Advocacy:A Way of Being and Survival for Counselors

Madelyn Isaacs, Ph.D.Professor and Chair, FGCU Counseling,

Past-President, FSCAFlorida School Counselor Association Webinar

February 4, 2014

It starts and ends with student achievement

Our goal and focus: Student Achievement.

Data and arguments: Focused on removing barriers to student achievement.

Advocacy: Removing Barriers to Success

(Lack of…)Support…Resources…

Training…Ratios…Curriculum…Equity…Understanding of the

problems/possibilities…Accountability/Evaluation

Areas for Advocacy

Students• Safety• Achievement• Equity• Placement in

Challenging Courses• Encouragement for

challenging aspirations

Profession/Self• Sufficient counselors• Perform job appropriate

tasks• Sufficient resources• Appropriate training• Recognition

For students – one, some, all …

Advocating for one… • for individual students/families Advocating for some…• to help particular groups of students (multicultural counseling competencies as a means for addressing discrimination; policies; placements) Advocating for all…for better school counseling programs, better schools, and more and effective community resources

For students – advocating for the

profession

Advocating for school counseling… …to promote the school counseling profession – being empowered to do what we know how to do and recognized for doing it wellbecause we can prove it works

which goes back to removing barriers to student achievement

ASCA's (and FSCA’s) Goals and Objectives

Fits with ASCA and FSCA Goals and Mission that is all about student success• Legislative policy • Strategic partnerships • Leadership/Champions• Professional development • Accountability• Access to supports for advocacy

Advocacy… An Ethical Obligation

In the beginning we were obligated by our professional ethics “act in the best interests of the client” and “do good”

Obligated to remove barriers and be leader for change has been enshrined in the ASCA National Model

ASCA Ethical Standards• Advocacy for comprehensive programs for ALL students is

throughout the Code of ethics• Preamble (access and equity)• Advocacy is in our role statement and National Model

(eliminate barriers impeding students' development; create opportunities to learn for all students; ensure access to a quality school curriculum; collaborate with others within and outside the school to help students meet their needs, promote positive, systemic change in

schools. )• Advocacy is in our curriculum (Career, Personal and Social,

Academic• Advocacy embedded in collaboration and data driven

accountability

FSCA:Advocacy Platform

Goal: adresses the needs of all students, promotes professional excellence for school counselors, and advocates for closing the achievement gap between groups of students in our state.

Advocacy … tearing down barriers

• Identifying unmet needs and taking actions to change the circumstances that contribute to the problem or inequity.

• Promoting availability/accessibility of school counseling and social justice on local, state, regional, federal/national, and international levels.

Advocacy … tearing down barriers

• Facilitating change and change processes by managing change and resistance to it

• Ensuring that funding and policy decisions are made that support school counseling programs and school counselors.

Advocacy is about …skills and dispositions

• Risk-taking• Persistence • Coordinating change • A bent toward

altruism

• Leadership • Communication • Courage • Collaboration

Using the skills of counseling

• Collaboration with stakeholders– How advocacy fits with collaboration?

• Advocacy– How advocating at the building, district, and state

level supports student achievement?• Promoting systemic change

– How advocacy fits with promoting systemic change?

Advocacy…for the Profession

You know you are advocating when you are… • promoting school counselors' credibility in the

public's eye • generating and promoting research on the efficacy

of counseling• generating and promoting school counseling

effectiveness in the eyes of administrators, families, and policy makers

Advocacy…for the Profession

You know you are advocating when you are… • informing school/district/legislative policy agenda• Forming coalitions with other educators and

community activists• Collaborating with families for program and

opportunities• Collaborating with your state DOE and local School

Board, local/state/national professional organizations or unions to ensure that school counseling effectiveness is considered.

