Press Releases

Principal-Counselor Relationship Key to Student Achievement

Reports Examine Areas Critical for Effective Partnerships That Support Successful Schools

06/09/09

NEW YORK — A strong relationship between school principal and school counselor is integral to improving student achievement, especially for students from low-income, first-generation and other traditionally underrepresented populations, according to a new two-part report that examines effective principal-counselor relationships. The report was released this week by the College Board’s National Office for School Counselor Advocacy, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Based on interviews of seven highly effective principal-counselor teams, the report “Finding a Way: Practical Examples of How an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship Can Lead to Success for All Students” tells the stories of principals and counselors who have formed strong partnerships to overcome challenges and prepare students for college success. The companion report, “A Closer Look at the Principal-Counselor Relationship: A Survey of Principals and Counselors,” provides the results of a national survey of more than 2,300 principals and counselors and explores their perceptions about this important relationship.

It will be distributed to tens of thousands of school counselors and secondary school principals and more than 100,000 other educators across the country.

“Educators face enormous challenges in helping their students achieve college success,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “We hope the characteristics of an effective principal-counselor relationship highlighted in this report will be helpful to schools across the country as they work to improve the college-going culture on their campuses.” He added, “Without the involvement of ASCA and NASSP, a project like this could not have been so successful.”

The principals and counselors featured in “Finding a Way” were identified by the College Board, ASCA and NASSP for their leadership and success. They include NASSP Principals of the Year, an ASCA Counselor of the Year, Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) school award recipients, and teams from schools recognized by the College Board’s Inspiration Awards program. The teams interviewed come from:

• Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C.;
• Ernesto Serna School in El Paso, Texas; 
• Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Ga.; 
• Kenwood Academy in Chicago, Ill.; 
• Palm Beach Gardens High School in West Palm Beach, Fla.; 
• T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va.; and
• Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, Calif.

Richard Flanary, senior director of NASSP’s Leadership Programs & Services Team, said, “The experiences of the seven schools in ‘Finding a Way’ make it clear that even in challenging circumstances, principals and school counselors working together can form effective partnerships that lead students to greater academic achievement.”

One major theme common to all seven teams is that team members know, understand and respect their counterparts’ roles within the school. The report illustrates the broad areas critical for the development of an effective principal-counselor relationship: mutual trust and respect, communication, shared vision and decision-making.

The survey results show that while principals and counselors are in close agreement about the major issues relating to their professional relationships, the two groups perceive these issues differently, and principals are considerably more likely than counselors to believe that the components necessary for an effective relationship are present in their schools. A follow-up study of award-winning principals and counselors shows that these educators recognized for their success have found ways to bridge the gap between principals and counselors and create effective working relationships. The teams in the study come from both rural and urban schools, and from all areas of the country. Each faces different challenges, yet all have found a way to work together, and each school can point to remarkable student success as a result.

ASCA Executive Director Richard Wong said, “The information this project has collected already has been very important — both the quantitative data that demonstrate what the issues are and what needs to be done, and the qualitative data that give us an idea of how those issues can be addressed. We would like to see people use the materials and the information from this project to define the role of the school counselors in the schools, to define the relationships between the principals and the school counselors, and to use the relationships to improve student success.”

By sharing the results of the survey and the stories, strategies and practices of the seven effective teams, the College Board, ASCA and NASSP hope to inspire educators to examine professional relationships in their own schools and work together more effectively to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Other important findings include:

• Both groups see improving respect as a major goal. However, principals seek respect for their goals and vision, while counselors are more likely to seek personal respect.
• Both groups consider lack of time as the biggest barrier to effective collaboration.
• Principals and counselors report that the most important role for principals in education reform is “leader,” while the most important role for counselors is “advocate.”

“Through this research, we’ve been able to provide resources and examples so that other principal-counselor teams will be able to emulate the best practices from these schools to work out relationship issues in their own buildings and become more effective in increasing student achievement,” said College Board Assistant Vice President Patricia Martin, director of NOSCA. To read the complete reports, visit: www.collegeboard.com/findingaway.
  

The College Board

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college readiness, college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT® and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns. For more information, please visit http://www.collegeboard.com.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle-level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The mission of NASSP is to promote excellence in school leadership. NASSP provides its members with the professional research-based and peer-tested resources, and practical tools and materials they need to serve as visionary school leaders. Through award-winning publications, professional development opportunities, ready access to relevant research and persistence in advocating on behalf of school leaders, NASSP helps to advance middle-level and high school education by promoting high professional standards; focusing attention on school leaders’ challenges; providing a “national voice” for school leaders; building public confidence in education; strengthening the role of the principal as instructional leader; and publicizing the issues and interests of our members in the news media. For more information, visit www.nassp.org.

The American School Counselor Association

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is a nonprofit professional organization based in Alexandria, Va. ASCA promotes student success by expanding the image and influence of professional school counseling through leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change. ASCA helps school counselors guide their students toward academic achievement, personal and social development, and career planning to help today’s students become tomorrow’s productive, contributing members of society. ASCA serves the school counseling profession by providing profession development, publications and other resources. ASCA also develops and maintains ethics standards as well as standards for school counseling programs, student performance and school counselor competency. Founded in 1952, ASCA has a network of 50 state associations and a membership of approximately 25,000 school counseling professionals. For more information, please visit www.schoolcounselor.org.

 

CONTACT

Nancy Viggiano, The College Board, 212-713-8052, communications@collegeboard.org
Bob Farrace, NASSP, 703-860-7257, farraceb@principals.org
Kathleen Rakestraw, ASCA, 703-864-8734, krakestraw@schoolcounselor.org