Advocacy–Professional School Counselors Closing the Achievement Gap through Empowerment: A Response to Hipolito-Delgado and Lee

Black Male School Counselor Educator Contextual Explorations in Leadership

“…Although the coauthors performed leadership differently, their unique experiences shed light on the importance of moving from a narrow focus on individual leadership actions to emphasizing how systems and contexts intersect with individual identities to serve as antecedents to leadership manifestations. Moreover, these narratives illuminate the fact that counseling is inherently political (Hipolito-Delgado & Lee, 2007; Mitcham-Smith, 2007) and, therefore, can never truly be divorced from the immediate sociopolitical context where faculty teach and graduate students learn and subsequently deliver service if social justice is to be truly realized. By putting this issue front and center, we aim to engender discussion of how the refusal to consider these very pertinent barriers can impede Black men in affirming their own meaningful definitions of leadership in graduate-level school counseling programs. Refusal to consider these very pertinent barriers can impede Black men in affirming their own meaningful definitions of leadership in graduate-level school counseling programs …”

Role of School Counselors in Creating Equitable— Educational Opportunities for Students With Disabilities in Urban Settings

“…153-154) to advocates for all students promoting systemic change through a comprehensive guidance program. With this said, the traditional school counselor has experienced a role transformation to that of the social justice advocate with duties to close the achievement gap (American School Counselor Association, 2003a) and to function as a change agent relative to cultural, racial, and socioeconomic disparities (Mitcham-Smith, 2007). School counselors are expected to operate as change agents who empower students, families, communities, and education systems (House & Martin, 1998;Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2003), who "right injustices .…”

“…The Education Trust's Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) also states that PSCs can advocate and be effective in closing the achievement gap by delivering a multicultural comprehensive school guidance program that advocates for all students (Mitcham-Smith, 2007). The TSCI focuses on decreasing the achievement gap for students of color and/or low-income students by using the significant role of the counselor as an advocate for all students.…”

“…And finally, sixth, schools attended by African American students are often insufficiently funded, which disallows "access to equitable learning opportunities" (Blanchett, 2006, p. 25). The totality of these factors may contribute to PSCs being challenged in owning their role as advocate and, furthermore, not identifying or embracing the duties involved in bringing advocacy initiatives to fruition (Mitcham-Smith, 2007). With this said, socioeconomic status (SES) must be considered in the equation when evaluating differences in academic achievement among students of color.…”

“…Advocacy involves identifying unmet needs and taking actions to change the circumstances that contribute to the problem or inequity (Trusty & Brown, 2005). PSCs must embrace the concept of advocacy as vital to their role to help students overcome the variety of obstacles they may face (Mitcham-Smith, 2007). The ASCA includes advocacy as part of a comprehensive school counseling program (ASCA, 2004).…”