The vicious cycle…You can’t advocate

for students if… …you have too many students to be effective or implement

a program…your non-counseling duties become a barrier to effective

implementation of a quality program …you lack appropriate professional development …you lack representation in the reform discussions in your

school or district…you don’t have a job due to policies, funding changes,

legislative priorities which aren’t informed by school counseling research and outcomes

• To be in a position to advocate for students, you have to ensure that you have advocated for your profession.

• Remember – it isn’t about you personally; it is about policies and outcomes that make school better for students.

Think about a solution Focused Approach – how is your vision/goal happening just a bit – that is your basis for telling your story and garnering support for it to happen more.

…You have to advocate to get to advocate more effectively.

Challenges for school counselors… overcoming our own barriers

• School counselors tend toward helping, conformity and compromise more than autonomy, taking risks, being data driven, or engaging in objective analysis.

• Like all new educators, newer school counselors will naturally be more obedient and conforming than independent and will seek to fit into their new school setting.

• School counselors are biased toward emotional and personal issues and arguments which often work against effective advocacy.

• School counselors often are not bent toward working and presenting data.

• Have trouble balancing the collaborative relationships while being both assertive, self-confident and compromising.

• Many schools and districts do not promote autonomy and assertive advocacy.

The challenges for school counselors… overcoming our own barriers…Get out of your own way

Have to create pictures for others

• …a vision of what will happen if we DO something different.

• …a vision of what will happen if we DON’T do something different.

Telling a storyX% of our students are (are not) graduating on time. This is x% lower than we have

targeted. We have identified common barriers among the students who have not completed on

time including two of the following• a history of changing schools, • failure of at least one math class in the first two years of school, • and….We can intervene with our Junior students to identify students who have changed

schools and/or have failed at least one math class. Research based interventions for this group include small groups, mentors, after-school tutoring. To accomplish this we will need an additional twenty school counselor hours per week. This can be accomplished by either freeing up 20 hours of school counselor time or adding a half time school counselor. If accomplished, this will increase graduation by x % each year for a total of x%.

If we don’t intervene, our school will continue to fail to meet graduation rate targets which will impact teacher allocations, school grades/rating systems, …

Use Credible Data

…puts the facts behind the face of personal stories and anecdotes. Makes point more convincing. Gathering research and pulling out the important points that support your position, as well as points that negate the argument of those who oppose your position, will help you to gain supporters for your cause.

Anecdotes…

Meet John Doe. John and his parents have moved four times during his schools years. A review of his records indicated that his grades would go down for several months to a year after each move. After his last move John’s grades went down for nine months before an intervention was initiated. Even though he had moved to the school nine months before, John’s counselor invited him to join a transition mentoring group and to participate in a special co-curricular field program for math improvement. John caught up in credits and finished on time with his class.

Advocacy is … A Good Story Based on Good Data

• To identify the gaps in services, procedures, and policies

• To set and create appropriate goals• To create a sense of urgency• To engage stakeholders

Advocacy is … Based on Good Data

• To prove success• To be persuasive• To remove emotion from the

equation• To challenge existing

policies & practices• To serve as a catalyst for

focused action

Types of Data That Can Help

Learn to use results data so that you can answer the question: “How are students different because of the school counseling program?”

Or, “How will things stay the same or get worse because we don’t change the school counseling program?”

Process – “What you did and for whom” Evidence that event occurredHow activity was conductedNumber of events, people participating, and products developedDid the program follow the prescribed practice?

Examples• Six counseling groups with 8 students each were held.

• 1,350 6-8th grade students received the “Time to Tell” guidance lesson.

• All high school students were seen individually and prepared a 4 year plan.

Types of Data That Can Help

Perception - “What others think, know or can demonstrate” • Measures competency achieved, knowledge gained or attitudes/beliefs

of students (Pre-post measures, Competency achievement, Surveys or Questionnaires, Evaluations)

• Measures what students are perceived to have gained in knowledge

Examples• Competency Achievement

– Every student in grades 9-12 completed a 4 year plan. – Every 10th grade student completed an interest inventory.– 50% more students turn in homework on time.

