Parsons, Tony

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

Journal of College Access Volume 5 Issue 1 Article 12 1-2020 Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise Tony Parsons Youth Villages, Robert.Parsons@youthvillages.org Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca  Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Parsons, Tony (2020) "Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise," Journal of College Access: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca/vol5/iss1/12 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Michigan University at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of College Access by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.  Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  117  Book Review:   Fulfilling the Promise: Reimagining School  Counseling to Advance Student Success Reviewed by                                                                                               Tony Parsons (Youth Villages)  O ver the course of the last sixty years, the educational landscape in the United States has changed, just as the populace of students has. Students have been asked to spend more time thinking about their future, both career and college. The individuals at the helm of this change and tasked with leading students to better outcomes are school counselors. However, history has shown us that over the course of time they have become underutilized and their role has become somewhat unclear. In Fulfilling the Promise: Reimaging School Counseling to Advance Student Success, Mandy Savitz-Romer makes the case for just how effective school counselors can be if given the proper training, are supported, and commit to the adoption of what she refers to as the “Academic Home” model. Romer, a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, examines how counselors can fit into the larger mission of the education system, when given the proper supports and utilized in the way they are supposed to be. She correctly emphasizes that students deal with issues that span across academic, social-emotional, and mental health. While no one person is equipped to adequately solve all problems in these areas, counselors are the best at starting that process. As someone who works to provide professional development for school counselors especially focused on their work with students and getting them to college, Romer’s work is not only enlightening, but refreshing, and spot on.   What I enjoy most about Fulfilling the Promise, is its comprehensive and illustrative examples of how counselors can be and have been successful. Romer offers multiple case studies to emphasize her points and show that the “Academic Home” model is not only something easy to implement, but that it works across the board at the different types of schools in our country. Also Romer makes the case that a reinvestment in counseling has to be one in which everyone (school personnel, administrators and community partners, parents, and sometimes students) is brought to the table to contribute a shared goal of creating better student outcomes. I am fully convinced that if the examples laid out by Romer are understood and taken to heart, students will be better served and their futures will be bright. If I am to offer a critique for Romer, it would be that success is never clearly defined. Based on the  Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  118  topic, it is implied that it getting a student to college or set up on their path to a career is success, but not every example given was indicative of this. While success looks differently for each student and each school, having a clear understanding of how Romer defines success would be helpful as she discusses it.  The perception of school counselors and the counseling profession has become overwhelmingly negative, perpetuated by stereotypes in popular culture. When someone thinks of a school counselor they often think of a burnt out adult, disengaged, and uncaring. Or perhaps it’s the image of a testing coordinator that pops into the mind’s eye.  While these certainly exist, by in large this is not what many counselors do, and it is exactly what none of them should be doing. To create the changes Romer advocates for, establishing trusting and understanding relationship between administrators and counselors is a must. It is often the case that administrators do not know what a counselor is actually trained to do, because if they did the perception problem surrounding the counseling profession wouldn’t be so large. Yes schools need people to monitor lunches and coordinate testing schedules, but counselors are far too valuable to be the ones to do it. While counselors need to be supported, they must also advocate for themselves to create changes within their own realm and how they operate. The “Academic Home” model advanced by Romer not only is straightforward but also makes perfect sense in an academic landscape in which counselors are expected to effortlessly navigate. This model proposes that counselors act as the coordinator of resources and supports for students rather than trying to provide everything for a given student. This will not only allow counselors to be more effective, it will also help to ensure all students are more likely to get what they need and that supports are delivered in a way that is equitable. An “Academic Home” will require that counselors foster relationships with other faculty and community partners in order to create the outcomes that a student needs. Different partners in the “Academic Home” will have different strengths and be able to provide resources for students that the counselor alone could not, this is especially the case in the realm of preventative and mental health services.  Like many of us, we perform well when our roles are clearly articulated and understood by all of the relevant players and we are held to high expectations. The same is true for counselors. When they are held to high expectations, Romer is quick to point out, great things happen. However, for expectations to be set, an understanding of a counselor’s role must be in place, and an updated one at that. Some schools have not updated the description of a school counselor since the 1980s! This begs the question, of how can we expect counselors to serve 21st century students and help fix the problems they have if, we are holding them to standards from 30 plus years ago? In short, we cannot. Romer Fulfilling the Promise  Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  119  points out that major success occurs when a counseling department’s mission is aligned with the broader goals of the school district. Without a doubt, district leaders like superintendents would do well to build in social emotional and mental health goals into the academic goals of the district. All vested agents of change being in alignment on the mission helps ensure that all the work that is being done is adequate to support the stated mission and support students.  Support however, has to go beyond just the district leaders and building administrators sometimes. Sometimes outside organizations that can provide professional development, and enrichment opportunities for counselors are necessary. Thankfully with organizations like the American School Counselor Association, etc. there are no shortage of supports available. However, financial and personnel limitations are a real thing for many counselors. Their development must be seen as an investment in the student population and the district as a whole. This is especially true when counselors are working in places with a large population of low income, first generation, or students of color. Having one adequately trained and supported school counselor working with a student aforementioned, increases the likelihood that said student will pursue a postsecondary credential increases by 10%. Imagine what our education and society would look like if every counselor found themselves supported, trained, and properly utilized.   Fulfilling the Promise is a book that I would recommend. An inward reflection of one’s profession and how to improve upon it is always good. Similarly anyone who is tasked with training school counselors whether it be for professional development or in the academic setting would be remiss to not include this book as a resources in some capacity. Romer is offering a fresh perspective on a profession that is misunderstood, and it is done so with great examples, and her passion for counseling and reshaping the profession to do what is was intended to do is evident. Not only can everyone learn from the insight Romer provides, but if we are able to implement the reforms and learn from the examples, we will all begin to do our part of Fulfilling the Promise.  Reference  Savitz‐Romer, M. (2019).  Fulfilling the Promise: Reimagining School  Counseling to Advance Student Success. Harvard EducaƟonal Press.   Fulfilling the Promise 

Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise

Journal of College Access 
Volume 5 Issue 1 Article 12 
1-2020 
Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise 
Tony Parsons 
Youth Villages, Robert.Parsons@youthvillages.org 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca 
 Part of the Higher Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Parsons, Tony (2020) "Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise," Journal of College Access: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , 
Article 12. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca/vol5/iss1/12 
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open 
access by the Western Michigan University at 
ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion 
in Journal of College Access by an authorized editor of 
ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please 
contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
 
Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  117 
 
Book Review:   
Fulfilling the Promise: Reimagining School  
Counseling to Advance Student Success 
Reviewed by                                                                                               
Tony Parsons (Youth Villages)  
O ver the course of the last sixty years, the educational landscape in the United States has changed, just as the populace of 
students has. Students have been asked to 
spend more time thinking about their future, 
both career and college. The individuals at the 
helm of this change and tasked with leading 
students to better outcomes are school 
counselors. However, history has shown 
us that over the course of time they have 
become underutilized and their role has 
become somewhat unclear. In Fulfilling 
the Promise: Reimaging School Counseling 
to Advance Student Success, Mandy Savitz
-Romer makes the case for just how 
effective school counselors can be if 
given the proper training, are supported, and 
commit to the adoption of what she refers to 
as the “Academic Home” model. Romer, a 
faculty member at the Harvard Graduate 
School of Education, examines how 
counselors can fit into the larger mission of 
the education system, when given the proper 
supports and utilized in the way they are 
supposed to be. She correctly emphasizes that 
students deal with issues that span across 
academic, social-emotional, and mental 
health. While no one person is equipped to 
adequately solve all problems in these areas, 
counselors are the best at starting that 
process. As someone who works to provide 
professional development for school 
counselors especially focused on their work 
with students and getting them to college, 
Romer’s work is not only enlightening, but 
refreshing, and spot on.  
 
What I enjoy most about Fulfilling the 
Promise, is its comprehensive and 
illustrative examples of how counselors 
can be and have been successful. Romer 
offers multiple case studies to 
emphasize her points and show that the 
“Academic Home” model is not only 
something easy to implement, but that it 
works across the board at the different 
types of schools in our country. Also Romer 
makes the case that a reinvestment in 
counseling has to be one in which everyone 
(school personnel, administrators and 
community partners, parents, and sometimes 
students) is brought to the table to contribute 
a shared goal of creating better student 
outcomes. I am fully convinced that if the 
examples laid out by Romer are understood 
and taken to heart, students will be better 
served and their futures will be bright. If I am 
to offer a critique for Romer, it would be that 
success is never clearly defined. Based on the 
 
Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  118 
 
topic, it is implied that it getting a student to 
college or set up on their path to a career is 
success, but not every example given was 
indicative of this. While success looks 
differently for each student and each school, 
having a clear understanding of how Romer 
defines success would be helpful as she 
discusses it. 
 
