WACAC is seeking members interested in applying to volunteer for one of four working groups, each will focus on a specific metric outlined by the leadership team. Read on to learn about these opportunities to for professional development and leadership!
Measurement, Mobilization, and Moving Forward were the focus of the third White House Convening on School Counseling and College Advising, held early November at the University of North Florida. Past-Presidents Esther Hugo and Katy Murphy represented WACAC at the three-day meeting.
The White House “Reach Higher” initiative was founded on First Lady Michelle Obama’s goal of ensuring that students are college and career ready.
The California State Team, co-led by Esther Hugo of the LMU and SJSU Schools of Education and Kathy Elderson of the University of Laverne, recruited a strategic team of leaders from State Credentials, CSU Chancellor’s Office, California Colleges.edu, and the California Association for School Counselors.
In addition, California’s team included district and county superintendents, school counselors, and county office of education leaders. This group was challenged to develop a plan to expand college and career readiness and strengthen the role of school counseling and college advising.
The California Team identified the overarching goal of the plan: Link counselors to the creation of the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and train them to focus on four data points:
- A-G Completion
- FAFSA Submission
- College Entrance Exams – ACT/SAT
- College Application completion
As you can see, this has serious implications for WACAC, as our profession is definitely focused on these metrics, especially with professional development for counselors. We will soon be calling on WACAC members to assume leadership roles.
Implications for WACAC:
- Promotion among other organizations of our training opportunities, such as Share Learn Connect and our Regional Conference
- Increased membership for public school counselors
- Dedicated workshops that focus on best practices of public school counselors (centered on the data points).
For more information:
National Consortium for School Counseling and Postsecondary Success Website: http://www.ncscps.org