National Leadership Cadre: Tearing Down Silos to Build Towers

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National Leadership Cadre Tearing Down Silos to
Build Towers

• MA DOE, MASCA
• NCSCOR
• Presented at the ACRN National Conference
• March 9, 2006

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High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain
focused. Still, he couldnt shake one nagging
thought he was an old dog and this was a new
trick.
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Cadre Project Panelists and Representation

• Karen DeCoster, MADOE/CRN
• Jay Carey, UMASS CSCOR
• Katie Gray, MASCA
• Keith Westrich-MA Workforce Development

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National Cadre Project Vision

• Nationwide systemic reform of school counseling
  that is focused on career development and
  facilitated by partnerships between state
  government agencies, the school counseling
  association and higher education.

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Massachusetts Model

• Component 1 A State Model for Comprehensive
  School Counseling Programs
• Component 2 Career Development (CD) CD is a
  feature of the Model (e.g., CD benchmarks are the
  curriculum standards)
• Component 3 Alignment Curriculum standards are
  aligned with state curriculum frameworks
• Component 4 Support The Model is endorsed by
  key stakeholders via written endorsement
  contributions
• Component 5 Critique Feedback on the Model was
  solicited via a public comment period

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The Mission of MA as National Cadre Facilitators
?

• To coordinate, document and assist states in
  the implementation of standards-based, data
  driven school counseling programs that support
  career development through critical partnerships.
  

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Selected National Cadre Sites

• Arizona
• Florida
• Georgia (provisional status)
• Iowa
• Massachusetts
• Missouri
• Nebraska

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Qualities Contributions of Cadre Sites

• Innovative Resources, Key Partnerships, and
  Commitment to the Integration of Career
  Development and School Counseling
• Will Collaborate to Develop Necessary Resources,
  Tools, Information and Expertise
• Will Collaborate to Share Resources, Tools,
  Information and Expertise

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Why Should Career Development be Central to
School Counseling? (Norm Gysbers)

• Needs of our students in a flat global economy
• Needs of our society/economy
• It is the heritage of the school counseling
  profession

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Katie Gray, MASCA

• The mission of school counselors is to support
  optimal development of youth. But to what end?
• That end independent, happy successful adults
  (workers, citizens, family members).
• MAs Model provides a vehicle for counselors to
  ensure that all students stand a chance.

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Counselors as Keepers of the Vision

• Counselors must position themselves to become the
  leaders of the systemic change required to
  realize this vision (i.e., reform of school
  counseling focused on career development and
  facilitated by partnerships)
• School counselors must also redefine themselves
  to prevent extinction!

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The Changing Role of Massachusetts School
Counselors

• FROM
• Student Services Modelour own silo
• 90 of our time with 10 of the students
• Perceived as peripheral
• Burned out and losing respect

• TO
• Comprehensive standards based Model using CDE
  benchmarks
• Working with 100 of the students
• Leaders of systemic change through advocacy and
  collaboration
• Rejuvenation of the profession

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My Story as Systemic Change Agent

• Implementation of the ASCA Model in my school (as
  guidance director) generating positive results
• Ran for office in MASCA to promote similar change
  at the state level
• Organized Model Task Force within MASCA
• Asked UMA to join forces with MASCA
• Lobbied and lobbied DOE, right up to the
  Commissioner!
• Partnered to get the job done
• No more silos

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The New Role of Counselors In My School
(Blackstone Valley Technical HS)

• School counselors teach employability classes
  based on the CDE benchmarks to ALL students
  grades 9-12.
• They spend 25 2 periods per day of their time
  in the classroom
• They collect data on the effectiveness of their
  curriculum and the early data indicate
• 15 increase in students taking PSATs Oct.2005
• 10 increase in college applications sent out of
  the counseling office
• 12 increase in students applying for
  scholarships
• Counselors make recommendations to BVT
  administrative team and suggest educational
  practices and methods to increase academic
  achievement and improve postsecondary results.

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John Carey, UMASS and CSCOR(a very short story)

• School Counseling Researchers VS. Practitioners
• CSCOR connecting Research, Practice and
  Evaluation
• School Reform and the Land Brant University

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Karen DeCoster, MCRN/MADOE

• It began at the UMA Summer Institute (to discover
  what THEY were doing!)
• Promoted the MCRN agenda and MA CDE Guide
  proudly and boldly.
• Saw an opportunity to advance MY agenda!!!
• But it soon became OUR agenda.
• Back at the farm I decided to learn more about
  Connecting Activities and Keiths agenda.
• Another silo came down

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Keith Westrich-Connecting Activities, DWFD (based
at MADOE)

• 4.2 million state legislative line item
  (7027-0019) established in 1997 to sustain and
  implement the work-based learning component of
  career development education through 16 Local
  WIBs in MA via
• 1. Staffing Employer Outreach
  Specialists/Career Specialists
• 2. Professional Development Work-Based
  Learning Plan
• 3. Student Support Special Accommodations
• 4. Data Management and Accountability MA STC
  Database

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Connecting Activities Outcomes (FY 05)

• 12,656 students in structured paid internships
• 9,915 students had a MA Work-Based Learning
  Plan
• 13,200 participated in job shadowing
  experiences
• 5,610 employers sponsored internship
  placements
• 2,900 employers hosted job shadowing
  experiences
• 700 teacher externships

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The MA Work-Based Learning Plan

• Standards-based tool organized around 9
  employability competencies designed to drive
  learning and productivity for students in
  structured work-based learning experiences.
• Three-fold Purpose
• 1. Diagnostic
• 2. Goal Setting
• 3. Assessment

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Silos Come Down via Life Science Literacy/Career
Development Project

• Saw value of MA Model and SC Reform
• SCs Feed STEM Pipeline
• Partnerships w/State and Local Stakeholders
• 6 Pilot Sites Supported through MCRN, MA BioEd
  and WIBs

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We interrupt this PPT for

• Questions
• and
• Answers?

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Building a Tower Together

• State Career Development Education Benchmarks
• MCRN Standards-Based School Projects
• Massachusetts School Counseling Model
• Implementation Models and Guide
• Mass Bioteach Initiative

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Why School Counselors As Keepers of this Career
Development Vision?

• Integrated Student Outcomes! That is,
• Students who are
• Skilled
• Academically/Technically Able
• Self-Directed
• Collaborative
• Purposive
• Academic/Technical Achievement and Career
  Development are a Both-And not an Either-Or

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Group Discussion Questions

• If you have not already, what would you need or
  do in your state to build such towers?
• What can you contribute to the Cadre?
• What tool, resources, support, information would
  be helpful?

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Summary Discussion

• Summary of Important Outcomes of Group
  Discussions
• General Questions and Discussion

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The Goal? Success for Rex!