The perception of school counselors and the 
counseling profession has become 
overwhelmingly negative, perpetuated by 
stereotypes in popular culture. When 
someone thinks of a school counselor they 
often think of a burnt out adult, disengaged, 
and uncaring. Or perhaps it’s the image of a 
testing coordinator that pops into the mind’s 
eye.  While these certainly exist, by in large 
this is not what many counselors do, and it is 
exactly what none of them should be doing. 
To create the changes Romer advocates for, 
establishing trusting and understanding 
relationship between administrators and 
counselors is a must. It is often the case that 
administrators do not know what a counselor 
is actually trained to do, because if they did 
the perception problem surrounding the 
counseling profession wouldn’t be so large. 
Yes schools need people to monitor lunches 
and coordinate testing schedules, but 
counselors are far too valuable to be the ones 
to do it. While counselors need to be 
supported, they must also advocate for 
themselves to create changes within their own 
realm and how they operate. The “Academic 
Home” model advanced by Romer not only is 
straightforward but also makes perfect sense 
in an academic landscape in which counselors 
are expected to effortlessly navigate. This 
model proposes that counselors act as the 
coordinator of resources and supports for 
students rather than trying to provide 
everything for a given student. This will not 
only allow counselors to be more effective, it 
will also help to ensure all students are more 
likely to get what they need and that supports 
are delivered in a way that is equitable. An 
“Academic Home” will require that 
counselors foster relationships with other 
faculty and community partners in order to 
create the outcomes that a student needs. 
Different partners in the “Academic Home” 
will have different strengths and be able to 
provide resources for students that the 
counselor alone could not, this is especially 
the case in the realm of preventative and 
mental health services. 
 
Like many of us, we perform well when our 
roles are clearly articulated and understood 
by all of the relevant players and we are held 
to high expectations. The same is true for 
counselors. When they are held to high 
expectations, Romer is quick to point out, 
great things happen. However, for 
expectations to be set, an understanding of a 
counselor’s role must be in place, and an 
updated one at that. Some schools have not 
updated the description of a school counselor 
since the 1980s! This begs the question, of how 
can we expect counselors to serve 21st century 
students and help fix the problems they have 
if, we are holding them to standards from 30 
plus years ago? In short, we cannot. Romer 
Fulfilling the Promise 
 
Volume 5 | January 2020 | Issue 1  119 
 
points out that major success occurs when a 
counseling department’s mission is aligned 
with the broader goals of the school district. 
Without a doubt, district leaders like 
superintendents would do well to build in 
social emotional and mental health goals into 
the academic goals of the district. All vested 
agents of change being in alignment on the 
mission helps ensure that all the work that is 
being done is adequate to support the stated 
mission and support students. 
 
Support however, has to go beyond just the 
district leaders and building administrators 
sometimes. Sometimes outside organizations 
that can provide professional development, 
and enrichment opportunities for counselors 
are necessary. Thankfully with organizations 
like the American School Counselor 
Association, etc. there are no shortage of 
supports available. However, financial and 
personnel limitations are a real thing for 
many counselors. Their development must be 
seen as an investment in the student 
population and the district as a whole. This is 
especially true when counselors are working 
in places with a large population of low 
income, first generation, or students of color. 
Having one adequately trained and 
supported school counselor working with a 
student aforementioned, increases the 
likelihood that said student will pursue a 
postsecondary credential increases by 10%. 
Imagine what our education and society 
would look like if every counselor found 
themselves supported, trained, and properly 
utilized.  
 
Fulfilling the Promise is a book that I would 
recommend. An inward reflection of one’s 
profession and how to improve upon it is 
always good. Similarly anyone who is tasked 
with training school counselors whether it be 
for professional development or in the 
academic setting would be remiss to not 
include this book as a resources in some 
capacity. Romer is offering a fresh perspective 
on a profession that is misunderstood, and it 
is done so with great examples, and her 
passion for counseling and reshaping the 
profession to do what is was intended to do is 
evident. Not only can everyone learn from the 
insight Romer provides, but if we are able to 
implement the reforms and learn from the 
examples, we will all begin to do our part of 
Fulfilling the Promise. 
 
Reference 
 
Savitz‐Romer, M. (2019).  Fulfilling the Promise: Reimagining 
School  Counseling to Advance Student Success. Harvard 
Educa onal Press. 
 
 
Fulfilling the Promise 


https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1107&amp;context=jca

Book Review: Fulfilling the Promise

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarWorks at WMU

ScholarWorks at WMU