How Can School Counselors Promote Social Emotional Personal Services To School Personnel

The Upstanding Imperative for School Advisor Educators

Research studies conducted decades ago have provided empirical data that discussed the lack of school counselor education programs properly preparing school counselor trainees to serve students with disabilities (Milsom, 2002; Milsom and Akos, 2003; Studer and Quigney, 2004). More recent studies continue to back up the need for school counselor education preparation programs to include special educational activity in school counseling program curriculum (Oberman and Graham, 2010; Hall, 2015; Goodman-Scott et al., 2019). Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) conducted research, using a instance study to examine how school counselor trainees experienced course content and curriculum activities related to students with disabilities. A total of xx schoolhouse counselor trainees participated in the study. Participants noted that their exposure to the disability-specific course content and activities was a positive experience, assuasive them to have a better understanding of and conviction in providing services to students with disabilities.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2016) states in the Preamble that:

"School counselors are advocates, leaders, collaborators and consultants who create systemic change by providing equitable educational access and success by connecting their school counseling programs to the district's mission and improvement plans. School counselors demonstrate their conventionalities that all students have the ability to learn by advocating for an education system that provides optimal learning environments for all students." (p. 1).

Since all students include students with disabilities, it is imperative that schoolhouse counselor education programs set up school advisor trainees to be knowledgeable about special education police and practices. Most public school systems crave graduate coursework which includes topics on human growth and evolution, theories, individual counseling, group counseling, social and cultural foundations, testing/appraisal, research and plan evaluation, professional orientation, career development, and supervised practicum and internship (American Schoolhouse Counselor Association, 2020). A curriculum review of major graduate training programs, accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) indicate that related counselor didactics programs (to include school counseling) require the following eight core areas for all entry-level graduates: professional counseling orientation and ethical practice; social and cultural diversity; human growth and development; career development; counseling and helping relationships; group counseling and group work; assessment and testing; and research and program evaluation (Quango for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2020). Special teaching is not included as a core area of study in graduate-level preparation programs. In their 2003 study, Studer and Quigley Studer and Quigney (2003) noted the growing interest of school counselors serving on multidisciplinary teams, where disability identification and implementation of services are determined. Every bit previously stated, school advisor grooming programs do not adequately set schoolhouse counselor trainees for the part and responsibilities necessary to appropriately see the needs of students with disabilities (Vanderbilt University IRIS Middle Peabody College, 2020). Goodman-Scott et al. (2019) noted that the empirical research on school counselor preparation, every bit related to serving students with disabilities, was conducted within a x–fifteen year period. All the same, these studies consistently highlight findings that indicate school counselors reporting feelings of being unprepared to serve students with disabilities (Milsom, 2002; Nichter and Edmondson, 2005; Kolodinsky et al., 2009; Romano et al., 2009). School advisor reports of feeling unprepared by their preservice, graduate-level preparation program was reinforced in interviews that were conducted with programs direct. McEachern (2003) conducted a national study of preservice school counseling training programs in 43 states with 146 graduate programs. It was noted that only 35% of the programs had a class specifically related to students with disabilities that was required for graduates. Less than a third of them required graduates to complete disability-related clinical experiences. Although this does non provide a more electric current perspective of school advisor preparation programs, as information technology relates to serving students with disabilities, it does suggest that more needs to be done to ensure that school counselors feel prepared to appropriately encounter the needs of their students with disabilities.

Hall (2015), in her article, The School Advisor and Special Instruction: Aligning Preparation With Do, she suggested "implementing a more than consistent schoolhouse counselor instruction program across institutions, that would include coursework and experiences in special pedagogy that are in alignment with the standards of ASCA, legal obligations, and daily advisor roles" (pg. 217). School counselor educators take an ethical imperative to include curriculum and activities that will assistance schoolhouse counselors feel more prepared to deliver services, which afford students with disabilities to achieve their full potential in the least restrictive environs. American School Counselor Association (2016a) position statement on the school counselor and student with disabilities serves every bit an important guide on what school advisor educators might include in their instruction, equally information technology relates to the inclusion of special education in their school counseling curriculum.

