inmostcases,itisappropriateforeachofthecounselorstofilloutthepaperfortheexercise.Wesuggest,however,thattheschoolcounselorsanalyzeanddiscusstheircollectedviews,assessmentsandissueswithoneanotherbeforemeetingwiththeprincipal


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abouttheirindividualconcerns.Thiswaythecounselingteamwillhavetheopportunitytoestablish,amongthemselves,“whatismostimportant”andtoalleviateconfusionand/ortoomanyissuestoworkonimmediately.

Thetoolkitisverycomprehensiveandrequiresmorethanonesessiontocompleteinitsentirety.Inanycase,noteveryteamwillneedorwanttouseeverytool.Forexample,manyschoolswillhavealreadygonethroughavision/missionprocessanddonotneedtorepeatit.Thetoolkitcanbedividedintoseveralsections,tobeutilizedduringregularlyscheduledprofessionaldevelopmentdaysduringtheschoolyear.Werecommendallottingapproximatelyonehourfordiscussionforthemajorityofthetools.Sincerelationshipdevelopmentisthegoalofthetoolkit,discussionaboutwhatyoulearnedordiscoveredwhencompletinganexerciseisoftenmoreusefulthantheactualtools.Thetoolkitis,however,flexibleandprincipalsandschoolcounselorscanchoosewhichsectionsorexercisestofocuson,dependingontheneedsattheirownschoolsandthetimeavailablefortheseactivities.

Choosing a Starting PointWhichtoolsyouusewilldependuponanumberoffactors,includingtheamountoftimeavailable,yourgoals,andthecurrentrelationshipstatusinyourschool.Ifyouarenotsurewheretobegin,usethedatatoolsinthissectiontodeterminetheareasthatmostneedattentioninyourschool,andthenusethe“TakingOneStepForward”assessmenttodeterminetheeffectivenessofyourcurrentteam.Thenusethetoolsintheappropriatesectiontobeginbuildingastrongerworkingpartnership.

Using a facilitatorWheneverpossible,werecommendusingafacilitatorormoderator,evenifoneischosenfromthestaff.Thereisvalueinhavingsomeonethinkthroughtheactivitiesbeforetheyareused,andamoderatorcankeepdiscussionsmovingforward.It’salsoagreatwaytofosterleadershipskillsandconfidenceamongstaffmembers.(Pleasenotethatinanyschooltherearelargenumbersofhighlytrainedandexperiencedfacilitators,alsoknownas“teachers.”)*Inschoolswithlesswell-developedrelationships,anoutside,neutralfacilitatorcanhelpgreatly.Wedonotrecommendhavingtheprincipalleaddiscussions;thattendstoinhibitconversationandpromotesthestandard“top-down”managementstyle.Aboveall,teamsshouldworkinanopenmannerinwhicheveryonefeelscomfortable.

Types of Tools:• Self-Assessments.Self-assessmentshelpyougetstartedbydeterminingastarting

placeforacategory.Forexample,ask:Areyourcommunicationshelping?Dotheyneedwork?Aretheprincipalandcounselorsonthesamepage?Theseself-assessmentscanbecompletedpriortoanygroupactivity.

*Pleasenotethatmanyoftheexercisesandtoolsaretransferableandcanbeusedbyotherstaffmembers.Insomecases,suchasthemissionandvisiontools,weencourageasbroadarepresentationofstaffaspossible.


• Checklists.Resourcestohelpimproveaspecificskill.

• Exercises.Designedtofacilitategrowthamongindividualsandteams.

• Case Studies.Inadditiontoprovidingcasestudiesbasedonrealsituations,thereareactivitiestohelpteamscreatetheirowncasestudiesanddevelopsolutions.

• Other resources.Theschoolcounselorstrategicplanningtoolandschoolcounselormanagementagreementtemplatecanhelptranslateyourgoalsintopractice.

Getting StartedWhenprincipalsandschoolcounselorsworktogethereffectively,theyareabletosolvemanyoftheissuesthatmattermostintheirschools.Thedatabelowshowtheissuesthatprincipalsandschoolcounselorsbelievedtobemostimportant;theyarerankedintermsofwhichgapsareingreatestneedofbeingaddressedintheirownschool.EachoftheteamsprofiledinFinding a Wayfaced—andsolved—similarchallenges.Thistoolkitisdesignedtohelpschoolcounselorsandprincipalsunderstandthegreatestneedsintheirschoolandthentodevelopabetterworkingpartnershiptomeettheseneedssothatalltheirstudentsarepreparedforafullrangeofpostsecondarycollegeorcareeroptions.Thefollowingchartshowsareasthatprincipalsandcounselorsbelieveareimportant.

