Florida School Counselor by Florida School Counselor Association

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SCHOOL COUNSELOR

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FLORIDA SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION

FALL 2008

PG. 5

CHANGES TO THE FLORIDA SYSTEM

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CONTENTS

FEATURES

Changes to the Florida College System

Using Data Simply BY MADELYN ISAACS, PH.D.

Florida School Counselor Association 2008 Convention

What Will YOU Do for Shy Kids? BY MARJORIE BRAUN KNUDSEN

Counseling Older Middle School Students BY SUSAN M. STABILE

DEPARTMENTS

PUBLISHER Florida School Counselor Association P.O. Box 752 Safety Harbor, Fl 34695-0752 Phone or Fax: (888) 785-8611 www.fla-schoolcounselor.org fsca@fla-schoolcounselor.org CO-EDITORS Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D. Jessica Metzler ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Ken Cibroski ken@adguidance.com (877) 965-7492 (877) 562-9189, fax

President’s Message

Vice President’s View: Elementary Level

Vice President’s View: Middle Level

Vice President’s View: Secondary Level

Resources

News You Can Use

Legislation and Advocacy

Scholarships and Grants

For Parents: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Quiz

Important Dates

FSCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PPRESIDENT Susan Gertel sgertel@cfl.rr.com

MISSION FIRST

PAST-PRESIDENT Dr. Madelyn Isaacs misaacs@fgcu.edu

BY SUSAN D. GERTEL, CE, NCSC, NCC FSCA PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT -ELECT Curtis Jenkins Jenkins_c@popmail.firn.edu REGION 1 V.P. Ginger Green Gingergreen@gmail.com

he school year is under way, and in spite of the tropical depressions and hurricanes, we are back at work affecting change in our students, faculty, families and schools. According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), one role that is appropriate for school counselors is to be agents for systemic change. The challenge is to determine what changes are necessary in our programs and, after implementing those changes, discerning whether or not the changes have been effective for our students and school community. Over the past 10 years, I have grown immensely from my involvement with FSCA and subsequently with ASCA. A major way I have grown is in my perspective of what a comprehensive school counseling program involves. Exemplary, comprehensive programs from all around the country have been presented at the ASCA conferences. What I have seen are measurable results based on quantitative as well as qualitative data indicating these programs work in all types of settings. Here in Florida we are fortunate as the state of Florida mandates that every district have a comprehensive guidance and counseling program. Additionally, Florida has benchmarks and standards for school counseling programs. The newest edition of the standards will be highlighted in a session in October at the FSCA convention. Most districts have also developed standards and benchmarks for every grade level in the three domain areas: academic, career and personal/social. Both district and state guidelines align with the ASCA National Model and provide an excellent foundation for individual school programs. So what does this mean to you, the school counselors in Florida? Establishing a foundation for your program ensures that all activities you undertake – large-group presentations, classroom lessons, small groups and individual counseling sessions – are based on the same principles (foundation). If you change nothing else this year, I encourage you develop this foundation for your program, based on a mission and vision for your department. Many of you already have school mission statements, and you will want to focus on the school’s mission as you develop the department’s mission statement. For more details, visit the newly launch ASCA National Model Web site. Establishing this foundation is the first step in implementing the ASCA National Model in your school. As school counselors, we are called to be leaders and affect systemic change on our campuses. The FSCA leadership is here to provide you any support, training, or resources you need to begin to affect change in your schools. ■

What I have seen are

measurable results based on quantitative as well as qualitative data indicating these

programs work in all types of settings.

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REGION 2 V.P. Nan Worsowicz worsowiczn@duvalschools.org REGION 3 CO-VP Tina Bulled tina.bulled@ocps.net REGION 3 CO-V.P. Danielle Exposito REGION 4 VP Claire Cousins ctcounsins@aol.com REGION 5 VP Sharon Dolinsky Missg1963@yahoo.com DISTRICT LEVEL SUPERVISOR VP Karalia Baldwin baldwink@pcsb.org ELEMENTARY LEVEL V.P. Shirley Redcay sredcay@hotmail.com MIDDLE LEVEL V.P Susan Stabile susan.stabile@sdhc.k12.fl.us SECONDARY LEVEL V.P. Chris Smith savonasmith@.yahoo.com POST SECONDARY LEVEL V.P. Dr. Mercedes ter Maat mbtermaat@comcast.net

EDITORIAL POLICY FSCA welcomes unsolicited articles and letters deemed to be of interest to the members. Submissions will not be returned and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. Use email if possible. Always include your name, address, daytime phone number, fax number and e-mail address with your submission. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the association’s membership, volunteers or staff. ADVERTISING POLICY FSCA reserves the right to edit copy and to refuse advertisements it deems objectionable. The publication of an advertisement in the Florida School Counselor is not an endorsement of the advertiser or of the advertised product or service. FSCA is not responsible for any claims made in advertisements. To determine accreditation status of educational institutions, consult the state and regional accrediting directories or the state department of education. MEMBERSHIP FSCA membership dues are $30/year, of which $5 is for a subscription to the Florida School Counselor. The Florida School Counselor is published five times per year in July, August (Back to School Issue), October, January, and April by the Florida School Counselor Association Inc., P.O. Box 752, Safety Harbor, Fl 34695-0752.

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CHANGES TO THE FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM s the new school year begins, students will be seeking advice on college preparation. Community colleges have long been the post-secondary option of choice for many students due to their accessibility and variety of course offerings. With the passage of Senate Bill 1716 during the 2008 legislative session, came changes in the Florida Community College System. Some colleges have dropped “community” from their name, while others have added “state.” These changes have left many parents and students wondering, “What do these name changes mean?” “Will I be able to get in?” To provide helpful information to students and parents, it is important that school counselors have all the facts. Under the new legislation, the 28 institutions that once made up the Florida Community College System are now collectively referred to as the Florida College System. With permission from the state Board of Education, institutions within the system are permitted to drop “community” from their name, but not all institutions have elected to do so. The 2008 legislation also authorized a select group of pilot colleges to add “state” to their name. In recent years, 10 colleges have been authorized to offer baccalaureate degrees in high-need, highdemand workforce majors to meet Florida’s employment needs. To reflect the increasing number of baccalaureate degree programs and expanding missions of the colleges in the system, the legislation granted the community colleges the option of changing their name. Although many colleges have expanded their program offerings to include baccalaureate degrees, each institution within the system will continue to offer career education and associate degrees while maintaining an open-door mission.

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Although many colleges have expanded their program offerings to include baccalaureate degrees, each institution within the system will continue to offer career education and associate degrees. Students will continue to be able to access the colleges within the Florida College System by earning a standard high school diploma, GED or CPTEligible Certificate of Completion. Upon admission, students are required to take the CPT, ACT or SAT to determine placement in developmental and collegeready courses, and there is no GPA or SAT/ACT score required for admission.

FALL 2008

Students who earn a special diploma may enroll in the career and technical education programs. The Florida College System is dedicated to serving students and meeting the needs of local communities. For more information, contact community college representatives at the Florida Department of Education at (850) 245-0407. ■

USING DATA SIMPLY BY MADELYN ISAACS, PH.D.

onsistent with our message and that of ASCA, I have been nosing around some data to see what interesting trends or information pops out. In strict research terms this is called “data snooping” and is generally frowned upon without a hypothesis. However, in school counseling terms, snooping around data is what we should be doing more of to see where our services and curriculum are needed most and to determine if what we are doing is working. Here is what I have found about the state of school counseling in Florida. Student-to-school-counselor ratios in our public schools have been declining. When comparing fall 1998 with fall 2007, the ratio has gone from 504-to-1 to 423to-1 on a statewide basis. This 15 percent decrease in number of students per school counselor overall is contrasted by a 32 percent increase in the number of school counselors from 4,626 to 6,107 and with only a 12 percent increase in our student population from 2.3 million to 2.6 students. This overall state decrease can be further broken down by district size and individual district. In Figures 1 and 2 below, one can see the smallest districts made the largest gains.