The School Counselor and Special Education

The school counselor's role is to support the academic, career and social-emotional development of all students through effective implementation of comprehensive school counseling services. They are considered vital to the educational team, and from the period of the inception of the American Schoolhouse Advisor Association (ASCA) to present 24-hour interval, advancement efforts have focused on school counselors "being at the tabular array" to ensure that all students' needs are met (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007; Geltner and Leibforth, 2008; Feldwisch and Whitson, 2018; Ratts and Greenleaf, 2018; Quintana and Alvarez, 2019). There is an upstanding commitment for school counselors to leverage their roles to advance access, disinterestedness and systemic change, as defined in the American School Counselor Association (2016b):

"School counselors are advocates, leaders, collaborators, and consultants who create systemic change past providing equitable educational access and success past connecting their schoolhouse counseling programs to the commune's mission and comeback plans. School counselors demonstrate their belief that all students take the ability to learn by advocating for an education system that provides optimal learning environments for all students" (American Schoolhouse Counselor Association, 2016a, "ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors [Preamble]," para. 2).

School counselor educators have an upstanding responsibility to ensure that schoolhouse counseling trainees are prepared for the role of school counselor. School counselor educators must provide evidence-based pedagogical approaches that will provide students with the knowledge about current school counseling practices and the ethical and legal obligations of a school counseling practitioner. These pedagogical approaches must likewise fix school counseling trainees to work with diverse educatee populations in schools. This multifariousness is not express to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, or sexual orientation, but also encompasses language, exceptionalities, and geographical surface area. Pedagogical preparation is even more than important when working with students of color with disabilities, with a focus on multicultural counseling and social justice (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007). If these pedagogical approaches are engaged, school advisor trainees will be meliorate prepared to "serve as social justice advocates to eliminate the achievement gap and to focus their efforts on ensuring success for every underserved and underrepresented student" (Dahir and Rock, 2009, p. 12, p. 12).

School counselor educators can fix school advisor trainees to influence the support and services for students of colour with disabilities by beingness more intentional in providing graduate-level form work that introduces trainees to working with students with disabilities. ASCA, in their position statement The School Counselor and School Counseling Grooming Programs (American Counseling Association, 2014), notes that school counseling training programs should "emphasize training in the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program promoting leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change to enhance pupil accomplishment and success" (American Counseling Clan, 2014, para 1). The ASCA Model framework themes of leadership, collaboration, advocacy and systemic modify, provide a pedagogical framework in preparing school counselor trainees to engage in social justice practices that volition encourage, support, and ensure that students of color with disabilities are included and have access to general education settings. In guild for schoolhouse counseling trainees to support inclusion and admission of general pedagogy for students possessing disabilities, school counseling trainees are knowledgeable of the laws that protect students with disabilities, and the role of the school counselor in working with them (U.S. Department of Pedagogy, 2020).

Laws that Protect Students With Disabilities and Define the School Counselor Role

School counselors must be well informed of the laws protecting students with disabilities and their role equally defined by those laws. There are three main U.S. federal laws that accost the rights of students with disabilities in U.S. public schools: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Thought); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Deed; and Title Two of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although these laws were passed at different times (Section 504, 1973; IDEA, 1975; ADA, 1990), they provide comprehensive protections from discrimination and provide admission to K-12 educational and related services.

School counselors do not limit their practice in the profession to the borders of the United States. There is a growing interest among school counselor trainees in working in international schools (Uellendahl et al., 2008; International School Counseling Association, 2017). Graybill (2020), a school psychologist working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow in his weblog, What Parents of Special Needs Children Need to Know About International Schools, states that:

As individual foreign institutions, international schools are not required to comply with special education laws such every bit the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA). However, in recent years, international schools have adopted special education programming to serve children with disabilities. The provision of special education services in nearly international schools does not follow IDEA to the letter of the law but does model its special education services based on American federal guidelines. For example, many international schools provide typical special teaching services through the adoption of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) (The PIE Blog; Manufacture Insight from Professionals in International Education).

The challenge becomes finding a schoolhouse that can meet the needs of their child (ren) with special needs (Hayes and Bulat, 2017). The parallel challenge is the preparedness of the school counselor to run across the needs of this student population. Inman et al. (2009), in their report of the disquisitional issues and challenges facing school counselors, working in international schools noted that "applying typical US-based counseling approaches may prove inadequate due to the multiplicity and complexity of international student needs" (p. 81). This supports the importance of including The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in a grooming program, calculation to the school advisor trainees' understanding, the bear upon of international laws on the provision of school counseling services to students with disabilities. These important laws (U.Due south.-based and international) are discussed below.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a "federal police designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal fiscal assistance from the U.South. Section of Education (ED)" (U.S. Section of Educational activity, 2020; United States Department of Justice of Civil Rights Sectionalization, 2020, para. three). Nether Department 504, students with disabilities take access to accommodations that will help them to experience academic success in the full general education classroom. Additionally, Section 504 regulations require that the accommodations that are afforded to non-disabled students be made available to students with disabilities, which would include counseling services (U.Southward. Department of Didactics, 2018a, Office of Ceremonious Rights, para. 4). In many school districts, school counselors are not only a team member but also manage the 504 cases on their counseling load.

