[Counselor_Educ] FW: Board Of Education Adopts Diversity Strategies

[Leinbaugh, Tracy]

Tracy Leinbaugh, PhD, NCC, PCC-S
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Counseling and Higher Education
Ohio University
The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services
205 McCracken Hall
Athens, OH 45701

Phone: 740-593-0846
E-mail: leinbaug at ohio.edu<mailto:leinbaug at ohio.edu>

Show, by your actions, that you choose peace over war, freedom over oppression, voice over silence, service over self-interest, respect over advantage, cooperation over competition, action over passivity, diversity over uniformity, and justice over all.

From: CESNET-L is a unmoderated listserv concerning counselor ed. & supervision [mailto:CESNET-L at LISTSERV.KENT.EDU] On Behalf Of Nikol Bowen
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 1:54 PM
To: CESNET-L at LISTSERV.KENT.EDU
Subject: Board Of Education Adopts Diversity Strategies

OHIO BOARD OF EDUCATION ADOPTS NEW DIVERSITY STRATEGIES POLICY TODAY; UNANIMOUS DECISION


The State Board of Education obtained a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to support the Board's revision of its 1980 Equal Educational Opportunity Policy. During the July 2010 Board meeting, the OSU Kirwan Institute presented to the full Board membership 10 concepts for possible inclusion in the Board's new Diversity Strategies Policy. Board members and ODE leadership provided feedback, and the Kirwan Institute has now prepared for Committee review an Interim Report that incorporates the feedback and includes 11 concept recommendations.

I have worked on this project for the past two years and I am excited to see it move to the implementation phase. If you are interested in leading your region and working together to meet the needs of all students, please send a letter to the board of education thanking them for supporting diversity in Ohio and expressing your interest in getting involved. Send your e-mail to diversity.strategies at ode.state.oh.us<mailto:diversity.strategies at ode.state.oh.us>.

The new policy is more prescriptive and holds school districts accountable. In addition, counselors play a major role, hopefully this document can help us obtain funding for school counseling programs so that we are able to provide direct service to students.


Please share this link, summary of recommendations,  with anyone who is working in the school system or advocating for school counselors.


http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1427&ContentID=103843&Content=122987



Recommendation 10: Replicate Successful Comprehensive Counseling Programs to Support Diversity

A comprehensive approach to counseling was addressed in the 1980 Policy. However, over the last 25 years, school counselors working in Ohio have had limited assistance with effectively addressing intergroup relations in schools despite demographic shifts within the State and mandates related to

No Child Left Behind. Today, school counselors are attempting to meet the needs of students based on policies that were enacted over two decades ago, thus creating a disconnect between the cultural realities of modern schools and the systems that serve them. While the 1980 Policy enabled districts to develop policies to meet the needs of their students, the previous policies were too vague and allowed schools to minimize the role of school counselors when addressing issues of diversity and racial isolation within the school or community.

Since the 1980 Policy was developed, the Ohio School Counselors Association (OSCA) adopted a transformative model

xix for counseling in Ohio that includes language to help counselors engage in needs assessments for groups that experience inequities within the school/district. Historically, some schools have been successful in their efforts to reduce racial isolation, however, many fail to capture data related to the outcomes of such programs and miss opportunities to access external funding or recognition that may enhance or improve programming geared at improving intergroup relations within schools. Employing a Comprehensive Counseling program will ensure that Ohio counselors are able to

effectively implement and manage programs with the use of data, action plans, and an advisory council (i.e., combination of students, parents, and colleagues in the school and community). Meaningful integration plans or diversity policies should address the role of counselors within the school/district. In addition, the adoption of Comprehensive School Counseling Programs will provide additional insight into school climate and culture that can be evaluated over time as opportunities change and demographics shift.

--
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when creating them.

-Albert Eistein


Therefore...think outside the box!






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