Drop-out rates - Counselors

Drop-out rates - Principals

State test scores - Counselors

State test scores - Principals

Graduation rates - Counselors

Graduation rates - Principals

College entrance exams - Counselors

College entrance exams - Principals

Honors, AP and/or IB participation - Counselors

Honors, AP and/or IB participation - Principals

College-going rates - Counselors

College-going rates - Principals

Please rank these areas where there may be gaps between student subgroups in terms ofwhich gaps are in greatest need of being addressed in your school.

Drop-out rates and state test scores are the areas with the greatest gapsbetween student subgroups.

Q10, n=2,0862-2,100

Ranked 2ndRanked 1st

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25%

14%

31%

43%

11%

8%

13%

11%

14%

17%

7%

6%

21%

21%

15%

16%

23%

18%

18%

15%

13%

14%

12%

17%


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Exercise 1.1: The Current Situation: Student OutcomesTakealookatyourowndata,comparingwhereyouarenowtowhereyouwanttobe.Usethischarttodeterminethemostcriticalissues.(Ifpossible,havesomeonefillinthecurrentdatapriortothediscussion.Ifyouhavegoalsforeachdatapoint,addthoseaswell.Takeone-halfhourtodiscusswhatyourdataistellingyouandwhatyouneedtodotomovetowardyourtarget.Usetheblankspacestoaddadditionaldatapointsthatareimportantinyourschool(i.e.,attendance,disciplinaryactions,promotionrates,creditrecovery,etc.).

Data Point Current target

Drop-out rate

Graduation rate

State test score: Meets Expectations – English

State test score: Meets Expectations – Math

State test score: Exceeds Expectations – English

State test score: Exceeds Expectations – Math

College Entrance Exam participation (ACT & SAT®)

College Entrance Exam Average score (ACT)

College Entrance Exam Average score (SAT)

AP®/IB Participation

College-going rate (2-year)



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ear)


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Questions for Discussion:1. Arethesedatareadilyavailable?Areyouabletodisaggregatethem?

2. Whatdoesthedatashow?Arethereobviousgapsineitherparticipationorachievementforparticularethnicgroups?Genders?

3. Whatstepsareyoutakingtoaddresstheseissues?

4. Whoisinchargeofmonitoringthedata?

5. Whoisresponsibleforhelpingthesestudentsplan,prepareandmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirpostsecondaryoptions?Whoisinchargeofensuringthattheircourseselections,extracurricularactivities,etc.,willmeetrequirementsforthoseoptions?


Exercise 1.3: The Most Pressing Issues at Our SchoolGoal:Develop,clarifyorformalizetheschoolcounselor’sroleinenhancingthesestudentoutcomes.

Time:15minutestofilloutandtabulatethechart;1–2hoursfordiscussion.

Instructions:Afterreviewinganddiscussingthetwodataworksheetsabove(Exercises1and2),havetheprincipal(s)andschoolcounselorseachcompletethefollowingchart,rankingeachissueonascaleof1–12,withonebeingthemostcriticalissueand12theleastimportant.Tabulateandaveragetheresultsfromallparticipantstogetaconsensusonthemostcriticalachievement*issuesatyourschool.Todothis,youshouldtakeintoaccountyourschool,districtandstatepriorities.

IssueCounselor

RatingPrincipal

Rating overall Rating

Drop-out rate

Graduation rate

State test score: Meets Expectations – English

State test score: Meets Expectations – Math

State test score: Exceeds Expectations – English

State test score: Exceeds Expectations – Math

College Entrance Exam participation (ACT & SAT)

College Entrance Exam Average score (ACT)

College Entrance Exam Average score (SAT)

AP/IB Participation



*Pleasenotethatthisexerciseisdesignedtofocusonstudentachievement.Whileotherissuessuchastruancyorviolencemaybecriticalforaschool,theyarebeyondthescopeofthistoolkit.