Individuals With Disabilities Teaching Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Thought) provides more than protections for students with disabilities. Thought "is a constabulary that makes available a costless appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children" (U.S. Department of Pedagogy, 2018b; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (1990), P.L. 101–476). IDEA not only mandates a free, appropriate public didactics (FAPE), just as well provides the condition in which this free, advisable teaching takes place-in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for students with disabilities.

There is a specific provision for counseling services addressed by Idea. Under Section 300.34, counseling is listed equally one of the many possible related services that can be provided to students with disabilities. Specifically, information technology states, "Counseling services means services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or other qualified personnel" (U.S. Section of Education, 2016, Section c.2). Congress reauthorized the Idea in 2004 and almost recently amended the Thought through Public Law 114–95, The Every Educatee Succeeds Deed, in December 2015. Noteworthy is that under this legislation the consequence of disproportionality in the overrepresentation of students of colour in special educational activity is non only addressed, but the legislation also ensures that students of color receive the supports they demand to succeed. Finally, the legislation also requires that state and local teaching agencies' policies, practices and procedures are in compliance with The Uncomplicated and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 (US Department of Education, ESEA Section 1111(grand) (1) (B), 2018) (GovTrack.us, 2020).

American Disabilities Deed

The Americans with Disabilities Deed (ADA), viewed as the "equal opportunity law" for people with disabilities, was passed on July 26, 1990 and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. ADA addresses the gaps in protections for persons with disabilities which were found with Section 504. Both pieces of these legislative statues ensure that whatsoever public or private situation a disabled person might encounter is addressed (United States Department of Justice of Ceremonious Rights Division, 2020). The ADA, one of America's nearly comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation, prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have equal opportunities, every bit any other American, to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase appurtenances and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted on Dec 13, 2006, signed March 30, 2007, and came into forcefulness May 3, 2008. The CRPD is the results of decades of piece of work by the Un United nations (2008) to change the attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. Specifically, it is noted that:

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human being rights and central freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violate, and where protection of rights must be reinforced (United nations, Section of Economic and Social Affairs, Disability, CRPD Homepage, para. 3).

Commodity vii (Children with Disabilities) and Article 24 (Pedagogy) of The Convention defines the rights of persons with disabilities and the obligations of states parties to uphold those rights.

School counselor trainees must also understand the issues surrounding special education. This is equally as important every bit understanding the laws that provide the protections for such issues. One of those issues, which is most impactful for students of colour, is disproportionality. The following discussion on this effect provides insight on why this is of import to a schoolhouse counselor trainees preparation.

Understanding the Result of Disproportionality

Why is it important that school counselor trainees empathize the issue of disproportionality? The importance of understanding disproportionality informs trainees' preparation for advocacy and social justice. School counselor trainees need to understand what "significant disproportionality" ways and the demand to "identify racial and ethnic disparities in disability identification, as required under the Individuals with Disabilities Didactics Human activity (IDEA) and its regulations" (Harper and Fergus, 2017). The authors also emphasized the demand of the community to be more diligent in reexamining "How general and special education systems support children of colour, with attention to early intervention, inequities in quality of education, and bias in identification procedures" (Harper and Fergus, 2017).

In an Education Calendar week article (2019), the authors documented an increase in the number of students receiving special instruction services. Although the statistics (Supplementary Table S1) demonstrate this increment taking place in 2017–18, it is worth noting that the number of students identified with disabilities grew from half dozen.5 million (thirteen.4%) to seven million (thirteen.7). When analyzed by race, this statistical increment revealed that 14.1% of White students; 16% of Black students; 13% of Hispanic students; vii.1% Asian students; ten.nine% Pacific Islander students; 17.5% American Indian/Alaska Native students; and xiii.8% of students identified as multi-ethnic were served nether IDEA (Riser-Kositsky, 2019). Although there are studies that suggest minority students may be underidentified for disabilities (Morgan et al., 2015), Riser-Kositsky reported that new research seems to suggest the opposite–that in some contexts, there is overidentification (Lardieri, 2018;Samuels, 2019).