• Knowledge Gained– 89% of students demonstrate knowledge of promotion/ retention criteria.– 92% can identify Early Warning Signs of violence.

• Attitudes or Beliefs– 74%of students believe fighting is wrong.– 29% of students feel safe at school.– 78% know the name of their school counselor.

Types of Data That Can Help

Results/Outcomes - “So WHAT” data• Hard data• Proof your program has (or has not) positively

impacted students’ ability to utilize the knowledge, attitudes and skills to effect behavior• Attendance, Behavior, Academic Achievement,

Graduation Rates

Examples• 42 students on the retention list avoided retention.• Graduation rates improved 14% over three years.• Attendance improved among 9th grade males by 49%.• Parent involvement in school has increased by 150%.

Types of Data That Can Help

Anecdotes are Data too!!

Anecdotes are effective when• they are specific • they identify before, during, and after• have some data (qualitative or quantitative) involved• are current• are linked directly to the point of your advocacy• put a face on what you are trying to achieveThey are NOT war stories, whines, talk about how hard you

work, simple heart string tugs, designed to make policy makers feel bad, threats.

RESOURCES: USING DATA

• www.robertniles.com/stats - A good introduction to talking about numbers.

• Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media by Joel Best, www.ucpress.edu

A Model of the Advocacy Process for Professional School Counselors

1. Develop advocacy professional identity and skills. 2. Develop collaborative relationships with decision-makers

and potential resource people and groups; acquire knowledge of parameters; and understand relevant systems inside and outside the school.

3. Define the problem based on data and information necessary to understand and objectively assess and define the problem and to aid advocacy efforts. Understand the problem in the context of systems. Set goals.

4. Develop clear and specific solutions and action plans that utilize resources and anticipate difficulties. Be flexible unless an important moral principle is at stake.

Bailey et al., (2003); Brown and Trusty (2005), Eriksen, (1997); Fiedler, (2000); House & Hayes, (2002); Kuranz, (2002), Svec, (1987, 1990).

A Model of the Advocacy Process for Professional School Counselors

5. Implement action plans using problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and dispute resolution skills. Monitor, organize, and manage efforts on various fronts. Ensure that agreed-upon changes are implemented. Promote and support collaborators and others as changes unfold and as setbacks occur.

6. Evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy efforts by following up on changes and determining if needs are met. The initial problem definition should specify or imply appropriate evaluation criteria.

7. Celebrate if successful with recognition for all involved or regroup if not successful and focus on support and coping.

Bailey et al., (2003); Brown and Trusty (2005), Eriksen, (1997); Fiedler, (2000); House & Hayes, (2002); Kuranz, (2002), Svec, (1987, 1990).

System-Change Model

• Develop a focused problem-statement based on data; develop a goal and sense of benefits and projected outcomes for making change.

• (Cultivate your relationships before you need them; you will have credibility and a ready partner).Identify potential resources and partners who are more natural allies/beneficiaries for change.

• Understand the risks and costs involved in change for all; also understand the risks of not changing or addressing the

problem.

System-Change Model

• Reach out and collaborate; find natural partners and stakeholders and persuade them with data –based examples of how change will benefit them

• Manage collaborative relationships based on effective communication, trust, respect, and past positive relationships.

• Develop an advocacy strategy aimed at stakeholders and policy makers.

Start small and build up and out.

