The Relationship between School Counselor Leadership Practices and Comprehensive Program Implementation

Reform initiatives in education since the introduction of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for all educators to develop strategies to increase student achievement and improve school climate. School counselors are charged by their professional organizations to act as agents of change in their schools and to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs. To garner support for school counseling programs that cultivate positive results for students and schools, school counselors need to adopt a leadership mindset. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess leadership practices of school counselors, and to analyze the relationships between demographics, experience, training, work setting, school counseling program implementation and leadership practices. This study addresses the need for understanding the way school counselor leadership promotes school counseling programs that contribute to positive student outcomes. Participants in this study were recruited through convenience sampling from a state school counseling association and completed a research packet including a demographic survey and two instruments, The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), Self Instrument, 3rd edition by Kouzes and Posner (2003) and The School Counseling Program Implementation Scale (SCPIS) by Carey & Elsner (2006). Correlation analyses were used to describe relationships of demographic, training and work setting variables with leadership practices and program implementation. Analysis of variance examined mean differences and regression analyses assessed predictive qualities of identified relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Variables of age, experience, preparation and school setting were correlated with leadership practices and program implementation. Age, experience, size of school population and professional licensure predicted leader¬ship practices of school counselors. Experience predicted comprehensive program implementation. Results revealed statistically significant positive relationships between school counselor leadership practices and comprehensive program implementation. Model the Way (MTW) and Enable Others to Act (EOA) leadership practices predicted the level of school counseling program implementation

The Role Of World View Changes In The Longitudinal Associations Between Depression And Ptsd Symptoms And Later Sexual Problems

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for the development of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as well as sexual problems. Additionally, previous research supports a relationship between symptoms of depression and PTSD and sexual problems in both sexually abused and non-abused samples. There has been little attempt, however, to explain the mechanisms responsible for this relationship. The current study proposed that abuse-related changes in world views might be one such mechanism and examined whether world view changes mediate longitudinal associations between depression and PTSD symptoms and sexual problems (sexual concerns, dysfunctional sexual behavior, and risky sexual behavior). This study is unique in that it considered the effects of both positive and negative world view changes on this relationship. Over half of youth in the study reported at least one world view change, with the preponderance of changes being negative. Thus, youth appear to be cognizant of ways in which their experiences of CSA have affected their beliefs. No straightforward relationship between early abuse reactions and world views emerged, as neither depression nor PTSD predicted world view changes. Although higher levels of symptomatology and stronger world view changes were related to sexual concerns, they were unrelated to dysfunctional or risky sexual behaviors. The reasons for this differentiation could include the nature of constructs or the measures focus on hyper-sexuality. This study contributes to the extant literature by highlighting the implications of CSA experiences for emerging world views and their associations with emerging sexuality

Change-Agent-for-Equity (CAFE) Model: A Framework for School Counselor Identity

Significant recent influences in the profession have provided clear direction about what school counseling programs should look like but have not explicitly defined the professional identity necessary to enact these programs. A Change-Agent-for-Equity (CAFE) Model draws from the American School Counselor Association National Model (2003, 2005, 2012) and the tenets of the National Center for Transforming School Counseling (Martin, 2002), proposing that the school counselor’s professional identity is central to school counseling programs and program outcomes. A case scenario is presented to illustrate the CAFE model in context

Developing School Counseling Students’ Social Justice Orientation Through Service Learning

Counselor educators must examine the quality and intentionality of coursework and field experiences offered to their students as the role of school counselors continues to transform. The emphasis in the field on school counselors as social justice agents and advocates should be reflected in school counselor training programs. The authors present a two-course sequence using pre-practicum service learning as a valuable program component for assisting school counseling students to develop a social justice orientation