Moreover, in the U.S. Department of Education's 40th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Instruction National Education Association, 2007 Act (2018), noted that 12% of Black children in the United States receive special educational activity services for emotion disturbances, physical disabilities and intellectual impairment. However, fifty-fifty with these statistics, there continues to be discussion on the issue of disproportionality or the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of students of colour in special didactics (Artiles et al., 2002; Van Roekel, 2008; Cooc and Kiru, 2018; Samuels, 2019). Before research noted that students of color were more than likely to be over-identified in the categories of educable mentally retarded (EMR), trainable mentally retarded (TMR) and emotional disturbance (ED) (Artiles et al., 2002). More recent research conducted by Morgan et al. (2015) suggests that this over-identification may not exist the case. These authors concluded that Black children were more probable to be underrepresented in special education than their White peers. Nonetheless, Harper and Fergus (2017) do not agree. They argued that identification of Black children, 6–21 years of historic period, continue to be 40% for special education services.

Schoolhouse advisor trainees need to sympathize the implications of overrepresentation or overidentification of students of colour in special education. Harper and Fergus (2017) noted that many of the students of color in special education exercise not receive acceptable support services to succeed in school. Additionally, they noted that students of color face educational barriers that exclude them from the general education curriculum. Schifter et al. (2019) conducted a study to ameliorate empathize the disproportionality that occurs for low-income students of color. The study involved three unnamed states. Results from this study of these three states documented that students of color from low-income families "were more than likely to be identified for special education than their non-low-income peers" (p. 2) and "were also more probable to be placed in substantially separate classrooms than their not-depression-income peers" (p. 3). These sobering research results provide further evidence of the need for school counselor trainees to be prepared to back up students of color with disabilities through social justice advocacy for systemic alter. This paper proposes how school counseling preparation programs tin set schoolhouse counselor trainees to effectively support students of colour with disabilities using the ASCA Model themes. Side by side, the themes and their human relationship to providing comprehensive schoolhouse counseling services to students generally and special education students specifically will be discussed.

ASCA Model Themes: From Peripheral to Interwoven

The diamond in the third edition of the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, depicts the framework of the model. The themes, leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change, were incorporated into the framework to emphasize the affect of these areas on the work that schoolhouse counselors exercise in providing comprehensive school counseling services that support student achievement and promote equity and admission through systemic change advocacy. In Figure i, the themes are on the exterior of the frame, demonstrating the importance of these skills, in implementing the four interrelated components in the delivery of services inside a comprehensive schoolhouse counseling plan.

FIGURE 1. The ASCA National Model Diagram (3rd Edition). SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from the American Schoolhouse Advisor Association.

In the 4th edition, ASCA determined that the four themes were more peripheral to the Model framework and were required in providing a comprehensive school counseling program, with the goal of helping every student succeed through systemic change outcomes. In discussing the change, ASCA noted that "The four themes of leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change no longer appear effectually the edge of the ASCA National Model diamond only instead are woven throughout the ASCA National Model to show they are integral components of a comprehensive school counseling program" (American School Counselor Association, 2019a, p. 116). This farther underscores the importance of these themes, along with advancement skill development and social justice, existence interwoven into school counselor education curriculum Figure 2.

FIGURE two. The ASCA National Model Diagram (quaternary edition). SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from the American School Counselor Association.

School Advisor Preparation in Leadership, Advancement, Collaboration, Systemic Change and Social Justice

There are school advisor practices that help to frame how school counselor trainees can be prepared to run across the needs of all students. The Quango for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational activity Programs Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2016a) require that schoolhouse counselor education programs prepare schoolhouse counselor trainees for the "schoolhouse counselor roles as leaders, advocates, and systems change agents in P-12 schools" (Quango for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2016b, G.ii. a). These roles are besides identified as practices, which are noted in ASCA'south position statement on school counseling training programs emphasizing "grooming in the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program promoting leadership, advancement, collaboration and systemic modify to enhance student achievement and success" (American Counseling Association, 2014, para one). When you consider the function of the school counselor in coming together the needs of all students, the demand for school counseling trainees to accept noesis and exposure to working with students with disabilities is more only a "proficient thing", but should be an imperative role of school counselor education programs. Interwoven in the implementation of the ASCA National Model are schoolhouse advisor practices that will help prepare school counselor trainees in understanding their role in working with students with disabilities. These practices are leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and social justice. These practices are especially important for school advisor trainees to develop in order for their work with students of colors with disabilities for more inclusion opportunities in general teaching courses. This inclusion includes access to advanced placement courses as well every bit career and technical education courses for college preparation (Reis and Colbert, 2004; National Network, 2018). School advisor trainees must develop and access skills in leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and social justice to guarantee inclusivity, equity and admission for students of color with disabilities. So, how does this happen?