Advocacy Examples and Strategies: The individual student

Individual Student needs exception to a rule; a special placement; a change in circumstances or environments…

Identify the desired outcome and the decision-maker who can make it happen

Build your case based on data for why (including learning what works for the next student)

Build your picture of a desired outcome – what are the costs of making that happen (human resource, financial, legal, achievement, financial) and what are the costs of not making it happen (child may fail, legal and accountability issues, not doing the right thing)

Make a plan (assess options, assess alternatives, create new solutions)Gather potential partners (teachers and administrators)Implement planEvaluate, reform and reframe and evaluate again

Advocacy Examples and Strategies: A group of students

Students are being systematically placed into less challenging classes due to rigid teacher-only recommendation process…

Identify data of class taking patterns on disaggregated basisIdentify exceptions of success; identify incentives in law and public

opinion for changeIdentify team of stakeholders (students, teachers, families) to identify

alternatives and a plan through group meetings, focus groups, research of best practices, link with list-servs, collaborate with state programs,

Develop pilot program with smaller group of faculty or with one department

Pre-test and develop outcome resultsEvaluate -- expand what works and tinker with what didn’t

A Short Story of Success: The Washington State Example

It started in one school: School Counseling Team Asking For Additional

Career Center StaffingSchool population: 1800 studentsNumber of Career Center Support Hours per Week: 28 Larger strategic plan: To improve college and career readiness,Goal: add 5 hours per week of additional career center supportHow: Step 1: One counselor worked with the building administration on budget issues and how the additional hours would provide college and career readiness support for our low achieving and at-risk students.Step 2: Once the principal bought in, the counselor worked with the district’s Career and Tech. Ed. director to secure funding and additional career and college readiness programs for the position.

Data at the Building Level: Olympia High (Washington State) Example

Counselor Case Loads: A Presentation to a PrincipalOlympia High School In 1995, 1345 Students

1345/4= 336 Students per CounselorOlympia High School in 2006, 1800 Students

1800/4 = 450 Students per CounselorNote: Since 1995, additional graduation requirements had been added to the graduation requirements that school counselors track including : a Culminating Project, High School and Beyond Plan (six year plan), and student outcomes assessments.

Other High Schools In Our Area (Called for data) Student Head Counts (students per counselor), May 2005:• Capital 1469/4 = 367 River Ridge 1120/3 = 373• Avanti 132/1 = 132 Shelton H.S. 10-12th 977/3 = 325 • Yelm 1340/4 = 335 Choice H.S. 143/1 = Counselor• BHHS 1000/3 = 333 *** These were all high schools in

our• Tumwater 1004/3 – 334 area (within 20 miles)!

Visual Representation

Additional Data in this Case• Results data which was linked in part to a lack of counselor

connection as a result of higher caseloads and increased workload. – rise in the number of credit deficient students – decrease in the number of on-time graduates over the past decade

• Presented to building principal, once earned support, then presented to the school’s Site Team (found a strong parent champion) and then to School Board.

• Having both parent advocate and strong data helped us reach our goal of hiring a 5th counseling position for Olympia High School (still in place after five years.)

Data is AllAround Us

Examples of Datato Examine

Stick to the Basics

• Attendance• Discipline• Academic Achievement

45

Data…Data…Data

• Present Raw Data before and after, over time, as compared by grade level from year to year.

• Present percentage data (smaller groups as relative to a larger group) over time, pre and post treatment/intervention, increases and decreases in performance

• Present Averages and how these may have changes over time

• Capture the data into a story, onto a chart and in writing/media using a SPARC or Multimedia Presentation.

Use…

• Charts, tables and figures• Collect and use raw data, changes in data,

percentages, percentages of change, averages, changes over time, comparisons within groups, comparisons in matched groups (grade levels from year to year), pre and post, disaggregated by gender, grade, teacher, school, etc.)

• Use available technology to collect, analyze and present data

Collect and share data stories

• Every time you hear an anecdote about school counseling success, collect it.

• Ask colleagues to write down brief descriptions of what they are doing that is working and the outcomes that verify it.

• Begin to assemble school counseling success stories that you can tell in a few sentences.

• Share with SPARC’s, closing the gap projects, newsletters, in person

Get involved with policy makers at all levels

• School level for day to policy• District for those that impact students and

counselors• State level to impact the profession and its

ability to help students

Advocacy Examples and Strategies: for the Profession

A legislative task force is considering saving money by shifting non-counseling jobs to counselors.