FIGURE 1: RATIOS BY DISTRICT SIZE 1998 overall ratio/2007 overall ratio

Number Small districts (fewer than 10,000 students in fall 2007)

Middle-sized districts (10,001 to 49,999 students in fall 2007)

561:1/417:1; a 26 percent decrease

492:1/402:1; an 18 percent decrease

Districts with the largest percentage and number decreases ratios

27 (Only Suwanee and Franklin increased their ratios)

Liberty (went down 58 percent by tripling school counselors from 1 to 3)

21 (Highlands, St. Johns and Lake either remained stable or increased their ratios)

Sarasota (went down by 49 percent by increasing school counselors more than twofold with a more modest increase in population)

Levy (went down by 50 percent by doubling number of school counselors from 8 to 16 with a stable student population)

St. Lucie (went down by more than doubling school counselor numbers) Large districts (50,000 to 350,000 students in fall 2007)

Total State of Florida

1:505/1:439; a 13 percent decrease

FOLLOW THE MONEY… WELL, SORT OF. School counselors and media specialists earn, on the average for all 67 districts and special schools, about the same amounts; $51,313 and $51,029 respectively in 2006–07. However, counselors earn less than psychologists who earn $58,659 on the average and far more than teachers who earn $45,308 on the average. However, considering the graduate degree requirements of counselors, psychologists and social workers, the salary differential between them and teachers makes sense. Between 2005 and 2006, average salaries rose between 5.2 percent (for media specialists) and

Number of districts that decreased ratios

1:429/1:504; a 15 percent decrease

10 (Osceola, Lee, Seminole and Hillsborough either remained stable or increased their ratios)

Broward (went down by 30 percent by increased their number of counselors by 60 percent proportionately) Brevard (went down by 19 percent by increased their counselors by almost 50 percent)

58 (87 percent)

FIGURE 2: COMPARISON OF RATIOS FROM 1998 TO 2007 BY TOTAL STATE AND DISTRICT SIZE 600 500 2007 400 Average 300 Number of 200 Students Per 100 Counselor 0 1998

Small

FALL 2008

Mid-Size

Large

All Districts

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6.1 percent (for teachers) with counselors earning 5.9 percent more. Most building administrators earned around the same increases (among deans and assistant principals) but building leaders earned increase of 6–7.5 percent and more in specialty schools. Figures 3 and 4 show that size matters. The smaller the district, on the average, the lower the salary paid. However, smaller districts tend to have lower costs of living which may be mitigating factors. School counselors are considered “instructional staff” along with teachers at all levels and specialties, social workers, media specialists and school psychologists. In the fall of 2007 there were 6107 public school counselors in the state of Florida as compared with 73,761 elementary teachers and 65,271 secondary teachers. Exceptional Student Education teachers numbered 26,064 while there were only 1042 social workers and 1316 school psychologists statewide. Media specialists accounted for 2913 instructional staff and there were 6232 “other” teachers listed. There are a total of 171,328 classroom teachers and school counselors represent a portion of the 21,840 non-classroom instructional staff. In engaging in this exercise, I learned several lessons and have drawn related conclusions. There is a variety and plethora of data available from the state about employees, salaries, ratios, and so forth. With relatively little effort, I was able to take a huge amount of data, sort it and make simple but meaningful comparisons that may be of interest. The corollary for school counselors, is that there is even more data available about the students and teachers in their schools. Generally, someone has already collected raw data and may even have aggregated it for use. When it is available, it can usually be cut and pasted right into a spreadsheet for easy manipulation. Data snooping is available to all

FIGURE 3: AVERAGE SCHOOL COUNSELOR SALARIES BY DISTRICT SIZE

Number

Average salary

Small districts Less than 10,000 students in fall 2007

$46,387

Middle sized districts of 10,001 to 49,999 students in fall 2007

Large sized districts of 50,000 to 350,000 students in fall 2007

Total State of Florida

$49,643

$52,306

Number of months/contract days worked Most work a 10–10.8 month contract with a few working 11 or more months (6)

Union (37,096) at the low end of average Taylor ($61,897) at the high end of average

All but 1 work a 10 month contract with only 1 working for 11 months

Alachua ($41,623) at the low end of average

All but two work a 10 month contract (1 county work an average 9.9 months while 1 county staff work an 11.1 months)

Pasco ($47,311) at the low end of average

($60,079) at the high end of average

(56,323) at the high end of average

$51,313

whether novice or professional. School counselors have made tremendous gains in increasing their relative numbers and decreasing their ratios. Overall and in most individual districts, there has been a steady reduction in counselor to student ratios in Florida over the recent nine-year period. In thinking about how this may have occurred, I developed several hunches. School counselors can proudly point to a number of factors that may have set the stage for this gain including: ■ the ASCA National Model and related Florida Frameworks, ■ the promotion of the national and state standards throughout the state and individual districts, ■ the increasing amount of outcome research available about school counseling effectiveness that helps

FALL 2008

Salary ranges

promote school counseling and that provides school counselors with a body of interventions that work, ■ a systematic effort on the part of Florida DOE to increase school counselor use of data (for example, by providing the “MEASURE” system training and associated materials throughout the state,) ■ increased awareness and self-advocacy among our colleagues; and ■ school counselors increasingly proving their value to school improvement by “putting their data [sic] where their mouths are.” Data and analysis is easy—the tools are all there. Working from three sets of spreadsheets provided to me by Russ Sabella, I converted a great deal of raw data into the figures and charts you see above using cutting and pasting, point-

florida school counselor

ing and clicking, a blank spreadsheet, the sum and sort functions and very simple formulas to produce the data listed above. I did this all in a few hours one evening. Anyone with a spreadsheet of data can find interesting facts, trends, isolated cases and outcomes validation and can present their most interesting or pointed findings simply using percentages and charts. Microsoft Excel did all of the heavy lifting while I pointed and clicked and typed a bit. School counselors outnumber Florida school social workers and school psychologists combined. Yet, I can recall professional school counselors over the years discussing the influence of social workers and psychologists with envy that would belie their lesser numbers than school counselors have. Of course, as a recent association president, I have to ask about the services and value for membership their associations offer with their high percentage of members and understand that our recent spikes in membership must be related to a perception among our colleagues that joining a professional association has benefits. I continue to see that our increasing numbers and representation of a larger proportion of school counselors is correlated to more and diverse services, professional development, partnerships, activity and influence. The more school counselor voices sing the same song, the greater our opportunities to influence school, district, public policy and legislation. School counselors around the nation are increasingly empowered. In Florida, we are seeing evidence of this in the recent growth in FSCA membership and interest from a variety of potential partners. A review of this data seems to point to the strength gathered from being well-organized, understanding and pursuing one’s mission, being persistent, having a single vision and working a strategic plan targeted to that mission. It is not about sheer volume but about working smarter as FSCA is learning to do.

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36% Elementary (PK, K-5 or 6)

FIGURE 4: SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF 14% Exceptional Education Teachers

3% Other Teachers 3% School Counselors 40% Elementary (PK, K-5 or 6)

Social Wokers

School Psychologists

2% Librarians/ Audio-Visual Workers

I continue to see that our increasing numbers and representation of a larger proportion of school counselors is correlated to more and diverse services, professional development, partnerships, activity and influence. There was a lot of data and not all data is worth mining and reporting and not all data even when reported is meaningful or useful. There was much more data about instructional staff, noninstructional staff, county-by-county analyses and the like that I could have mined and made comparisons about.