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DiscussionOnceyouhaveidentifiedthemostpressingissues,haveaconversationabouthowyoucancollaboratetosolvethem.Thenextexercisecantellyouagreatdealaboutthecurrentstateofthatrelationship,andthetoolsinthefollowingsectionscanhelptostrengthenthecollaborationattheschool.Somequestionsfordiscussionmightinclude:

1. Dotheissuesidentifiedbyyourschool’sdataprovideanysurprises?Why?

2. Howwouldyouprioritizethesecriticalissues?

3. Howcloselydothesealignwithyourdistrictandstateprioritiesandgoals?

4. Doyouhavetheresources,skillsandcapacitytoprioritizeandaddresstheseissues?

5. Whataretheschoolcounselor’sresponsibilitiesinaddressingthemostcriticalissues?Aretheseresponsibilitiesclearlydefinedandunderstoodbyallparties?Shouldtheseresponsibilitieschange?

6. Inwhatwaysdotheprincipal(s)andcounselor(s)needtoworktogetherinordertoaccomplishyourstudentoutcome/achievementgoals?

Nowthatyouhaveexaminedthecriticalissuesinyourschool,thenextstepistotakeacloserlookatwhereyoucanstrengthenyourcurrentrelationshiptoassistyouinreachingthegoalsinyourschool.Todothis,usetheself-assessmenttoolthatfollows.


Exercise 1.4: Advance Practice: Taking One Step Forward: A Self-Assessment ToolGoal:Gainaclearsenseofeachteammember’sviewofthecurrentrelationshipandtheimportanceofeachoftheseareas,andidentifygapsandareasthatrequireattention.

Time:1hourtocompleteandtabulatetheform;1–3hoursfordiscussion.(Note:Duetothesensitivenatureoftheinformation,itmightbehelpfulinsomecasestohaveprincipalsandcounselorscompletetheworksheetseparatelyandthenhaveathirdpartytabulatetheresults.)

Thisexercisecanhelpteamsbecomeself-reflectivepractitioners.Itcanhelpassessthedegreetowhichtheareasinneedofworkimpacttheteam’sabilitytoaddressissuesofschoolreform,solveproblems,engageinstrategicplanning,introducenewinitiatives,handleresistancetochange,andhandlecrisesandotherissueswithcriticalimpactonstudentachievement.

Completethisformbyhavingtheprincipalandcounselor(s)rateeachcharacteristiconthelevelofimportancefrom1to5,with1being“notimportant”and5being“veryimportant.”Next,dothesamefortheextenttowhichthecharacteristicispresentinyourrelationship,with1being“notpresent”and5being“extremelypresent.”Afterratingeachcharacteristic,notethedifferencebetweenthelevelofimportanceandthelevelofpresenceinthe“Gap”column.

PRInCIPalten Characteristics of an effective Principal-Counselor Relationship

CoUnseloR

Importance Presence Gap Importance Presence Gap

1. Open communication that provides multiple opportunities for input to decision making

2. Opportunities to share ideas on teaching, learning and schoolwide educational initiatives

3. Sharing information about needs within the school and community

4. School counselor participation on school leadership teams

5. Joint responsibility in the development of goals and metrics that indicate success

6. Mutual trust between the principal and school counselors

7. A shared vision on what is meant by student success

8. Mutual respect between the principal and school counselors

9. Shared decision making on initiatives that impact student success

10. A collective commitment to equity and opportunity

Nowthatyouhavecompletedthisassessment,examinewherethegreatestgapsappear.Eachitemaboveisrepresentedinoneofthefoursectionsofthetoolkit:Communications,Trust


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andRespect,CollaborativePlanning,andLeadership.Becauseyouarebusyandtimeisatapremium,thekeybelowcanhelpdetermineastartingpointforusingthetoolkit.Onceyouworkthroughtheareaswithyourgreatestgapsyoucanreexaminetheassessmenttodeterminethenextareaofwork.Eachsectionwillhelpyoustrengthenyourworkingrelationshiptobetterachievethegoalsforeachofthecriticalissuesyouhaveidentifiedusingyourschool’sdata.Thelastsectionofthetoolkitcontainsadvancedpracticeandsolutionfindingthatallprincipalsandcounselorswillfindhelpfulastheytestthecollaborativestrengthoftheirrelationship.

Areas for FocusHigh“gap”scoresonthevariousitemsabovecorrespondtothetoolkitsectionsbelow:

Communication:Items1&3

Trust and Respect:Items6&8

Leadership:Items4,5&9

Collaborative Planning:Items2,7&10

Advanced Practice:Items1–10

Documents

ENHANCING THE RELATIONSHIP · relationships with their principals or school counselor counterparts. Their stories were told in Finding a Way. The stories from the teams were striking: