Many people want to become school counselors to help prepare the next generation of students to succeed after grade school and high school. This is a noble path, and it can pay off in a long, rewarding career. That’s especially true if you land in a school that values all that school counselors do.
Schools that invest in counselors can see a difference in their students’ academic, social, and personal lives. That’s because school counselors do much more than help students fill out applications. Follow along as we explore why investing in school counseling support pays off in ways test scores don’t capture.
Well-Supported School Counselors Help Students in Valuable Ways
It’s easy to be reductive and assume that school counselors only help students when it’s time to enroll in college. When given the proper support, school counselors do much more than that, and it often pays off in higher test scores. Well-supported school counselors can help students excel in school in many ways, including:
Help Students Navigate Stress and Pressure
For many years, struggling students often felt misunderstood in their personal and academic struggles. If a student’s test scores plummet, it may have as much to do with their drive as it does with their social and family life. Luckily, the right school counselor can help students understand and overcome such stress and pressure.
However, even the best counselor will struggle to accommodate the students’ needs if the school doesn’t support them. It’s hard to perform under extreme stress when your brain is still developing, and school counselors can help with that. The right school counselor with a realistic budget and schedule can make a huge difference in helping students navigate stress.
Encourage College Enrollment
Not every student plans on going to college, and that’s okay. However, students who plan on going to college have a goal to work toward, and counselors can help them meet it. School counselors can show students that college is a realistic option even if they hadn’t considered it before.
Many students understandably worry about the cost of attending college, and counselors can help demystify it. For example, counselors can walk students through the student loan application process. They can also help students narrow their focus based on their talents and interests to find the right college for them.
School counselors can give hope to students who previously thought college was unattainable. In doing so, they can boost morale and encourage such students to work harder and achieve better test scores. This is a big part of why schools must invest in school counselors and give them enough time to work closely with students.
Teach Students to Navigate Conflict
Bullying has always been and sadly always will be a part of the school system. That’s a harsh reality, but investing in school counselors can help reduce bullying through conflict resolution. When given a budget, school counselors can implement anti-bullying campaigns and get teachers on board.
Well-supported counselors can also provide a safe space for victims of bullying. It’s hard to excel in school when your mental health has been tarnished due to bullying and fear of schooling. However, school counselors can only do so much if the school doesn’t support them and provide resources.
Track Progress and Implement Solutions
When school counselors aren’t given the right budget and schedule, they can only do so much to help students. In a perfect world, each counselor at every school has the time and money to track each student’s progress. That way, they can catch problems early and implement solutions for struggling students.
This can lead to meaningful conversations where counselors learn more about students and what makes them tick. These conversations may reveal stressors, disabilities, mental health problems, and domestic problems. At the very least, the counselor can learn about the students’ interests and motivate them to be better students.
Everyone wants to feel understood, and it’s hard to excel as a student when you feel misunderstood. Well-supported counselors can track student progress, intervene when needed, and help motivate them to thrive in school. This will not only improve test scores but also help prepare them for what comes next in life.
Supporting School Counselors Will Pay Off
School counselors are champions of student success above all else, and that’s important. Students of all ages face struggles at school, at home, and on the weekend in their social lives. Enough time and money give school counselors the chance to monitor students closely, track their progress, and intervene when needed.
For example, a student with poor test scores across the board can slip through the cracks in an underfunded school. However, a well-supported school counselor can quickly catch this and address the students’ struggles to help them succeed. The more we support and understand students, the better they will perform.