FALL 2008

However, most was irrelevant. Being selective is important as is developing useful questions that the data can explain or answer or direct further inquiry. Even among what I chose to report above, some of it has more “face validity”, i.e., it looks more interesting and meaningful, than it may actually be. I am not smarter than the average school counselor but I was an early convert to the power of data and have honed some meager skills to have that power on my side. While the knowledge that I am not smarter than the average school counselor is not news to me, it is good to engage in an activity that reminds me that data can help me learn, plan, prove my point, make better decisions, influence, strengthen my effectiveness and validate my life’s work. ■ Madelyn Isaacs, Ph.D. Past-President, FSCA and Professor, Counseling, FGCU

FLORIDA SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION 2008 CONVENTION October 23–25, 2008 ■ Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld

he most focused program in school counseling in Florida, the 2008 FSCA Convention will be delivered by thoughtful leaders from Florida and throughout the United States. The hottest and most relevant topics will be explored by leading industry advocates, state officials, counselor educators and most importantly, school counselors! Visit www.fla-schoolcounselor.org to register.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 11 A.M. KEYNOTE SPEAKER Salvaging Sisterhood Julia V. Taylor Incidents involving relational aggression, such as gossip, exclusion, taunting, cyberbullying and rejecting other girls frequently pass under the radar of educators. Relational aggression causes enormous amounts of distress and creates havoc in the schools. This interactive and solution-focused revolves around the notion “raising awareness to provoke change.” You will learn how to engage faculty, staff, parents and students in the process to recognize, understand and reduce relational aggression. Participants will be provided with plenty of easy to implement strategies to help girls navigate the social jungle of girlhood! Julia is a school counselor for Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has writtenthree books: “Salvaging Sisterhood”

(www.youthlight.com), “G.I.R.L.S: Group Counseling Activities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development” for secondary ages and “G.I.R.L.S.” for elementary ages (www.researchpress.com). Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, she received her undergraduate degree in exercise science with a concentration in health education from George Mason University. Julia received her master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in school counseling from Marymount University. She has been a counselor at both the middle and high school levels. Julia is a nationally recognized public speaker and presents workshops and keynote addresses to educators at national and state conferences, individual schools and organizations, district inservices and PTA groups. She has conducted television, newspaper and documentary interviews, along with authoring numerous publications about adolescent and parenting issues. She is the Professional Interest Network Bullying Specialist for the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and serves on the North Carolina School Counselor Association (NCSCA) Board as the middle level vice president. In addition to speaking to professionals, Julia frequently educates children, teens, and parents in local communities about relational aggression, body image and other adolescent/teen issues.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 9:00 A.M. – 10:30 P.M. No Child Left Behind for Parents Shawn Neal, Florida Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC) at the University of South Florida Room: Bluegill Levels: EMS No Child Left Behind provides families with greater choices and opportunities to become meaningfully involved in their

FALL 2008

child’s education. Counselors at Title I schools can play an important role in sharing this information with families. Participants will receive a CD with family friendly materials about NCLB and discover effective ways to inform and involve parents. Counseling Those Affected By Deployment: Military and Civilian Ms. Barbara Alexander, Benito Middle School Room: Coral A Levels: EMSP Deployment today challenges children, schools, families and communities for both military and civilian personnel. Predeployment stressors lead to less than optimal deployments, which continue after the homecoming. This presentation utilizes first hand stories of effective predeployment, deployment and post deployment strategies. Attendees will receive current bibliotherapy and related ideas to successfully counsel those affected by this ever growing phenomena called deployment. Career Counseling: Working with Student-athletes at High School and College Level Patrick Mullen, University of Central Florida Meredith Hirshhorn, University of Central Florida Room: Coral B Levels: SP At both the high school and college levels counselors must work with student athletes to provide academic and career counseling. This session is going to cover the barriers to working with student-athletes and research based methods to use with this population. Do You Know TRIO? Federal Programs Promoting Post-secondary Education Marlena Templet, Rollins College Room: Coral C Levels: MS Discover the impact TRIO programs have

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on your students’ success. Learn how to link your students to U.S. Department of Education pre-collegiate and collegiate programs. Free services target students with limited family income and potential to be of the first familial generation to attain a post-secondary degree. Enhancing Student Achievement through Family and Community Partnerships Karalia Baldwin, Pinellas County Room: Fantail Levels: EMS Do you want to enhance the opportunities for your students to be successful? Having meaningful and positive partnerships with families and the community will definitely help! Participants will gain insights on how to create effective and meaningful partnerships. Come willing to learn and share information on having successful partnerships that help ensure students academic and behavior success. Is MySpace Invading Your Space? Sean Richter, Deltona High School Jose Rivera, Deltona High School Room: Japanero Levels: EMS Learn how to present internet safety information to student/parents in a fun yet knowledgeable manner. In-depth discussion on social networking (MySpace), blogs, text, email, gaming, etc. Participants will receive a sample presentation to use with parents and students. SCAD (Senior College Application Day) Devyani Balladin, Ocoee High School Christine Stenger, Ocoee High School Room: Koi Levels: S SCAD is designed to have students gain understanding and confidence to start on the college application process. The program was developed by the concerns of a student and developed into a great and rewarding way to help students work towards a higher education.

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The Next Generation High School: What is the Role of the Secondary School Counselor? Helen Lancashire, Florida Department of Education Zelda Rogers, Florida Department of Education Room: Labrid Levels: S An overview of the Next Generation High School initiative and how it will impact secondary school counselors as well as career specialists. Data management and use of the four-year programs of study for high school as well as post-secondary goals and options will be discussed. Advocacy and Public Policy Briefing LeAnn Pollard, FSCA Chair-Legislative Affairs and Public Policy Room: Yellowtail Levels: EMSP Presentation by the committee on current events of interest for this year’s legislative sessions. Also information on developing grassroots coalitions.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 1:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. The High School Internet Challenge (HSIC) Daryl Hulce, Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation at Nova Southeastern University Room: Bluegill Levels: S Learn how to implement the HSIC and provide students with an opportunity to review for class material and earn scholarship money at the same time. The program is both an academic review and tool for teachers to use as a compliment to their lessons. Grade Level Retention and Social Promotion:The School Counselor’s Role Barbara Barry, Grand Avenue Primary Learning Center School Robert Lange, University of Central Florida (retired)

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Peggy Leggett, Reading Specialist Room: Coral A Levels: EMS What does the research say about grade level retention? A panel of experts in early childhood education, educational research, testing, reading instruction and student advocacy K–12 will discuss Florida’s student progression policies, mandated and multiple year grade retention and graduation requirements related to FCAT. Those in attendance will receive the latest research and best practices to assist in advocating for struggling learners as well as a plan of assistance for empowering parents to have a voice in the educational decisions for their children. Empowering Students through Mentoring Wendy Dunlap, University of North Florida Room: Coral B Levels: EMSP Learn how the University of North Florida SOAR Counselor Education Program developed a mentoring program for Duval County middle and high schools. Examine the program’s activities and curriculum. Learn how relationships between mentors and mentees increased academic success, improved self-esteem and helped students make the connection between school and work. “Learn and Serve” Trains Leaders for Elementary Peer Mediation Program Laura Kinard, Bryceville Elementary School Room: Coral C Levels: E Building strength of character and serving as productive members of society are phrases often included in our school’s mission statements. Young students are capable of serving their school by mediating student conflicts. As leaders, school counselors learn how to select, train and monitor peer mediators so they may serve others.

