Advocacy in action: Elevating the school counselor’s voice with community members and policymakers

Session Description

We know that school counselors are essential to student success performance and achievement, yet their roles are often misunderstood or undervalued by community members and decision-makers. This interactive workshop equips counselors with the tools and confidence to effectively advocate for their profession—whether with school colleagues and leaders, district administrators, school committee members, or state policymakers. Join us to learn how to begin advocating (or to better advocate) for your school counseling program. The time is now to speak up and speak out to ensure our students get the services and resources they need, especially before the next year budget process starts.  Participants will leave this session with a list of specific, achievable action items to promote and advance your school counseling program.

Through practical strategies and easy-to-use tools, attendees will explore how to:

• Collect and present meaningful data aligned with student achievement, attendance, and social-emotional development
• Build partnerships with administrators, families, and community members
• Align counseling programs with school improvement goals
• Tell a compelling story that connects their work to measurable outcomes

Presenters: 

• Amanda Fitzgerald, Assistant Deputy Director, ASCA
• Sharon Veatch, former CT School Counselor Association and New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) GRAC Chair
• Juliette Coatsworth, MASCA GRAC Co-chair

To attend, you must pre-register here.

Questions - Contact Bob Bardwell, Executive Director