Running head: ADVOCACY IN SCHOOL COUNSELING 1

Advocacy in School Counseling

Nicole Simpson

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Abstract

A school counselor may take on many roles in their profession but their most prevalent

role is that of an advocator. School counselors are advocates that work as collaborative leaders to

promote every child’s educational success as a student and personal success as a responsible

member of society. They advocate for student development by identifying and confronting

barriers to student goals, promoting equitable access to a rigorous education, and fighting for

positive, systemic change. School counselors also validate the uniqueness of students, providing

concrete strategies and empowering them towards self-advocacy.

Keywords: School counseling, role, advocacy, education

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While a school counselor is capable of taking on many roles to effectively serve students,

their most prevalent, and arguably most central, role is that of an advocator. Schools counseling

requires unique skill sets and abilities that provide a platform to promote change on the behalf of

others. They are in an ideal position to advocate for the most effective environments, systems

and skills to promote healthy development and success for all students. Overall, school

counselors are advocates that work as collaborative leaders to promote every child’s educational

success as a student and personal success as a responsible member of society.

The School Counseling Profession

The profession of school counseling is riddled with ambiguity and evolving purposes.

School counseling began as guidance counseling, where students were given assistance making

academic decisions and weighing their options (ASCA, 2012). The role has evolved over the

years to focus on positive youth development and supporting a student’s success holistically.

Multiple models of school counseling have been designed and implemented over the years to

clarify the school counselor’s role, but there is still debate around specificity (Astramovich,

Hoskins, Gutierrez, & Bartlett, 2013). Schools and societies in the U.S. are constantly changing

and evolving, becoming more diverse and posing different needs and adjustments that school

counselors address (Breman & Clark, 2009). The profession appears to evolve along with the

system and the students.

Inconsistencies in a school counselor’s role create challenges for the profession because

failing to define the job leaves it open to interpretation. Administrators and parents will likely not

use school counselors as a resource if they do not understand their value. School counselors

without defined roles end up succumbing to role diffusion, where they are appointed duties that

another professional would be equally qualified to undertake (Astramovich et. al, 2013). To
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alleviate confusion, The ACA National Standards and ASCA National Model initiated a

movement that focused school counseling around one essential principle: help all students be

successful in school (Breman & Clark, 2009). Various programs, services, and strategies are

implemented to promote appropriate development educationally, vocationally and personally

with the overall goal of academic success (ASCA, 2012). As school counselors, we advocate for

our students’ success.

Advocating as Collaborative Leaders

School counselors have a truly unique position in the school system and in students’

lives. They serve as political leaders in the school setting, not only by implementing effective

programs but in building empowering relationships and leading by example (ASCA, 2012).

School counselors also have access to critical data, family information, classroom dynamics, and

political systems that allow them to understand students as a holistic being rather than simply a

student. Their position of influence allows them the platform, and thereby the moral and ethical

responsibility, to advocate for the individual needs of each student, academic or otherwise

(Chen-Hayes, DeKruyf, & Ratts, 2007).

Despite their expertise and qualifications school counselors are not able to establish change

and promote student development on their own. ASCA (2012) acknowledges that in addition to

having multidimensional leadership skills, collaboration is an essential piece in their advocacy

role. This involves working with parents, teachers, administrators, community members and

other stakeholders in the student’s life in order to generate positive and effective plans for

change (ASCA, 2012).

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Advocacy for Educational Success as a Student

School counselors use their collaborative leadership to plan and implement strategies that

promote healthy academic, career and social/personal development for all students (Astramovich

& Harris, 2007). Their role as educators is to ideally develop academic competence in students.

Academic competence means that students are active participants in the classroom, contributing

to the learning process and gaining developmentally-appropriate knowledge from the instruction

(Barna & Brott, 2013). Fundamental abilities such as reading and writing are fine-tuned with

problem solving skills and inquisitive thinking to contribute to the multidisciplinary process of

academic achievement (Barna & Brott, 2013). School counselors advocate for a student’s

educational success in order to provide them with so much more than test-taking skills; higher

academic competency correlates with life-long study strategies, interpersonal skills and

participatory behaviors (Barna & Brott, 2013). This educational advocacy is put into practice by

implementing comprehensive programs that help students overcome barriers to their learning and

ensure there is equitable access to education (ASCA 2012). If students are unable to reach their

educational potentials due to barriers or societal restraints, school counselors have the

responsibility to advocate for systemic changes.