Cross-cultural Counseling and African-American Males: Endangered or Ignored? John Hay II Room: Fantail Levels: EMS This interactive presentation will identify and discuss issues facing both counselors and students in the diverse school community. Specifically, it will address the African-American male, the challenges they face and approaches counselors may use to become more effective. These same “best practices” would also be beneficial to African American females and all students representing diversity. FACTS.org: Florida’s Tool to Help Students Prepare for the Future Donna Haff, FACTS.org Melissa Benson, FACTS.org Room: Japanero Levels: MS Students in public schools throughout the state have access to FACTS.org as an online advising tool. Students can use tools on this Web site to assess and investigate possible career interests, create an academic plan that matches future academic and career goals using the electronic personal education planner or ePEP, find out about Florida’s many post-secondary education options, complete applications to many Florida post-secondary schools and even get information about and apply for financial aid. FACTS.org is the Web-address for planning Florida’s future today! Storytelling: A Way to Reach and Teach about Character Kim Williams, Palm Beach County Schools Ron Anderson, SELmedia Room: Koi Levels: E Palm Beach County has used a storytelling approach in grades to reach and teach about character education. This presentation will share research that supports storytelling as a powerful tool for school counselors. Participants can expect to learn multiple ways to use storytelling in their individual counseling,

group work and classroom guidance. The session will involve videos of storytellers as well as opportunities to share direct experiences. WOW! It Really Works: School-Wide Guidance Strategies that Improve Student Behavior and Academic Performance Linda Rushing, W.H. Rhodes Elementary School Beulah Fountain, W.H. Rhodes Elementary School Room: Labrid Levels: EM No-cost guidance strategies for your school and school district that have been proven to reduce bullying, promote school-wide positive behaviors, improve students’ academic performance and transform your school climate. Practical examples will be provided including guidance videos with student-specific themes, targeted therapeutic strategies for students of concern and school-wide initiatives. Confronting Death in the School Family David Opalewski, Central Michigan University Room: Yellowtail Levels: EMS Unfortunately, thousands of school-aged children die each year in the United States. In addition, thousands more experience the expected or unexpected death of a parent, sibling, classmate, teacher or other significant person. This presentation is designed to assist school staff to develop appropriate and helpful procedures and policies in dealing with tragedy within the school family.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 3:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Peer Mediation: Development and Implementation of Peer Mediation Janell Leatherman, Emerald Cove Middle School Melody Hammer, Emerald Cove Middle School Room: Bluegill Levels: M

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This presentation will give you a hands on lesson to show students how to remember the steps in peer mediation and how to effectively implement a school-wide peer mediation program. Comparative data will also show the effectiveness of peer mediation on the overall discipline events in the school. Broward County’s Annual Guidance Plan – LIVE! – online Ms. Sharon Dolinsky, Broward County School System District Guidance Coordinator Room: Coral A Levels: EMS Broward County has developed an on line Annual Guidance Plan (AGP) available for all school counselors. The plan includes all grade levels, career, personal/social and academic lessons based on the ASCA standards. All competencies are addressed for individual consultation (brief consultation), small groups and classroom guidance. What is unique about the district program is its online availability. Our AGP moves with the counselor, they bring their laptop, plug into an LCD or screen and you’re ready to begin! Psychological First Aid: Methods for Working with Children and Families in Crisis Abbe Finn, Florida Gulf Coast University Pat Santucci, Disaster Behavioral Health Medical Reserve Corps Room: Coral B Levels: EMSP When tragedy strikes the school community, resources of the professionals are quickly overwhelmed. Therefore it is essential that there be a trained cadre of ready reserves to help out. Psychological First Aid (PFA) is the current method supported by behavioral health specialists. The essentials of Psychological First Aid will be introduced, and techniques and interventions will be demonstrated.

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Using the Four C’s for Designing Effective Parent Involvement Programs Cathy Foss, FL PIRC at USF Room: Coral C Levels: EMS School Counselors play a crucial role for ensuring highest student achievement and parent involvement is essential for attaining this goal. The four program standards – counseling, consultation, coordination and curriculum – will be related to developing effective parent involvement programs at the school level. Specific program ideas and resources will be shared. What’s Next with Florida CHOICES? Margaret (Peggy) Land, Florida Department of Education Room: Fantail Levels: MS It’s important for students to continue career and education planning beyond the required middle school course. Continue to motivate students to take a proactive approach to their future by learning activities for using Florida CHOICES from middle school through high school. Healing Hearts: How Tos of Grief Groups for Elementary Students Shirley Redcay, Bryan Elementary School Room: Koi Levels: E At a loss when dealing with loss? Learn how to run successful bereavement groups in the elementary school. Watch or participate in a demonstration using bibliotherapy and art therapy. Complete handouts to start your own program will be provided, including pre- and postassessments to collect measureable data. Simple Data Collection for Demonstrating Program Effectiveness Marilyn Highland, Argosy University Stephanie Carter, Argosy University Rosine McGhee, Argosy University Room: Yellowtail Levels: EMSP Participants will learn quick and easy ways to access existing data and to collect new data to evaluate the effectiveness of their school counseling programs. Specific examples across levels

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(elementary, middle, high and university) will be shared and handouts with samples will be provided.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008 9:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Passport To Peace: Character Education Program Ana Leon, Wilton Manors Elementary Room: Bluegill Levels: E Through the school wide program “Passport to Peace” students learn to practice and demonstrate positive attitudes that form lifelong values” As they travel through the attitudes with their passports, students develop as caring, peaceful shareholders in the school and become responsible citizens in the world. Find out how to involve teachers, parents and community to improve the school climate and promote learning. WhyTry? Innovative Interventions that Provide Hope and Motivate Youth Christian Moore, The WhyTry Organization Room: Coral A Levels: EMS The presentation provides the audience with several methods to teach emotional intelligence and life skills. This workshop emphasizes a strength-based approach to helping youth overcome their challenges using “multiple intelligence” methods emphasizing the youths’ learning styles, to teach in ways that youth will understand and remember. Creating a Caring School Climate:The Role of the School Counseling Program Nancy Lucas, Emerald Cove Middle School Janell Leatherman, Emerald Cove Middle School Room: Coral C Levels: EM Nancy Lucas, principal of Emerald Cove Middle School and former principal of ASCA Model School Freedom Shores Elementary, and Janell Leatherman her school counselor will give the top 10 strategies used in their comprehensive school counseling program to create a

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caring school climate among staff, students and parents. A caring climate is imperative to have an optimal learning environment to ensure student success. Managing Multi-party Conflicts in Schools Summer Yaco, University of Florida Room: Fantail Levels: EMS School counselors will be introduced to the concept of multiparty conflict, which occurs between three or more disputants. Literature in education focuses on dyadic student conflicts, overlooking the more complex issue of multiparty conflicts. This presentation includes implications for school counselors in managing and understanding multiparty conflicts. Empowering Talk: Career Conversations that Raise Aspirations with Urban Students Christopher Janson, University of North Florida Travis Pinckney, University of North Florida Sejal Parikh, University of North Florida Room: Japanero Levels: M As school counselors, one of our primary goals is providing career guidance and counseling services to students. Too often, students in urban schools are already experiencing significant impediments and delays to their career development. Learn how to be more successful in helping urban students close this career development gap! “Coffee Talk” Ingrid Rivera, Deltona High School Teresa Snyder, Deltona High School Room: Coral B Levels: EMS “Coffee Talk” is a unique way to invite parents to school to share important topics with them on a monthly basis. Deltona High School Counselors will give you everything you need to start your own “Coffee Talk.” Topics covered, agendas, evaluations and methods of contact will be shared. ■

WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR SHY KIDS? BY MARJIE BRAUN KNUDSEN

hey’re quiet, don’t get into trouble, and can become invisible if you let them. They don’t want to participate in activities, go to school, or even birthday parties. This was my daughter. Life was more of a challenge for her. The everyday tasks of interacting with peers, and talking in class were overwhelming and sometimes painful. Changes in routine or new situations were especially difficult. There were several times over the years that she had begged me to home school her. I knew if I went down that route, it would be the point of no return for her to feel independent. For her, home schooling would have been giving up. It would have been easy to let her slide by through life as the invisible child... the most difficult thing in the world was to not let her. When, by fifth grade, things did not get better, I realized that if I wanted my daughter to have a chance at life, I needed to get her some help. Also, as a parent, I needed to learn how I could help her through those difficult moments. This was the turning point for my daughter, to decide to get help, instead of just letting time slide by. I took her to see a psychologist. It was Jenne R. Henderson, Ph.D. who helped my daughter finally start understanding about the anxiety she was experiencing. She helped her to not feel quite so “frozen” in fear about experiences and issues that would come up in her life. My daughter learned that it takes her more time than others to get used to new things, that it’s just a part of who she is, and now that she knows that about herself she can plan for it, so she can be successful at anything she might encounter. She also learned that being prepared ahead of time could help alleviate her anxiety, and also that exposure to those situations, although uncomfortable, would help. It was the start of the long process of her growing and learning about the way she is, and what she needs to do to help herself through her feelings.

“BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy: A Story About Social Anxiety” by Marjie Braun Knudsen & Jenne R. Henderson, Ph.D. Available on Amazon, Powell’s Books, Barnes & Noble, and www.summertimepress.com.

When, by fifth grade, things did not get better, I realized that if I wanted my daughter to have a chance at life, I needed to get her some help. Also, as a parent, I needed to learn how I could

When my daughter was younger, I purchased many books about social anxiety and shy children, although could never find a school-age book that would help her to understand someone else going through the same feelings. I wanted a story-based book on the issue that would be engaging and entertaining, something that would be memorable. I could not find that book. When mentioning this to Dr. Henderson, years later, she suggested we write one. The message of being prepared ahead of time echoed throughout the years of the learning process about social anxiety. The book, “BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy, A Story About Social Anxiety,” was written to include that message in the format of an entertaining chapter book. The title and message of the book uses a memorable acronym, BRAVE, which stands for “e ready and victory’s easy” because with social anxiety it helps to not only be ready but also to be brave. It worked for my daughter. She ended up taking advanced courses in high school, was a cheerleader and had a part in the high school musical. She is now enrolled at a large university, and I look back over the years at all the turning points and think... what if I didn’t keep trying? She has told me over and over that she is glad that I never gave up. My husband and I are constantly amazed at how far she has come. It was so important throughout the years for us to never give up, and take it a step at a time. We see that so clearly now, even though it was so difficult at the time. It would have been so easy to let her stay invisible. ■ Marjie Braun Knudsen is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. She is the mother of four children; two of them suffered from social

help her through those

anxiety.

difficult moments.

Jenne R. Henderson, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Portland, specializing in childhood anxiety and depression for over 15 years.

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florida school counselor

Anti-Defamation League A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute

BECOMING AN ALLY: Interrupting Name-Calling & Bullying Bullying and name-calling, once accepted as unavoidable traditions and a part of growing up, are increasingly seen as serious issues. With current studies indicating that almost 20% of all U.S. students have been bullied by other students during the school day, the federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program is recommending that schools take steps to address these concerns. Becoming an Ally: Interrupting Name-Calling & Bullying is a 3-hour workshop for middle school age youth. This workshop is interactive, participatory, and provides tools for 11-14 year olds to recognize and respond to incidents of name-calling and bullying among their peers.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE YOUTH WILL:

Recognize the impact name-calling and bullying have on themselves and others

Understand their personal responsibility to act as allies to their peers who are targets of name-calling and bullying

Gain speciﬁc tools and strategies for interrupting name-calling and bullying behaviors

Role-play bullying scenarios and brainstorm solutions with positive outcomes

Cost for the program varies depending on the number of participants, location, etc. Call ADL for quotes.

Anti-Defamation League - Florida Region (561) 988-2900 www.adl.org/ﬂorida

COUNSELING OLDER MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS BY SUSAN M. STABILE

iss, can I take the upper grade test?” How many times has this question been asked by our over-age students? If they don’t ask, then their parents have surely inquired. With a low number of students completing high school, Florida Department of Education reports a 72.4 percent high school graduation rate in 2006–2007, schools districts and schools are always looking for creative, yet academic worthy ways of getting this population of students closer to their kindergarten cohorts and ultimately to graduation. This isn’t an easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a task we are always forced to face. While we have always been able to offer the middle school 16-year-old student options, such as the career and technical centers, we were very limited in options for the middle school 15-year-old student. In my school district, Hillsborough County, there are now two new programs to offer our middle school over-age students. Project Excel and Star Academy are educational alternatives for this type of student to help decrease the chance of dropping out of school. Thanks to many persons in the district, but mainly our district middle school counselor supervisor, Shanshera Quinn, and our General Director of Middle School Josie Sanders, these programs provide school counselors and administrators more flexibility and support when counseling and advising the over-age student. Project Excel, exploring careers through educational labs, is a transition program offered at the four career centers in our district. This is specifically for middle school students who are 15 years old and two years behind their kindergarten cohorts. Eligible students, regardless of academic standing, may wish to pursue a career and technical track by seeking an alternative method to achiev-

“M

ing a standard high diploma or wish to transition to a traditional high school once they’ve successfully completed the first year. This option of entering the traditional high school has been a hook for many of these students that I have talked to about Project Excel. Star Academy is a success-oriented program and eligible students complete a rigorous 8th grade program that includes 9th grade requirements. Students may then qualify to enter 10th grade in the 2009–2010 school year. Communication and parent involvement are key components of this program. The Results-based Communication (RBC) protocol is used to establish an educational partnership among the school, student and home. Students will be empowered to take ownership of their learning and to pursue their life-long goals.

Students will be empowered to take ownership of their learning and to pursue their life-long goals. Presently, Star Academy is offered at two middle school sites, but is open to all eligible students in the district. The eligibility requirements are the same as Project Excel, except students are also required to have a minimum score of Level 2 on the FCAT Reading and Math and score at least at the 30th percentile on their most recent FCAT Reading NRT. While this has proven to be more difficult to find this caliber of over-age student, they do exist. Before these programs were offered in our district, schools came up with creative, yet academically sound ways to promote the over-age or potential overage student. The Compacted Course of

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Study (CCOS) option is a modified schedule that allows students to advance two grade levels by the end of that school year. Specific eligibility requirements and curriculum guidelines are given by the district for schools to follow when selecting students. Students and their parents invited to participate must sign a statement of intent. Students are then required to earn a grade of C or higher and demonstrate exemplary behavior and attendance before being promoted to the next grade level after the 1st semester. A sixth grade over-age student, for example, participating in the CCOS can advance to the seventh grade by January and then be promoted to eighth grade for the following year. Regardless of the name and specific details of programs offered to this student, there are many common threads for success. First, dedication and forward thinking of the administration and faculty is a must. Without buy-in from school based personnel, this type of student may not get a real chance of advancement. Second, student selection is another key-component. The whole student and not just his FCAT score must be considered. And third, parent involvement and support must be constant and consistent. We can do miracles at the school level, but continued academic success must be reinforced at home. With these three components, a student is given the fighting chance of academic advancement. So, what programs does your district and schools offer the over-age student? Start or enhance similar programs and then you too can answer that “age-old” question: “Can I take the upper grade test?” ■ Susan M. Stabile is an eighth grade counselor at NEED REST of BIO.

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VICE PRESIDENT’S VIEW: ELEMENTARY LEVEL

y now the school year is under way, so this is a good time to look at your role in the school as a professional school counselor. Using the ASCA model as a guide, how can you strengthen your practice in the school? Even if you are not applying for RAMP, you may find it useful to employ several of the pieces as you get your program under way. Having a clear mission and vision statement give you focus. The counselor/administrator management agreement can help protect your time from non-counselor duties. Assembling a counseling advisory team can create more support for your counseling program. And while we’re talking about RAMP, if you are interested in applying, you may want to start a support group of counselors in your area who are also interested. For

Another great way to grow professionally and enjoy the support of other school counselors is to attend FSCA’s Convention in Orlando in October. more information about RAMP, check the ASCA Web site at www.schoolcounselor.org. Another great way to grow professionally and enjoy the support of other school counselors is to attend FSCA’s Convention in Orlando in October. If you’ve never been to a convention, you

owe it to yourself to attend a one designed to meet the needs of the school counselor. If you attended the FSCA Summer Academy in Tampa, you know what I mean! I look forward to seeing you there. Don’t forget the Elementary Level Sharing Session just for you. Bring a concern or bring an inspired idea; there will be something for everyone to take back to use. As always, if there is any way I can be helpful to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me. ■ Shirley Redcay Elementary Level Vice President sredcay@hotmail.com

