President’s Letter: Data Tells Our Story

This issue of the newsletter focuses on success measures, such as doing a needs assessment, creating actions plans, collecting data and presenting results. Collecting data often seems like a daunting task; from how to collect it effectively, to how to interpret it, to how to present it. We know that our qualitative data (our stories, observations, work with students) show we have positive effect on the school environment and students’ learning. However, we struggle with individuals around us not understanding our role as school counselors and our importance in developing the academic, career, and social/emotional needs of all students. The data we collect can show this, but we need to add more to our qualitative data. Qualitative data is great data, but is often hard to present to stakeholders.
 
Presenting quantitative data with our qualitative data can have the impact that we are seeking. Through our counseling programs and collecting quantitative and qualitative data, we can show the positive effect of school counseling programs on students’ learning. One way to present our data is tying it to the school goals and/or the state ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plan. Join NMSCA on November 9 at our Annual Conference to learn more about collecting data and keeping our kids safe online. NMSCA members receive a $30 discount with a promo code.
 
Contact Charity Stolworthy, NMSCA president, at nmscapresident@gmail.com.