In July 2018, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) adopted Upstanding Standards for School Counselor Didactics Faculty. The standards address the preparedness of school counselor educators in having the knowledge of electric current practices in the school counseling profession, and the legal and upstanding responsibleness of school counselors (American School Counselor Association, 2018). Specifically, in Standard A.two, the ethical standards notes that school counselor educators should "have the knowledge and skills to support social justice and advocacy efforts and to teach graduate students to get culturally competent schoolhouse counselors and leaders" (American School Advisor Association, 2018, section A–Content Knowledge). The following discussion highlights how schoolhouse advisor educators can incorporate the practices of leadership, advancement, collaboration, and systemic change with a social justice focus to ready school counselor trainees in working with students with disabilities.

Leadership: Two Models

Leadership is identified as the essential practice that moves the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. School counselor leaders embody the responsibility of positively impacting student outcomes by providing comprehensive school counseling services that back up academic achievement and promote disinterestedness and admission. Young and Kneale (2013) stated, "Working as a school counselor leader requires moving across transformative school counseling roles to initiating schoolwide or districtwide school counseling systemic strategies and being nowadays at the decision-making tables" (p. 3). In order to assistance school counselor trainees realize this concept, information technology will be important for trainees to empathise 2 models that marshal with the ASCA National Model. These models include the Four-Framework Approach and 21 Responsibilities for School Leaders.

Four-Framework Approach.Bolman and Deal (1997) identified iv leader behaviors that Dollarhide (2003) practical to comprehensive school counseling programs. These four leader behaviors provide school counselors a way to guide their approach to addressing issues involving students of color with disabilities. These iv leader behaviors are identified within the ASCA Model framework as the 4-Framework Approach. In their book entitled School Counselor Leadership: The Essential Practise, Young and Kneale (2013) discuss each of the leader behaviors in the Four-Framework Approach as shown in Supplementary Table S2.

21 Responsibilities for Schoolhouse Leaders. Another leadership practice to innovate to schoolhouse counseling trainees is a framework more closely aligned with school counseling and requires schoolhouse counselors to sympathise and utilise instructional best practices (Young and Kneale, 2013). This leadership framework, identified as 21 Responsibilities for School Leaders, was developed by Marzano et al. (2005). Within this framework, there are 21 leadership responsibilities identified, only there are six that more closely align with school counseling. These are discussed in Supplementary Tabular array S3.

Stonemason and McMahon (2009) conducted a study that focused on schoolhouse advisor leadership practices in relation to age, gender, professional grooming, experience, or school setting. The research concluded that there was a human relationship between school counselor leadership and these variables. More chiefly, the authors suggested that in that location should be more intentionality in schoolhouse counselor preparation programs in addressing the development of leadership skills and leadership identity in school counselor trainees (Mason and McMahon, 2009). The result of this effort would exist a transference of these learned skills and identity into practice (Mason and McMahon, 2009).

Instruction in leadership development skills will enable schoolhouse counselor trainees to understand how they can position themselves to finer help their students of color with disabilities. When school counselor trainees understand the contexts in which leadership occurs, and the activities and skills that should be accordingly executed within these contexts, they are able to design, implement, evaluate comprehensive school counseling services that help to transform the educational environment, ensuring equity and access for students of color with disabilities in mainstream education (adjusted from Dollarhide, 2013). Because leadership is an essential part of the office of the schoolhouse counselor, school counselor didactics programs should provide instruction on leadership models that will facilitate the development of leadership skills that will set schoolhouse advisor trainees to execute other learned skills and strategies in areas such as behavior management, social-emotional development, assessment, child and adolescent development, individual and grouping counseling, to appropriately address any equity and access issues for students of color with disabilities (Lambert, 2002).

I of the steps toward becoming a leader is taking on the role of advocate. School advisor advocacy extends across the profession. As social justice advocates, school counselors identify barriers and biases that prevent certain groups of students from having admission to sure educational spaces. Social justice school counselors advocate for and promote educational equity for all students. A discussion on school counselor advocacy follows.

