Celebrating & Promoting Counseling Programs

1. Celebrating & Promoting Counseling Programs American School Counselors Association July 5, 2010 Presenters: Dianne Thompson, Director Galen Reavis, Coordinator Demetria Williams, Coordinator

2. GCPS Demographics Gwinnett County Public Schools • Atlanta Urban Fringe • 160,000+ students…and growing • 0.1% American Indian • 28.0% African American • 10.6% Asian American • 22.1% Hispanic • 4.4% Multiracial • 34.8% White • 100+ Languages • 130 Schools • 50% Free or Reduced Lunch

3. Goals of this Session. . . • To introduce ways to develop and promote the counseling “brand” to all audiences • To share suggestions for marketing your counseling office and programs • To enhance participants understanding of Advocacy • To utilize ASCA Model tools to “Celebrate & Promote Counseling Programs”

4. The Power of Branding • A brand is an intangible asset defined by the expectations people have about an organization or group. • It is a management function. • It is tied to your mission and strategic objectives.

5. Developing & Promoting the Counseling Brand Brand=Reputation • Define . . . Define your program. What do you stand for? What do you want to be known for? • Promise. . . What promises do you and your program make to staff, students, and parents? • Deliver. . . How do you deliver on those promises? • Remind. . . How can you reinforce your brand? By promoting your successes and “telling your story.”

6. A Definition of School Marketing School marketing uses promotional strategies to educate our target audiences to the value of public education, in general, and our schools or programs, in particular, encouraging personal investment and involvement in the success of the enterprise to the benefit of all stakeholders.

7. Elements in the School Marketing Mix • Building relationships and Engaging your community (investment/target audience) • Extending the brand (value) • Providing a quality and effective education to all children (service) • Sharing the good news (communication/promotion)

8. Benefits of Marketing • Furthers the brand. . . Your brand, the school’s, and the system’s • Builds the school’s or department’s reputation • Engenders support from local community • Communicates your successes • Can extend a relationship to the wider community (media)

9. Marketing Sells the Benefits of a Comprehensive Program • People are quick to resist a program or an idea because they fear change • It is harder to protest the benefits of something when they are clearly stated • Do your homework ahead of time!

10. Easiest way to sell benefits of change is to explain that…. • “This will help kids/students because…” • “This is good for students because…” • Asking “Why do you think this is not good for students?” • Asking “How will this not help students?”

11. Marketing to Your Community • Audiences • Students • Staff members • Families • Business partners • Neighbors

12. Marketing to Your Community • Vehicles • Newsletters • Message Boards • Web site/web page • Electronic Communication

13. Marketing to Your Community • Some other vehicles… • Signage leading to and around the counseling office • Brochures and flyers tied to specific initiatives, events, etc. • Word-of-mouth “ambassadors” • Closed-circuit TV to reach students • Staff meetings/events to reach staff • Presentations or booths at parent and community events

14. Marketing to Your Community • Tips, Tools, and Tactics • First impressions. . . Customer service • No lost opportunities. . . Messages in unexpected places • Events • For families • For community

15. Marketing to Your Community • More tips, tools, and tactics… • T-shirts, magnets, bumper stickers • Sticky notepads Counselors… Building Bridges to Student Achievement From the desk of Your School Counselor • Banners, signs, posters • Coffees, brown bags, roundtables

16. Elbow Partner Activity Take 1 Brainstorm some resources in your county/district/school that you may not have tapped into at this point.

17. 21st Century Comprehensive Counseling Program

18. 21C3 Star Levels • Blue • Red • Silver • Gold • Millennium

19. Program Considerations • Are the goals of your school’s counseling department tied to the school mission? • Are the goals: • Focused on student achievement • Data driven • Tied to AYP & the school improvement plan • Is the program proactive & focused on needs of all students? • Are you evaluating your program? How?