VICE PRESIDENT’S VIEW: MIDDLE LEVEL

would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to FSCA’s members as the new vice president for post-secondary education. Although I am not new to FSCA, I am new to this position. You may remember me as a past FSCA middle school vice president and most recently, the FSCA board member-at-large representative. Even thought I’m not new to higher education, I am new to the Florida university system. Starting my third year as associate professor in school counseling at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, I previously served as assistant professor at Virginia Tech and the George Washington University. My goals for the next two years are to get to know as many post-secondary educators as possible, to get to know as many post-secondary education programs as possible, and to serve the needs of this particular membership group. More specifically, our governing

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policies state that it is my responsibility to represent the interests, needs, and concerns of school counselors at the post-secondary education level and share their perspective. I am interested in collaboration among post-secondary programs and in collegiate exchange that will advance school counseling and professional school counselors in Florida. I want to learn from you as post-secondary educators how FSCA can assist you in educating the most competent professionals and school counselors in the nation! And to do that, I need to hear from you. E-mail me at mtermaat@comcast.net. Another way to let your ideas, needs, and perspectives known is to come to the FSCA Annual Convention. I am proud to be part of the conference planning team that is creating a memorable conference. There are a multitude of preand post-convention workshops and leading-edge educational breakout ses-

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sions, plus great networking opportunities. So come meet colleagues, learn cutting edge practices and be a part of shaping the future of school counseling. Mark your calendar to be in Orlando on Oct. 23–25. If you are a counselor educator, encourage your students to attend by giving them class extra credit for attendance at the convention and by alerting them of opportunities to volunteer and get a discounted registration rate. Student membership at FSCA is only $10 per year, and the benefits are endless – one of them the convention! I look forward to meeting you in Orlando and hearing from you via e-mail. ■ Mercedes ter Maat, PhD, LPC, ATR-BC Post-Secondary Level Vice President mbtermaat@comcast.net

VICE PRESIDENT’S VIEW: SECONDARY LEVEL

t has been a fantastic year for the Florida School Counselor Association. For the past year, I have had the pleasure of representing FSCA as its membership chair and have had the pleasure of speaking with many, many members both new ones and ones renewing their membership concerning a variety of issues. As our membership ranks have swelled to well over 900 professional members and counting the one thing that I have heard repeatedly was how much our members liked the new energized organization and how “relevant” FSCA has become. As I have said to many members: “We are all about what counselors do in our schools throughout Florida.” That is our only focus from member services to advocacy, welcoming new chapters to our organization to professional develop-

ment activities including our First Summer Academy this past June to our first annual convention this October in Orlando, we are all about strengthening the state of school counselors in Florida. This past July I assumed the reins of vice president for secondary level and look forward to my next two years of service to both FSCA and secondary school counselors throughout the state. I will continue to be the board liaison to our membership committee and will work with our Professional Development Committee on planning relevant professional development opportunities including the Summer Academy. As this new academic year begins and we settle into our school roles of counselors, educators and instructional leaders in the areas of personal, social and career development I want all of us to remember

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that strong counselors make for a strong Florida School Counselor Association. As a committed school counselor and board member of FSCA my focus and that of my colleagues on the board will be for a stronger FSCA which makes strong advocacy possible for all school counselors throughout the state. As our year begins and progresses please feel free to contact me concerning issues you might have or assistance that you might need in your secondary role. ■ Chris Smith FSCA Secondary Level Vice President chrissmith0529@gmial.org

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RESOURCES

PROMISING PRACTICES IN ENCOURAGING & SUPPORTING GRANDPARENTS AND RELATIVES This publication, a collaboration of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and the Brookdale Foundation, is intended to make the aging network across the nation aware of important and successful Relatives as Parents Programs (RAPPs) operated by Area Agencies on Aging. We hope this guidebook will encourage the replication of RAPP supportive services to relative caregivers by the many Area Agencies on Aging that serve older adults. To download Promising Practices in Encouraging & Supporting Grandparents and Relatives Raising Children go to http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/ RAPP/07-080_n4a_Brookdale_final.pdf

“I’M GLAD I FAILED” The Trevor Project has launched a powerful new ad campaign, “I’m Glad I Failed.” This effort targets LGBTQ teens who contemplate suicide as a result of homophobia. The ads feature four young people with stories about how intolerance and harassment led them to attempt suicide and how glad they are that those attempts failed because their lives have changed for the better. The Trevor Project needs your help to maximize exposure of these ads by placing them in publications throughout the country. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ ImGladIFailed/

BACK TO SCHOOL RESOURCES These links “provide resources for students, parents, and educators in preparation for returning to school in the fall.” Includes links to sites on how to calculate a grade point average (GPA), school and library locations, financial assistance, school bus safety, immunization schedules for children and adolescents and more. From USA.gov, the U.S. govern-

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ment’s official Web portal. http://www.usa.gov/Topics/ Back_to_School.shtml

BACK TO SCHOOL COLLECTION OF STATISTICS Bureau of Labor Statistics: Back to School Collection of statistics relating to education and employment. Provides data about unemployment rate and weekly earnings for different levels of education, a list of careers with above average wages and high projected growth, graphs of school enrollment by sex and information about teacher wages. Includes links to related material. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Division of Information Services. http://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2007/ back_to_school/

BACK TO SCHOOL COUNTDOWN “Whether your child will be heading off to kindergarten or college, ... [this site is] offering a prep course on all things back to school.” Includes articles on topics such as what teachers wish parents knew, streamlining your morning routine, and creative lunches. From iVillage. http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/ gslearning/0,,d9x8nlkx,00.html?dst=rs

COLLEGE SURVIVAL GUIDE College is a great time for most people, because it’s a chance to really explore who we are and not feel pressured to do anything we don’t want to do. But inevitably, pressures do arise from other unexpected areas – girlfriends, boyfriends, roommates, frat brothers or sorority sisters, heavy course loads, athletics, exam and paper stress, Internet overuse, gaming too much, parents’ expectations, etc. etc. The key to a good time at college is to be prepared psychologically for what you are about to face. In that vein, we’ve compiled some of our most popular and useful articles on college life for this Psychological College Survival Guide. Enjoy. http://psychcentral.com/college/

FALL 2008

STOP BULLYING NOW! Stop Bullying Now! is a campaign designed to educate Americans on how to prevent and reduce bullying that strives to create a safe environment in which every child can learn and grow. Launched in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, Stop Bullying Now! focuses on youth ages 9–13. The Stop Bullying Now! Web site offers youth-friendly resources: webisodes, short, animated stories featuring characters facing bullying situations; games on bullying prevention; age-appropriate tips and an “Ask the Expert” column. The Web site also provides resources for families, teachers and community leaders. The “What Adults Can Do” section offers prevention and resolution tips for adults and includes downloadable tip sheets, public service announcements and articles by experts in the field of bullying prevention. The campaign’s free resources include the Stop Bullying Now! Video Toolkit DVD and Activities Guide. http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/ index.asp?area=main

IES WHAT WORKS CLEARNING HOUSE RELEASES NEW PRACTICE GUIDE: DROPOUT PREVENTION The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) invites you to look at our newest practice guide, “Dropout Prevention.” This guide provides six specific recommendations for reducing dropout rates in high schools and middle schools. Designed for school- and district-level administrators, the guide offers processes for diagnosing dropout problems, intervention practices, and school-wide reforms that can be of use to educators, school boards and policymakers in implementing dropout prevention strategies. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/ practiceguides/#dp_pg ■

NEWS YOU CAN USE

RECOGNIZE YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR! “Next Step Magazine” is on a nationwide search for the best school counselors out there. Do you have one of them? Let us know! We’ll award counselors the Super Counselor designation five times each school year. Nominate your school counselor for our Super Counselor contest by filling out an application available online: http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/ nextstep/articlePage1.aspx?artId=2836 &categoryId=10