Identifying and Confronting Barriers

School counselors play an important role in empowering students to identify and confront

barriers to their success in school. Often these barriers take the form of oppressive policies or

practices that are limiting because of a student’s race, socioeconomic status or learning

differences (Astramovich & Harris, 2007). For example, educational policies such as culture-

biased standardized tests are intended to help students but often result in reinforcing minority

stereotypes instead (Astramovich & Harris, 2007). There is also an increasing population of
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students needing special education services in schools, expanding the role of school counselors

to support them as well (Hall, 2015). In addition, barriers can include family dynamics, negative

learning environments or individual beliefs and values.

School counselors instill a sense of autonomy in students by empowering them to personally

identify these barriers and oversee their own academic goals. Students tend to have a stronger

investment in their education when they feel empowered to control their course (Astramovich &

Harris, 2007). This aspect of educational advocacy acknowledges the importance of allowing the

student to take charge while providing strategies for overcoming their learning barriers.

Promoting Equitable Access to a Rigorous Education

School counselors also advocate for their students by promoting equitable access to a

rigorous education. As educational leaders, they have a priority to “challenge students who are

excelling, support students who are maintaining, and remediate students with specific learning

barriers” (Barna & Brott, 2013). School counselors work with their school to ensure equity by

addressing and closing achievement gaps that arise as a result of race, economics and learning

abilities (Barna & Brott, 2013).

In all grade levels, ethnic minorities have been documented scoring lower on

standardized achievement tests than Caucasian students at their same level (Astramovich &

Harris, 2007). This achievement gap, as well as gender gaps, are still widening and even widen

substantially with increasing grade levels (Breman & Clark, 2009). School counselors advocate

for these students and their right to a solid education by providing preventive programs and

specific interventions to create systemic awareness of the discrepancies and provide students

with concrete tools to succeed academically. This could involve creating action plans,
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conducting individual and group counseling, or collecting and presenting specific data to back up

their claim (ASCA 2012).

As leaders in an educational setting, school counselors also advocate for their students’

educational success by advocating for access. Historically, school counseling and school systems

have stigmatized students and families based on gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic

status and learning differences (Astramovich & Harris, 2007). Studies have shown that

minorities being oppressed by school systems are more likely to experience low self-esteem,

more interpersonal issues, heightened feelings of being out of control and more stress

(Astramovich & Harris, 2007). As schools become more diverse and leaders fight for systemic

changes to alleviate these problems, school counselors promote access and set an example for the

way students should think and act as empowering members of society; this includes raising

awareness that the policies of the white middle class do not benefit all. Research shows that

access to qualified teachers and solid educational resources provide students of color and

students in low socioeconomic status a higher chance of reaching their developmental potentials

(Chen-Hayes, 2007). School counselors advocate for appropriate resources that would allow

students to reach their potentials.

Promoting Positive, Systemic Change in Schools

The barriers students face in their academic journeys are sometimes able to be resolved

through personal changes and goal setting, but some cannot be fixed by the individual’s own

accord. A student’s environment may have negative aspects that intrude on their development,

and school counselors need to advocate for their rights on a larger scale (Chen-Hayes, 2007).

School counselors have the platform to question and evaluate practices and policies in the system

that impact students at every level, addressing issues when schools are not ensuring a high-
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quality education for all students or are treating diversity as a stigma rather than a norm (Breman

& Clark, 2009).

Minority populations in schools tend to have little influence in the decisions that affect

their academic lives and are oppressed when policies and practices that marginalize them go

unnoticed by society. Historically school counselors have been criticized for not challenging

these stigmatizing policies that are so prevalently in the education system. In 2003 the

Transforming School Counseling Initiative explicitly gave school counselors an active role in

providing academic support and tools for minority and disadvantaged students, advocating for

their educational development (Astramovich & Harris, 2007).

School counselors can also challenge school systems to promote positive academic

environments for all students. As advocates for their students, they implement programs that

make schools safe environments that nurture and generate inclusivity (Betters-Bubon, Donohue,

& Goodman-Scott, 2015). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs are

gaining popularity in schools because they create safe, nurturing school environments that help

support academic achievement and success. Students at these schools reported higher emotional

regulation and interpersonal skills, less discipline referrals, and lower levels of aggression

(Betters-Bubon et. al, 2015). School counselors can advocate for these nurturing environments in

more school districts so that students have the means to reach their potentials.