The Construction of Blackness in Honduran Cultural Production

This dissertation investigates how marginalized communities of Afro-Hondurans are represented in literature and cinematic productions of non-black writers and film producers. Despite the efforts of the dominant Honduran community to suppress or alter the image of Afro-descendants, a small handful of Ladinos, or individuals of a mixed indigenous and Spanish background, have chosen to explore the Afro-Honduran image in their works. Chapter I, \u27Through the Eyes of Another: Racial Identity in Honduras,\u27 discusses the Honduran search for national identity during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. After experiencing periods of political and economic instability, the Honduran government began to promote ancient Mayan and Lencan civilizations in order to define the Honduran population. As a result, the Garífuna, West Indian and Miskito people, all Afro-descendant groups living in Honduras, were often not seen as part of the national imaginary. While many Hondurans did not question these exclusionary practices, others did in the form of cultural production. Chapter II, \u27Literary Creation of the Afro-Descendant Subject in Honduran Poesía Negroide,\u27 affirms that the work Antología de poesía negra (1962), compiled by Claudio Barrera, is a clear example of the poesía negroide movement, yet unlike other manifestations of poesía negroide, the poems of this anthology exhibit a greater dependence on archetypal images of blacks. Images such as the tragic mulatta, the Jezebel and lazy black man tend to be one-dimensional constructions that create stereotypical portraits of Afro-Hondurans and as a result, do not allow for other interpretations of blackness in Honduras. Chapter III, \u27Blackness, Romance and National Identity in Julio Escoto\u27s Madrugada: El Rey del Albor,\u27 confirms that Julio Escoto\u27s novel Madrugada (1993) proposes several Afro-descendant characters as potential \u27parents\u27 to Honduran history. The plot depicts Afro-descendants in relationships, but in the end, the relationships either do not produce offspring or the offspring is killed. The novel suggests that without any surviving descendants, the future of blackness in Honduras is tenuous. Chapter IV, \u27The Search for a Garífuna \u27Homeplace\u27 in the Face of Displacement: Immigration, and Nation in Cultural Production,\u27 discusses the novel Big Banana (2001) by Roberto Quesada, the play Louvabagu (1980) by Rafael Murillo Selva Rendón and the film El espíritu de mi mamá (2002) directed by Alí Allié. These works portray Garífunas (an Afro-indigenous community) that immigrate to the United States in search of the American Dream. In the end, the dislocated Garífunas become disillusioned after questioning their identities in the racial context of the United States, and realize that after experiencing discrimination both abroad and in Honduras, the black Honduran subject perhaps does not have a \u27homeplace. In conclusion, we can see that although these authors have taken the initiative to explore issues of identity and nationality through cultural production, they express ambivalence and confusion on how to insert the multiple racial and cultural identities of the Afro-Honduran communities into Honduran national identity

Leadership Practices of School Counselors

Leadership is a vital skill called for by the school counseling profession. However, limited research has been done to examine how leadership is characterized by practicing school counselors. The purpose of the exploratory study in this article was to assess leadership practices of school counselors, and to analyze the relationships among demographics, experience, training, work setting, and leadership practices. Results presented are part of a larger study. Findings revealed that age, experience, size of school population, and professional licensure predicted leadership practices of school counselors

Solidarity Federalism

Studies of federalism, especially in the United States, have mostly centered on state autonomy and the vertical relationship between the states and the federal government. This Article approaches federalism from a different perspective, one that focuses on state solidarity. We explain how solidarity structures found in constitutional federations—including the United States—generate solidarity obligations, such as duties not to harm other states or their citizens. These duties give rise to principles, such as nondiscrimination, that are vital to federalism. Focusing on interstate relations and relations between states and citizens of other states, we argue that affirming both solidarity and autonomy as crucial—indeed constitutive—elements of federalism enables us to better understand our federation and enriches federalism discourse in general. For example, we show that solidarity works in tandem with state autonomy to generate the traditional values of federalism, such as diversity, efficiency, experimentation, and pluralism

The ABCs of TSC: How One Counselor Education Department Transformed its School Counseling Program

There is an urgent need to revise school counselor education programs to better prepare future professional school counselors to meet the challenges of today’s K-12 students. Counselor educators at DePaul University recently made significant curricular and programmatic changes aligned with the Education Trust’s Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI). This manuscript details the steps involved with these extensive revisions and encourages other counselor education programs to consider making similar modifications

School Counseling Supervision in Challenging Times: The CAFE Supervisor Model

Given the increased need for school counselors to proactively address the pervasive achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps, school counselor preparation should move from traditional supervision models to one with an equitable K-12 student outcomes focus. The Change Agent for Equity (CAFE) model presented can help school counselors-in-training foster a change agent identity, aimed at helping all K-12 students succeed and reach their postsecondary dreams. The CAFE model and the supervisor’s identity and supervision practices within the model are described. Additionally, internship assignments and rubrics are outlined and supervisory recommendations and implications are discussed

Integrating RTI With School Counseling Programs: Being a Proactive Professional School Counselor

With the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) across many states, the school counseling profession must be proactive in establishing its critical role in this process. This article outlines the three essential and shared components between RTI and comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs. Each of these integral and overlapping constructs are discussed and linked to practical applications, implications, and recommendations for professional school counselors’ future practice and research