2008–2009 CAREER CRUISER The Department of Education is shipping the 2008–2009 “Career Cruiser,” a career and education magazine to all middle school principals. School counselors as well as teachers of the career and planning course that is required by s. 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, are recommended to be included in the distribution. For additional information, please contact Zelda Rogers at (800) 342-9271 or by e-mail at zelda.rogers@fldoe.org. The memorandum may be viewed at: http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get /Document-5096/ccletterprinc.pdf

ACCELERATED MIDDLE SCHOOLS Accelerated middle schools are self-contained academic programs designed to help middle school students who are behind grade level catch up with their age peers. If these students begin high school with other students their age, the hope is that they will be more likely to stay in school and graduate. The programs serve students who are one to two years behind grade level and give them the opportunity to cover an additional year of curriculum during their one to two years in the program. Accelerated middle schools can be structured as separate schools or as schools within a traditional middle school. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/ dropout/ams/

SEXUALLY ASSAULTED CHILDREN: NATIONAL ESTIMATES AND CHARACTERISTICS

DROPOUT AND COMPLETION RATES IN THE UNITED STATES: 2006

(NCJ 214383) August 2008 Finkelhor, D., Hammer, H., and Sedlak, A.J. Provides information on the estimated number and characteristics of children who were sexually assaulted in the United States in 1999. This Bulletin is the seventh in the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children (NISMART–2) series. Information on sexual assault was gathered from NISMART–2 interviews with victims and their families. PDF (569 KB) http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/ 214383.pdf

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report “Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2006.” This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2006 and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades (1972–2006), including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years. Report highlights include: The averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR), which provides an estimate of the percentage of public high school students who graduate with a regular diploma four years after starting ninth grade, was 74.7 percent for the class of 2005. Students living in lowincome families were approximately four times more likely to drop out of high school between 2005 and 2006 than were students living in high-income families. In Oct. 2006, approximately 3.5 million civilian non-institutionalized 16through 24-year-olds were not enrolled in high school and had not earned a high school diploma or alternative credential. To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/ pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008053

2008 KIDS COUNT DATA BOOK The Casey Foundation has released the “2008 Kids Count Data Book.” The report shows that national trends in overall child well-being have improved slightly since 2000. Also showing improvement is the child death rate, teen death rate, high school dropout rate, and teens not in school and not working. The report provides state and city level data for over 100 measures of child “wellbeing” including education, health, health insurance, employment, income, poverty, youth risk factors and children in immigrant families. “Kids Count contains some good and bad news,” says Laura Beavers, coordinator of the national Kids Count project at the Casey Foundation. “We continue to see that well-being indicators have largely gotten better for teens, and they’ve gotten worse for babies. Looking across all wellbeing indicators, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Massachusetts rank highest, and New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi rank the lowest.” To view the data book visit: http://www.kidscount.org/ datacenter/databook.jsp

FALL 2008

ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND YOUTH VIOLENCE: A CDC ISSUE BRIEF FOR EDUCATORS AND CAREGIVERS Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers focuses on the phenomena of electronic aggression. Electronic aggression is defined as any kind of harassment or bullying that occurs through e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites, blogs or text messaging. The brief sum-

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NEWS YOU CAN USE, CONT.

marizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression, provides strategies for addressing the issue with young people, and discusses the implications for school staff, education policy makers, and parents and caregivers. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/YVP/ electronic_aggression.htm

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING George Lucas joins a panel of national experts moderated by Daniel Goleman that explores the value of social and emotional learning. http://www.edutopia.org/ lucas-goleman-casel-sel-video

NEW CHANCE New Chance, a program for young welfare mothers who have dropped out of

school, aims to improve both their employment potential and their parenting skills. Participants take GED (General Educational Development) preparation classes and complete a parenting and life skills curriculum. Once they complete this first phase of the program, they can receive occupational training and job placement assistance from New Chance, which also offers case management and child care. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/ dropout/new_chance/

SCHOOL COUNSELOR COMPETENCIES RELEASED

of the profession and the needs of PK–12 students. http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/ SCCompetencies.pdf

AMERICAN RED CROSS TRAINING School counselors and school psychologists are now eligible to receive disaster mental health training from the American Red Cross. An information sheet about how school counselors can become disaster mental health responders is available off the ASCA homepage at www.schoolcounselor.org. If you have any questions, contact Jill Cook at jcook@schoolcounselor.org. ■

The School Counselor Competencies outline the knowledge, attitudes and skills that ensure school counselors are equipped to meet the rigorous demands

BE PART OF THE SCENE. JOIN TODAY

CHECK OUT THE SCENE ASCA SCENE – a new social networking site for school counselors – provides you with a place to meet, learn from and interact with other school counseling practitioners, students and counselor educators.

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When you join the SCENE, you can: > Participate in discussion boards > Share your files and photos with other school counselors > Find other school counselors in your state or at your level > Stay on top of school counseling events and activities > Get answers to your school-counseling-related questions and concerns > Keep abreast of school counseling trends During its introductory phase, membership on ASCA SCENE is open to all school counselors, regardless of whether you’re an ASCA member or not.

FALL 2008

LEGISLATION AND ADVOCACY

Note in case you missed the news: The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that Amendments 5, 7, and 9 will not be on the November 4th ballot. This is very good news for Public Schools including students with exceptionalities! Thank you to everyone who sent emails, wrote letters, made phone calls, etc. and thank you to FSCA communication team who quickly got this information about the Nov. ballot onto the FSCA website and out to our members. This is truly a grassroots effort to help students in Florida!

LeAnn Pollard FSCA Advocacy Committee Here is the legislative alert that went out before the Florida Supreme Court decided to not place them on the ballot: As we approach a new election period, the Florida School Counseling Association (FSCA) wants to bring to light some of the new amendments that impact the counseling profession in various ways. Three of the nine amendments being proposed have an educational component. These amendments have been placed on the November 4 ballot.

AMENDMENT #5 Summary: Replacing state required school property taxes with state revenues generating an equivalent hold harmless amount for schools through one or more of the following options: repealing sales tax exemptions not specifically excluded; increasing sales tax rate up to one percentage point; spending reductions; other revenue options created by the legislature. Limiting subject matter of laws granting future exemptions. Limiting annual increases in assessment of non-homestead real property. Lowering property tax millage rate for schools. Translation: Eliminates funding for education through property tax and replaces it with a new option. Options: ■ Repealing sales tax exemptions. ■ Increase sales tax by a penny

Impose spending reductions. New revenue created by legislature ■ Taking $11 billion dollars from education. Comments: ■ Proposed by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, a nonelected body of appointed members. ■ Currently, approximately 50 percent of funding for Florida Education comes from Property taxes. ■ Many of the statewide education and business associations are actively opposing it. ■ Currently, Florida is last in the nation for dollar per pupil. ■ Amendment identifies $4 billion from penny sales tax increase. Where comes the other $7 billion. FSCA’s Stand: Say no to amendment 5. Florida needs to generate more sources of funding for the educational system, not eliminate current funding. ■

incentives for highly qualified teachers.

