Data-Driven School Counselors

Using online standardized surveys to improve school district’s counseling program

Needs Assessment data helps to determine:

which services are valued by school community

what are the needs of parents, students, and teachers

what are the expectations for the future of the school counseling program

District wide standardized Needs Survey uses:

To identify areas needing change and improvement To develop district wide benchmarks or vision data to

focus planning To identify schools where interventions are needed and

which interventions are most likely to be successful To create recommendations for state educational

policymakers To gather perceptions on the impact of mandated or

recommended school counseling activities

Benefits of standardization

To improve the overall quality of Needs Assessment surveys

To clarify the nature and definition of data

(which variables are to be collected, how questions are asked)

To increase their comparability To improve accessibility of counseling data

How using a computerized existing survey or survey template helps school counselors

Data input is quick and easy Content is designed at appropriate developmental

level Key constructs or data variables are defined At least one question is devoted for each construct

identified Demographic variables are defined Introduction and thank you are written

Online surveys are easy for district counselors to administer

Send e-mail to parents and teachers Post the survey on a your counseling website Post the survey on the school’s parent portal

Quicker and easier data analysis

Online needs assessments: Automatically converts data into graphs Calculates percents, mean, median and

mode Scores responses and makes results

available immediately online Ensures accuracy by computer

Why gather updated needs information?

1 To identify new needs

2 To suggest new priorities among previously identified needs

Why update continued…

3 To identify schools where counseling specialists are needed:

Bilingual counselors Career center technicians Parent education coordinators Special education coordinators Substance abuse prevention counselors

Counseling trends & new student needs

Helping: Students cope with violence surrounding them Increasing numbers of students who feel alienated

from school and school staff Increasing numbers of students who need help

making career development plans To improve cross-cultural awareness and reduce

racism and ethnocentrism

Counseling trends & new parent needs

Parents need and want more parenting skills Schools need more effective ways to reach

uninvolved parents Schools need funds to create parent

coordinator positions

Counseling trends & new teacher needs

Teachers: Need help meeting the special needs of students

who fall educationally in the middle of the Bell Curve Seek better response to specific classroom problems Want a fuller understanding of the guidance program Want more help with understanding standardized

testing and its appropriate uses