A project of the New Jersey School Counselor Association
School counseling programs can have a powerful impact on student learning and academic achievement. The New Jersey School Counseling Initiative II: A Framework for Developing Your Comprehensive K-12 School Counseling Program provides the tools necessary to help school districts and counselors examine current school counseling practices and services and then work to align them with the ASCA National Standards and National Model, NJ Core Content curriculum Standards. It will also help them to address the mandates of No Child Left Behind, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Legislation, and NJ Administrative Code. The Framework will help counselors to clarify their roles, eliminating clerical and non-guidance tasks, and to design and promote the management and delivery of a school counseling program comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, and developmental in nature.
With national, state, and local expectations up, standards raised, and resources limited, it is time for schools to reexamine their district resources and find creative ways to meet the demands. One of the most valuable assets in school districts is the school counseling program. School counseling programs are not reactive; they are proactive. They are not restrictive; they are holistic. They aren’t stagnant; they are ever-changing. As the needs of the district change, as the needs of the students change, the school counseling program must change, and the school counselor must be the change agent.
Framework Initiative by Chapter
Executive Director: Jim Lukach
Technology Chair/Webmaster: Jillian Shadis