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AMENDMENT #7 Summary: Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to provide that an individual or entity may not be barred from participating in any public program because of religion and to delete the prohibition against using revenues from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution. Translation: ■ Provides state funding for religious organizations that are permitted to discriminate along religious backgrounds. ■ Reinstates the voucher system. ■ Puts the government in a position of funding religious organizations that restrict who they hire. Comments: ■ This amendment was also drafted by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. ■ Removes ban on funding for religious groups proposed by former Gov. Jeb Bush’s school voucher program. FSCA’s Stand: Vote no on amendment 7. Provide funding to develop current educational employees and provide

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AMENDMENT #9 Summary: Requires at least 65 percent of school funding received by school districts be spent on classroom instruction, rather than administration; allows for differences in administrative expenditures by district. Provides the constitutional requirement for the state to provide a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality system of free public schools” is a minimum, nonexclusive duty. Reverses legal precedent prohibiting public funding of private school alternatives to public school programs without creating an entitlement. Translation: ■ Requires that 65 percent of school funding be spent on classroom instruction, rather than administration. ■ Allows public funding for private schools through vouchers. Comments: ■ Result would likely be that the renewal and expansion of voucher programs. ■ Undermines the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the school voucher program. ■ Providing 65 percent of school funding takes the attention away from a more critical issue, appropriate and stable funding for our educational system. ■ Again, Florida is the worst state for dollar per pupil spending in the nation. ■ Currently, according to the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), Florida spends more than 65 percent of funds on “classroom instruction.” FSCA’s Stand: Vote no on amendment 9. This amendment seems to be misleading. By providing 65 percent funding for classroom instruction they are slipping by support for the voucher system. Sources: http://www.votesmartflorida.org/ mx/hm.asp?id=home http://www.protectfloridasfuture.com/ index.php http://www.fsba.org/briefsupdates.asp# 2008electionsconstitutionalamendments Advocacy & Public Policy Committee Florida School Counselor Association

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SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS

ASCA SCHOLARSHIP Each year, ASCA awards $1,000 scholarships for up to 10 deserving students in a full-time master’s-level school counseling program. For more information or to apply, download the application. http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/asca %20foundation%20scholarship.pdf

THE RELATIVES AS PARENTS PROGRAM (RAPP) Local and Regional Seed Grant Initiatives for the year 2009 is designed to encourage and promote the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting when the biological parents are unable to do so. The deadline for the submission of local and regional proposals is Dec. 4, 2008. Selected applicants will be notified in April and be invited and required, as a guest of the Foundation, to attend our National Orientation and Training Conference to be held May 1–3 in Denver, Colorado. Click here to obtain guidelines and RFPs for 2009: http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/ RAPPrfpdownloads.htm http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/ relativesasparents.htm

FLORIDA KIDCARE ACT-OUT FOR HEALTH Florida KidCare is seeking middle and high school students from across the state to enter the Act-Out for Health contest to help promote affordable health insurance available through Florida KidCare. Students ages 12 through 18 can produce a 30-second television commercial or create a print advertisement promoting Florida KidCare, a state and federally funded program for uninsured children. This contest makes a great class project. Students can win scholarships, money for your school and gift cards. Winning entries may be featured on television or newspapers and magazines across the state. Contest entry deadline is Dec. 5, 2008, at 4 p.m. For more information and to download con-

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test entry packets, please visit www.actout4health.org. Visit the Florida Healthy Kids Web site to view last year’s winning PSA entry at www.healthy kids.org/marketing/aofh.php?lang=ENG.

THE “WILL TO WIN” COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP The “Will to Win” college scholarship is available for high school seniors with asthma who are pursuing a higher education. A total $50,000 in scholarships will be awarded to 10 students this fall. Schering-Plough’s “Will to Win” college scholarship demonstrates to young asthma sufferers that the condition, when properly treated and managed, need not affect their ability to excel. Scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded to two deserving high school seniors in five categories, including: ■ Performing arts (dance, music, theater) ■ Visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, film) ■ Community service ■ Athletics ■ Science All high school seniors with asthma who will graduate in the 2008–2009 school year and hold a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale are eligible. Applications for Schering-Plough’s “Will to Win” college scholarship are now being accepted. For additional information, applications and entry rules, you as well as applicants can visit the Web site www.schering-ploughwilltowin.com or call 1-800-SCHERING.

PRUDENTIAL FOUNDATION’S SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS The Prudential Foundation’s Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria: 1) be a student in grades 5–12 as of the last weekday in October; 2) have engaged in volunteer

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activity that occurred at least partly during the 12 months prior to the date of application; and 3) submit the application to a school principal or the head of an officially designated local organization. Local honorees will receive a certificate of recognition. State honorees will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC for a national recognition event. National honorees will receive additional awards of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a trophy, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a nonprofit, charitable organization of their choice. Deadline: October 31, 2008 http://www.prudential.com/view/page/ public/12846

WAL-MART FOUNDATION The Wal-Mart Foundation is providing grants in its focus areas of health and education. The health focus area includes a program or initiative that works to improve access to healthcare and to promote healthy lifestyles. Examples are free healthcare clinics, immunization programs and health education organizations. The education focus area includes a program or initiative that addresses the educational needs of under-served young people ages 12–30. Examples are programs focused on drop-out prevention and improving college access or retention. While the Wal-Mart Foundation encourages funding requests that align with its areas of focus, programs that do not align with the four areas of focus will also be given full consideration. Organizations with current 501(c)3 status are eligible to request funding. There is no set award maximum, but the award minimum is $5,000. Contact the Wal-Mart Foundation directly for complete program information and application guidelines: http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGivi ng/8169.aspx Deadline: September 25, 2008 ■

FOR PARENTS

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE QUIZ f parents wonder if their kids have been dabbling in alcohol and drugs, all they need to do is talk…so they say. Experts in drug abuse and psychology have published countless documents advising parents how to discuss such a touchy topic with their children. However, the odds of a teenager admitting to participating in an illegal activity to any adult, parents or not, are slim to none. If your son or daughter has a substance abuse problem, they are probably doing everything within their power to hide this behavior. If you are suspicious about your child’s activity but are not quite sure how to detect any inappropriate actions, try taking this quiz; it will assist you in determining whether the tell-tale signs of alcohol and drug abuse are present in your household. ■ Have outside sources claimed that your child is consuming alcohol or taking drugs? ■ Are you certain that your child has tried alcohol or drugs? ■ Does your child ever exhibit mood swings in which they suddenly go from happy and pleasant to introverted, depressed, or enraged? ■ Does your child ever seem desperate for money or make excuses why they need more? ■ Does your child ever stumble around the house or jumble their words when they talk? ■ Has your child begun hanging out with an entirely new circle of friends? ■ Are your child’s pupils dilated, or are the whites of their eyes abnormally red or bloodshot? ■ Does your child chew gum or use breath mints more than usual? ■ Is your child’s room messier than it’s been in the past, or has their personal hygiene taken a turn for the worse?

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Has your child adopted a negative opinion toward anti-alcohol or antidrug campaigns? Has your child been arrested recently? Does your child treat authority figures with disrespect? Has your child been lying more often? Have your liquor or medicine cabinets been tampered with, or are there bottles missing? Have you discovered empty containers discarded in or around the house? Has your child developed a smoking habit? Does your child have any medical issues that could be caused by drinking or drug abuse (e.g., ulcer)? Is your child disinterested in classroom studies?

Does your child associate with an older crowd that may be exposing them to alcohol or drugs? ■ Are your child’s grades worse than they’ve ever been? You’ve now finished the 20-question survey. Tally the number of times you answered “yes,” and divide that number by 20. Now, convert your score to a percentage. For example, a score of 7/20 would be 35 percent. The higher the percentage, the more likely your child could be a user. Please keep in mind that any behavioral changes may be explained by a variety of other factors unrelated to substance abuse, so refrain from jumping quickly to conclusion. ■ ■

Article by New York DUI Foundation http://www.duifoundation.org/newyork Reprinted with permission.

IMPORTANT DATES FSCA 2008 Annual Convention is October 23–25, 2008. http://www.fla-schoolcounselor.org/ National School Counseling Week National School Counseling Week 2009, “School Counselors: Making a Difference,” will be celebrated from Feb. 2–6, 2009, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?pl=325&sl=127&contentid=271 National Youth Violence Prevention Week Plan for National Youth Violence Prevention Week: During the week of March 23–27, 2009, people from all over the country will unite in a unique educational and awareness event focusing on effective ways to prevent and reduce youth violence. With the support of several national premier youth-serving organizations, including the American School Counselor Association, each day of the week will focus on a specific violence prevention strategy. These include promoting respect and tolerance, addressing anger management, resolving conflicts peacefully, supporting safety and uniting in action. http://www.nyvpw.org/

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