A Seat at the Decision-Making Table: PSCOC Advocacy
By Kayla Chung | February 2020
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The WSCA Professional School Counselors of Color Committee (PSCOC) strives to provide spaces where all PSCOC can collectively advocate and enhance the capacity of all school counselors of color in the state of Washington. Our work has included yearly roundtable discussions at WSCA’s annual conference, mentorship mixers to bring counselors of color from around the state together in community, and collaborative partnerships with local and state organizations. In September 2019, the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC), sponsored by OSPI, invited our committee to represent the voices of school counselors on topics of mental health, equity and role advocacy. Representing our committee were Melvin J. Fields, Jr., of Yelm School District, Jorge Torres of Tukwila School District, Tina Camero and Lisa Lucas of Seattle Public Schools and Lilia Hueso of Moses Lake School District; each panelist brought a variety of K–12 perspectives and experiences related to being a school counselor of color in their respective districts.
The first question in the discussion was around mental health challenges and ways school counselors are addressing those needs. Our panel shared discussed support for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Specifically related to supporting our students and families of color, one of our panelists shed light on issues around racial and educational inequities, sharing that “students of color experience racism and harmful biases that manifest in the disparities of the opportunity gap.” The group also shared how they are addressing such challenges in their respective schools; some supports included outside agency partnerships, training for staff, community circles and student-led clubs and events that bring awareness to needs in the building.
The EOGOAC then how our work through the WSCA PSCOC Committee increases the integration of cultural competency and racial equity into school counseling supports and services. One panelist from Seattle Public Schools shared, “Our cultural competency and social justice advocacy first stems from our lived experiences, as that funds our knowledge and expertise as people and professionals of color.” We brought awareness to the lack of applicability of continued learning and professional development opportunities to school counselors and the need for affinity groups to have deeper conversations around not only racial education equity, but also to celebrate our heritage and culture. The panel also highlighted our leadership work on the WSCA Board, our yearly action plans and the ongoing spaces we create to have conversations about resources and current events that impact our work.
The next question addressed best practices for school counselors and how they have changed or evolved. Our panel shared about the use of the ASCA National Model to ensure comprehensive school counseling programs, to have an appropriate caseload ratio of 250 students to every school counselor and to have funds for counselor development. Regarding the change and evolution of school counseling, our committee brought awareness of school counselors being asked to do inappropriate duties outside of our described role and the demand on counselors of color to be the spokesperson on racial equity work in their buildings. Our committee reflected on our work as school counselors having many ties to our political climate and the changing gentrification in our cities.
Last, we ended the conversation by discussing the state-level supports school counselors need to be successful in serving ALL students in an equitable and culturally competent way. Our answer is simple: Continue giving us a seat at the decision-making table to bring awareness to the needs of school counselors and specifically school counselors of color working in predominantly White school districts. At the graduate school level, we asked for more cultural competency requirements that include affinity groups and more recruitment of the school counseling profession at the high school and undergraduate levels. At the district level, we asked for a director of K–12 counseling for all school districts, district-level support for school counselors of color and explicit work around hiring and retaining people of color in all educational roles. We are advocating for more culturally relevant professional development across districts and equitability among resources to fund and support school counselors.
We need more to be able to do more for our students, families and communities that we serve – thank you, EOGOAC, for making space at the decision-making table for us to shed light on our experiences as school counselors of color.
Kayla Chung is a member of WSCA’s PSCOC Committee.
The first question in the discussion was around mental health challenges and ways school counselors are addressing those needs. Our panel shared discussed support for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Specifically related to supporting our students and families of color, one of our panelists shed light on issues around racial and educational inequities, sharing that “students of color experience racism and harmful biases that manifest in the disparities of the opportunity gap.” The group also shared how they are addressing such challenges in their respective schools; some supports included outside agency partnerships, training for staff, community circles and student-led clubs and events that bring awareness to needs in the building.
The EOGOAC then how our work through the WSCA PSCOC Committee increases the integration of cultural competency and racial equity into school counseling supports and services. One panelist from Seattle Public Schools shared, “Our cultural competency and social justice advocacy first stems from our lived experiences, as that funds our knowledge and expertise as people and professionals of color.” We brought awareness to the lack of applicability of continued learning and professional development opportunities to school counselors and the need for affinity groups to have deeper conversations around not only racial education equity, but also to celebrate our heritage and culture. The panel also highlighted our leadership work on the WSCA Board, our yearly action plans and the ongoing spaces we create to have conversations about resources and current events that impact our work.
The next question addressed best practices for school counselors and how they have changed or evolved. Our panel shared about the use of the ASCA National Model to ensure comprehensive school counseling programs, to have an appropriate caseload ratio of 250 students to every school counselor and to have funds for counselor development. Regarding the change and evolution of school counseling, our committee brought awareness of school counselors being asked to do inappropriate duties outside of our described role and the demand on counselors of color to be the spokesperson on racial equity work in their buildings. Our committee reflected on our work as school counselors having many ties to our political climate and the changing gentrification in our cities.
Last, we ended the conversation by discussing the state-level supports school counselors need to be successful in serving ALL students in an equitable and culturally competent way. Our answer is simple: Continue giving us a seat at the decision-making table to bring awareness to the needs of school counselors and specifically school counselors of color working in predominantly White school districts. At the graduate school level, we asked for more cultural competency requirements that include affinity groups and more recruitment of the school counseling profession at the high school and undergraduate levels. At the district level, we asked for a director of K–12 counseling for all school districts, district-level support for school counselors of color and explicit work around hiring and retaining people of color in all educational roles. We are advocating for more culturally relevant professional development across districts and equitability among resources to fund and support school counselors.
We need more to be able to do more for our students, families and communities that we serve – thank you, EOGOAC, for making space at the decision-making table for us to shed light on our experiences as school counselors of color.
Kayla Chung is a member of WSCA’s PSCOC Committee.