COUN6311D
Week 3 Discussion
MY ADVOCACY AND LEADERSHIP PLAN
School advocacy and leadership plans are created and implemented based on school needs and school-conducted needs-based assessments (American School Counselor Association, 2012). However, every school counselor has causes and topics about which they are passionate. School counselors can express their interests through programs, small groups, curricula, involvement in extracurricular activities and groups, and even in sponsoring or developing programs.
This week, you get to share your thoughts of how to address a school counseling challenge with your colleagues. This is your time to explain what type of program, curriculum, activity, etc. that you would create if a need existed in your school environment.
To prepare for this Discussion:
•Review the Learning Resources.
•Select a school counseling social justice advocacy topic from the following choices in which you are interested:
oCollege/Career
oEquity for all students
oGifted and Talented programs
oSocial-Emotional Development (this is the one I chose)
oDiscipline/suspensions
oTransgender/Gender-noncomforming youth
oUndocumented youth
oAchievement Gap
•Research the scope of the problem and a gap related to schools
•Complete The Advocacy Issue and SMART Goal template located in the required resources
Post your completed The Advocacy Issue and SMART Goal template which addresses the following:
•Describe the Problem (Identify and describe the topic, problem, and gap. Use resources to support your points.). The advocacy issue for a student-centered challenge based on your research, data, and its effect on students in terms of student achievement, attendance, or behavior.
oTarget population and age group
oWhy is this a problem?
oImpact in your school community? (Include data/resources to support your points. Use APA formatting to cite your sources.)
•ASCA SMART Goal
oThe measurable goal for an initiative to address the problem using the ASCA SMART format
Support your statements with evidence from the Learning Resources and media, as well as your research.