Advocacy

School counselor advocacy non but focuses on the profession itself, but likewise equity and admission for students who are not represented in programs or services that support their academic, social-emotional and career development. Advocacy is vital to the role of schoolhouse counselors and in preparing school counselor trainees, the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselor Didactics American School Counselor Association, 2018 notes that school advisor teaching faculty should "have the knowledge and skills to support social justice and advocacy efforts" as well as provide a curriculum that "emphasizes social justice, advocacy, and multiculturalism" to set school counselor trainees to work with various populations (American School Counselor Clan, 2018). Advocacy is prominently mentioned throughout the ASCA Ethical Standards for School American Schoolhouse Advisor Association (2016a), and advocacy for pupil with disabilities is specifically addressed in Standard A.10, Underserved and At-Risk Populations. "School counselors advocate for the equal right and access to free, appropriate public didactics for all youth, in which students are not stigmatized or isolated based on their housing status, inability, foster care, special education status, mental health or any other exceptionality or special need" and "recognize the strengths of students with disabilities likewise as their challenges and provide best practices and current research in supporting their academic, career and social-emotional needs" (ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, A.10. f andand A.10. grand, 2016).

Holcomb-McCoy (2007) noted that the school counselor advocacy role was very of import, regarding the individualized education program (IEP) committee and educatee placement. Every bit previously mentioned, inquiry documents the disproportionality of students of colour in special didactics, and information technology is at this critical point, co-ordinate to Holcomb-McCoy, that school counselor advancement, locally and nationally, would help to ensure disabled students access the best educational services, too as "fair, unbiased controlling regarding special education placement" (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007, p. 110). Disproportionality of students of color in special teaching signals the need for school counselors to "advocate for policies that state what is an unacceptable number of students of color in special education" (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007, p. 110).

To bring more clarity and depiction to school advocacy, Trusty and Brown (2005) developed a construction for conceptualizing advocacy in the context of school counselor competencies. In doing this, advocacy would be more than clearly defined and distinguished from other school counseling roles as the "structure, purposes, and processes of advocacy would be illuminated" (pg. 260). In developing the advocacy competencies, the authors used Fiedler's (adapted from Trusty and Brown, 2005) special educator competencies every bit a model. In determining what would be constructive advocacy, Fiedler categorized the special educator competencies into dispositions (personal qualities of the special educator) -- knowledge and skills. The advocacy competencies for schoolhouse counselors were: dispositions (advocacy disposition; family back up/empowerment disposition; social advocacy disposition and ethical dispositions), knowledge (cognition of resources; knowledge parameters; noesis of dispute resolution mechanisms; cognition of advocacy models; and knowledge of systems change), and skills (communication skills; collaboration skills; problem-assessment skills; trouble-solving skills; organizational skills; and self-care skills). From this synthetic competencies, Trusty and Brown (2005) developed a model of the advocacy procedure for professional school counselors as shown in Table ane.

TABLE i. model of the advocacy process for professional person school counselors (Trusty and Brown, 2005).

School counselor trainees must be trained in advocacy in club to be effective in addressing the disproportionality of students of color with disabilities in special instruction classes. Using the advocacy competencies for school counselors and the model of advocacy process for professional school counselors, school counselor preparation programs tin can assistance school counselor trainees improve understand the part of advocacy in collecting, disaggregating and analyzing data to identify the systemic issues that impact students of color with disabilities; school counselor trainees will besides larn barriers which limit or forbid students of color with disabilities from having access to general education program and services. School counselor trainees are better positioned to identify systemic barriers, such as school policies and practices that impede students of color with disabilities access to more positive academic, social-emotional and career development outcomes.

Finally, it is of import that schoolhouse counselor trainees develop advocacy skills because advocacy is an upstanding imperative, especially in working with students with disabilities. The ASCA Code of Ethical Standards for School American School Advisor Association (2016b) specifically state that school counselors "Advocate for the equal correct and access to complimentary, appropriate public education for all youth, in which students are not stigmatized or isolated based on their housing condition, disability, foster care, special education status, mental health or any other exceptionality or special need" (A.10. f). Standard A.10. g continues this upstanding imperative in noting that schoolhouse counselors "recognize the strengths of students with disabilities as well as their challenges and provide all-time practices and current research in supporting their academic, career, and social-emotional needs." Appropriate preparation of schoolhouse counselor trainees in advocacy skills will assistance increase their effectiveness as advocates, including cultural competency advancement, for equitable treatment of all students in schools and communities.