20. How are students different as a result of the school counseling program?

21. Partnership Agreement (a.k.a. Management Agreement) • Develop a relationship with your Administrator that is not solely based on putting out fires. • Earn your administrator’s trust. • Demonstrate that you are competent enough to take on certain tasks – Include these tasks in your agreement • Show that you are willing to be challenged • Under promise – over perform!! • Show strong work ethic • Build rapport with administrator • Specify Duties & Responsibilities

22. When asking for change, consider • How important is the issue to counselors? • Why is this important? • How did you determine the importance of this issue? • Long term effects on your counseling program? • What’s the net benefit/impact on students? • Am I prepared to face the consequences? • Am I doing this for the right reasons? • Will this complicate or help? • If I choose to push the issue, will I be able to live with myself as a leader?

23. Pick Your Battles! It is good to fight for what you believe in or for what you know is right, but if you do so every time, you will quickly die on the battlefield and be of no help to anyone.

24. Advisory Council • Work with your Administrator • 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When, Why • Include all stakeholders • Friends and Foes • Schedule, Reflect, and Adjust

25. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

26. Build Support by Identifying Your Supporters The politics of change require that you campaign for change. For change or leadership to be successful, it is necessary to devote a good deal of time to working the network of students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

27. Program Goals & Closing the Gap Action Plan • Who writes/approves them? • Do they align with school goals? • What data are they based on? • Included in your Partnership/Management Agreement? • When, how & with whom are results shared?

28. School counselors must collect data that support and link the school counseling programs to students’ academic success.

29. Calendars • Weekly • Monthly • Yearly • 3-5 year Plan Accessible Visible

30. Supporting Your Use of Time • What data do you collect? • How do you collect the data? • 5 W’s & How do you share the data?

31. Classroom Guidance Curriculum • Why did you choose this topic/curriculum? • How will you know if it’s effective? • With whom will you share the results? • How is the current topic advertised? • How is the current topic reinforced?

32. Small Group Curriculum • How was the group topic chosen? • Goals of the small group curriculum? • Share ALL the data • Process • Perception • Results

33. Program Evaluation • Multi-faceted Evaluation • Needs Assessment • Event Feedback • Counseling Program Audit

34. Impact Over Time Examine Student/School Trends: Demographics Academics Career Life Skills Parent Involvement

35. Define the term Advocacy

36. The administration must understand the VALUE ADDED by the school counseling department.

37. Advocacy Activity Program Promotion: What have you tried that worked? What have you tried that didn’t work? Directions: Use small post-its to answer each question, then place response under appropriate header.

38. Advocacy • Focus on results • View accountability as a necessity • Exhibits the 3 E’s • High Energy • Energizes others • Executes by consistently turning vision into desired results • Lead by example

39. As a counselor leader & advocate, one of your responsibilities is to make your administrator look good!!!

40. When your administrator looks good, YOU look good!

41. Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. --Dale Carnegie

42. What Happens to Our Good News? • Internal Audiences • Staff Newsletters • Portal

43. What Happens to our Good News? • External Audiences • Communiqué • GCPS Web site • eNews • GCPS TV. . . In5, Focus, honor slides • SCENE (Chamber of Commerce)

44. What Happens to Our Good News? • Media • News You Can Use • News Release • Pitch

45. Sharing Your Good News • Share information with key personnel: • Honors and awards • Events • Parent Night • Special Programs • Cluster Meeting • Counselor activity/lesson • Special interest • Publications

46. Good News…for your community and beyond: • Counselor Recognition • Dept. Newsletter • Other Internal Newsletter • Website(s) • Phone Tree • E-Newsletters • Postcards/mailings • PTA meetings • Open House • Agenda Book • School Calendar • Enrollment Packet • Counselor Brochure • School Profile • Sports Programs • Counselor Corner • Answering Machines • Voice mail

47. PR Plan “Everything you do and say is Public Relations.” - Anonymous • 5 W’s & How • Resources • Schedule • Reflect "PR is Performance Recognition." - Douglas Smith

48. PR Assessment

49. "Public relations is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics." -Institute of Public Relations

50. Counselor Recognition • National School Counselor Week • Promotional Materials