Advocacy for Personal Success as a Responsible Member of Society

Recognizing the Uniqueness of Students

While academic competence is an essential goal in the school counseling profession,

school counselors understand their responsibility to the student as a holistic being; they are

concerned with advocating for individual strengths that promote the academic, career and
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personal/social development of all students (ASCA 2012). This all-inclusive approach celebrates

and accommodates the diversity that is so prevalent in school systems. Racial and ethnic

diversity in U.S. schools is increasing; since the 1970’s the percentage of Hispanic students in

schools has risen 14% and the percentage of Caucasian students has dropped 21% (Breman &

Clark, 2009). The number of students under 17 years old that speak a language other than

English at home has more than doubled (Breman & Clark, 2009). Students needing special

education services make up 10-18% of every school (Hall, 2015). School counselors are given

the chance to design programs that celebrate diversity and cater to unique talents and strengths.

In this respect, school counselors also have the responsibility of ensuring students are

secure in their identity and cognizant of the strengths that other students bring to the community.

The simple concept of mattering makes all the difference in a school system and beyond.

Students want to feel important and valued by others; a healthy emotional and social

development component that school counselors advocate for daily (Dixon & Tucker, 2008).

They implement programs that establish a sense of community, celebrate each student’s abilities

and facilitate positive environments. When students feel important and valued they tend to have

more positive attitudes and develop a stronger desire to succeed, academically or otherwise

(Dixon & Tucker, 2008).

Establishing Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy in Students

Advocacy in school counseling eventually empowers students to become their own

advocates. When a student is self-advocating they are able to effectively communicate their

needs, desires, rights, and interests in a demanding way, and negotiate if the need arises

(Astramovich & Harris, 2007). Closely aligned with self-advocacy is self-awareness; students

learn to implement skills required to understand their individual needs. When students can
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advocate for themselves they develop a sense of autonomy and a satisfaction in being able to

identify and take control over situations in their life and barriers to their goals. This is especially

practical in circumstances where students feel powerless or unable to attain certain rights

(Astramovich & Harris, 2007).

Conclusion

A school counselor’s primary role is advocacy, regardless of specific duties or evolving

definitions. School counselors act as collaborative leaders in the school system to effectively and

holistically promote the academic, career and social/personal development of all students. The

advocating school counselor encourages students’ educational success by identifying and

confronting barriers to academic goals, promoting equitable access to a rigorous education, and

promoting positive, systemic change in schools. They also advocate for students’ personal

success as members of society by celebrating the individuality of students and establishing self-

advocacy. School counselors provide a voice and a platform for students who do not yet have the

strategies or qualifications to advocate for themselves, and ultimately empower them to find and

use their own voice.

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Resources

American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for

School Counseling Programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Astramovich, R., & Harris, K. (2007). Promoting Self-Advocacy Among Minority Students in

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10.1002/j.1556-6678.2007.tb00474.x

Astramovich, R. L., Bartlett, K. A., Gutierrez, A. P., & Hoskins, W. J. (2013). Identifying role

diffusion in school counseling. The Professional Counselor, 3(3), 175-184. doi:

10.15241/rla.3.3.175

Barna, J. S., PhD., & Brott, P. E., PhD. (2013). Making the grade: the importance of academic

enablers in the elementary school counseling program. Professional School

Counseling, 17(1), 97-110. doi: 10.5330/prsc.17.1.33v095430t8184q2

Betters-Bubon, J., Donohue, P., & Goodman-Scott, E. PhD. (2015). Aligning comprehensive

school counseling programs and positive behavioral interventions and supports to

maximize school counselors’ efforts. Professional School Counseling, 19(1), 57-67.

doi:10.5330/1096-2409-19.1.57

Breman, J. C., & Clark, M. A. (2009). School counselor inclusion: A collaborative model to

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Counseling & Development, 87(1), 6-11. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2009.tb00543.x

Chen-Hayes, S. F., DeKruyf, L., & Ratts, M. J., (2007). The ACA advocacy competencies: a

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Dixon, A. L., & Tucker, C. (2008). Every student matters: Enhancing strengths-based school

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