Collaboration

Coming together the multiple and varied needs of students is not the sole responsibility of the school counselor. In delivering responsive services, schoolhouse counselors need the support and aid of the entire school community as well as the community across the schoolhouse (Sink, 2011). Collaboration is a very necessary practise of in the schoolhouse counseling profession. The ASCA School Counselor Professional American School Counselor Clan (2019a) identifies in its Behaviors standard that schoolhouse counselors "interact with families, teachers, administrators, other schoolhouse staff and instruction stakeholders for educatee achievement and success" (American School Counselor Clan (2019b), p 2).

Allen (1994), in discussing school collaboration for educatee success, he provided the following in describing the characteristics of collaboration:

"Collaboration is the procedure whereby two individuals or groups piece of work together for a common goal, a mutual do good, or a desired outcome. Trust, respect, openness, active listening, clear advice, and risk taking are key requirements for collaborative efforts….Initiating and maintaining collaborative efforts is an appropriate role of the school advisor in educational reform" (p. 1).

Gibbons et al. (2010) conducted a study examining the perceptions and attitudes of schoolhouse counselors about collaboration. The study revealed that school counselors participated in regular collaboration with various stakeholder groups, to include students, teachers, administrator, parents, other school counselors, school support staff, and customs agency personnel (Gibbons et al., 2010). The study confirmed that school counselors exercised their ethical responsibleness to "interact as needed to provide optimum services with other professionals such as special educators, schoolhouse nurses, school social workers, school psychologists, higher counselors/admissions officers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and administrators" (ASCA Ethical Standard B2. q, 2016, p. seven). School counselors would non be able to finer deliver comprehensive school counseling services if they worked in isolation. Collaboration positions the schoolhouse counselor to promote equity and access for marginalized populations, especially students of colour with disabilities.

School counselors accept the responsibility of helping all students achieve academic success. Schoolhouse counselors serve on various collaborative teams that provide them an opportunity to take valuable input that contributes to a student'southward academic success. These collaborative relationships peradventure exist pupil back up teams or multidisciplinary teams (sometimes referred to every bit Individualized Education Planning [IEP] teams) when working with students with disabilities. Team members come with diverse expertize, and school counselors provide information that other team members may not have due to their lack of skill or knowledge. For instance, school counselors are trained in areas such equally higher and career readiness, social-emotional development, and study skills development. Such knowledge and skills framed within an advocacy and social justice lens enables school counselors to better correspond students of colour with disabilities, in ensuring that their academic interests are considered in discussions of inclusion in general didactics. Barrow and Mamlin (2016) suggest that early involvement of the school counselor, particularly in their roles as consultant, in working with the classroom teacher offers an opportunity for early identification as well as early intervention. This kind of collaborative relationship can result in an equitable education experience for students of color with disabilities every bit it offers the opportunity for the school counselor and special instruction instructor to worked together in developing research and evidenced-based, culturally responsive interventions (Barrow and Mamlin, 2016).

School advisor preparation programs have an accreditation mandate (Quango for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2016b) to prepare schoolhouse counselor trainees with "techniques to foster collaboration and teamwork inside schools" (School Counseling Standard iii.l). For schoolhouse advisor trainees to know and exist able to work with other school staff, it is imperative that they are provided learning activities that require them to engage in culturally competent collaborative planning. For case, one such action might include learning how to design and write IEP goals that chronicle to the services they would provide for students of color with disabilities, in consultation with a general or special education teacher.

The demand for collaboration between school counselors, general and special education teachers, and other related service providers becomes more paramount, equally students with disabilities proceeds more admission to general education classrooms. Every bit part of this collaborative engagement, school counselors can help parents and students by providing them data that volition prepare them to participate in all phases of the special pedagogy process. With their grooming in developing multicultural competency, schoolhouse counselors tin can support schoolhouse personnel in building relationships with students and families of color that will promote positive educational outcomes. When schoolhouse counselors appoint in these collaborative relationships to evangelize appropriate counseling interventions and support services to students of colour with disabilities and school personnel, they increment the possibility of students of colour experiencing success in general didactics classes (Cahill and Mitra, 2008).

Social Justice and Systemic Change

School counselors are social justice advocates and system alter agents. In their varied roles as leaders, advocates, collaborators and consultants, professional school counselors exercise their ethical responsibility to provide a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program that help students minimize or eliminate barriers to academic success, career and social-emotional development. As social justice advocates and organization change agents, they also advocate for accomplishment, access, and opportunity for all students. Their social justice lens allows them to place barriers and inequities that exist in schoolhouse and district-level policies and procedures, besides every bit in federal and land laws, regulations, and funding. As noted in the ASCA National American School Counselor Clan (2012) third edition:

"Systemic alter occurs when inequitable policies, procedures and attitudes are changed, promoting equity and access to educational opportunities for all students. Systemic barriers can be school-based, district-based, or at the state or federal level. Change happens through the sustained involvement of all critical players" (American School Counselor Association, 2012, p. 9).

Every bit social justice advocates and systemic alter agents, professional school counselors are positioned to abet for students of color with disabilities and their parents in what tin often be an intimidating pedagogy bureaucracy. The more professional person school counselors know about testing and special programs, special education and the requirements of Department 504 of the Rehabilitation Human action, the more than effective their advocacy will be to create systemic change.

It is essential that schoolhouse counselor grooming programs prepare school counselor trainees to understand school systems' standardized testing programs, the child written report process, special education eligibility procedures and planning, Department 504 eligibility procedures and modifications, and group and private assessment procedures and estimation strategies.

School counselor trainees should be enlightened that systemic change involves school wide changes in expectations, instructional practices, support services, and philosophy with the goal of raising accomplishment levels and creating opportunity and access for all students. Training should focus on data-driven programming that will allow professional person school counselors to identify areas in need of improvement, leading to alterations in systemic policies and procedures that empower students of color with disabilities to experience higher performance and greater opportunities for academic success.

The need for school advisor education programs to address social justice advancement is not only promoted in the ASCA Standards, but also within the standards of the accrediting body for counselor education programs and the American Counseling Clan (ACA). The Quango for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) provides guidance for graduate counseling programs to teach graduate counseling students "advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients" (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 2016b, p. 9). The American Counseling Association (ACA) promotes the expectation of graduate counseling programs to ensure that graduate counseling students are prepared to address social injustices in schools and communities as stated in its Code of Ideals, Standard A7a, "When advisable, counselors abet at private, grouping, institutional, and societal levels to address potential barriers and obstacles that inhibit access and/or the growth and development of clients" (American Counseling Association, 2014, p. v).

If school counselor didactics preparation programs are tasked with preparing school counselor trainees with the cognition and skills to accost the consequence of access and equity in their work with students, how might their social justice advocacy be more intentional? How should school advisor trainees exist trained in practices that support inclusion, equity, and access for students of color with disabilities to the general teaching curriculum? The following will outline interactive activities, that can exist incorporated into a special topics class focused on preparing school counselor trainees the school counselor practices, that volition attain systemic change that allows access and equity for students of color with disabilities.

Interactive Activities Using School Counselor Practices: Leadership, Advancement, Collaboration, Systemic Alter and Social Justice Advancement

Supplementary Tabular array S4 is an example of course topics and related interactive activities that could be included in a special topics course, which focuses on preparing school counselor trainees to work with students with disabilities, in general and more specifically with students of colour, with a focus on inclusion, equity and access to the full general education curriculum. These proposed interactive activities are premised on establishing a partnership with a local school district, to provide schoolhouse advisor trainees a more realistic experience in agreement the role of the school advisor in addressing the needs of students of color with disabilities. Each activity will have one or more of the ASCA National Model themes-leadership, advocacy, collaboration, systemic alter, in the context of social justice advancement-interwoven in them.

Decision

Leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and systemic change are school advisor practices that define how the function of the professional school counseling is executed. They are integrated throughout the work they practice to provide comprehensive school counseling services to all students. These practices, executed with a social justice perspective, can be impactful equally school counselors engage policies, practices, and systems that present barriers to inclusion, equity, and access for students of color, besides as multi-ethnic students with disabilities. This underscores the demand for school counselor grooming programs to commit to intentionality, in preparing school counselor trainees in these practices to back up students of color with disabilities. This investment in grooming can exist the central to preparing school counselors to engage in social justice advocacy that will help position students of colour with disabilities, to navigate through the educational organization and across successfully.

Author Contributions

The writer confirms being the sole correspondent of this work and has approved it for publication.

Disharmonize of Interest:

The writer declares that the research was conducted in the absenteeism of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be constitute online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.588528/full#supplementary-textile.

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