(Remember: when a state or federal legislature takes action; we feel it at the local level, especially with more delegated and site based decision making.)

Develop two pictures. One that is of the model and possibilities with school counseling and another of the potential outcomes for students and schools if this is implemented.– Ask key questions? What is current data about student

performance and achievement? How will these outcomes be changed with less school counseling time or a smaller school counseling program? What are the possibilities for increasing student achievement that will not be possible?

Collaborate early and often; collaborate in care

The time to develop partnerships is not when you will need to call them but throughout your work.

Collaborate with other stakeholders to answer your questions and outline your pictures and goals.– Develop alternate strategies to solve the money problem.– Reframe the problem effectively.– Settle on an approach that most can believe in and

follow. – Do not wait for the all-purpose perfect solution.

Collaboration prevents burnout.

Begin moving forward…

Reach-out to important partners – Parent groups, local and state professional organizations, teachers, unions and gather the human resources, financial resources, and needed technologies to flesh out a plan. – Match activities to resources (review and find

additional needed resources).– Develop a plan and materials needed to tell your

story.– Develop a communications/dissemination strategy. – Engage more constituents and the public to your

side.

Think Globally and Act Locally

Practical Advocacy Tips

Use objective problem and goal statements. Which is more effective: "We need to establish more career

elective courses that are attractive to students from African American and Latino groups"; or "Whereas the average number of career courses taken over four years is 4.25 hours for White students, the averages for African American and Latino students are 1.0 and .75 career courses, respectively." Clearly, the second statement makes a stronger and more objective argument, and it implies a more objective and measurable goal.

Have a tight focus and targeted argument. Choose carefully among your many good arguments for the most focused, easy to understand, data supportable, and compelling.

More TipsUse solution-focused strategies to problem solve:

– Develop detailed action plans based on what has worked before rather than assume that any plan will work.

– Take divergent perspectives on problems and solutions that lead to effective action planning and problem solving.

– Rely on counseling strategies that have the advantage of an empowerment focus.

– Focus on strengths, solutions, and change, rather than on difficulties from the past.

– Develop a culture of advocacy.– Have a clear picture of where you are going to ensure you will

get there.– Build in accountability

More Tips

Advocacy is about change, that may start with you and your methods (If you do what you’ve always

done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.)Accept that change is the status quo (Be prepared

for it, be willing to learn and implement “New Ways” of doing business, understand the “Big Picture”, Make a way out of “No Way”, Contribute to the “Primary Goals” of the organization)

Be reflective/examine your goals (Do the right thing, examine your attitudes and values as they drive your behavior, challenge yourself beyond your limits, be accountable)

Leadership into Advocacy

• The best preparation for being a strong advocate is having a strong program that generates success data that you have shared.

• Actions—counselors assertively acting to support students to access and success in getting a quality education.

• Results– deliberate actions can be documented by "hard data" moving school counseling from the periphery edge to a position front and center in constructing student success.

Advocacy Involves Risk and Self-Care

Develop personal coping skills; advocacy is professional and not personal.

Use good cognitive behavioral skills to avoid personalizing defeat and disagreements.

Reframe a personal failure into one of inappropriately deployed skills, inadequate planning, a valiant best effort, a growth experience, or a successful start toward change.

It starts and ends with student achievement

It starts and ends with you…

…no one else will advocate for you, your program, and your profession harder than you will. Why should they?

Some advice about extending your reach

WORKING WITH LEGISLATORS

Working with Legislators

Working with (your) State lawmakers

Legislators have hectic schedules but they especially want to hear from their own constituents, so to get your voice heard, try the following:

• Develop your relationships early and before the session gets underway and hectic. . Don’t be a stranger to your elected officials and their staff. The most persuasive messages come from familiar faces. Know them by name, and make sure they know you by name. Anonymity is the antithesis of effectiveness.

• Introduce yourself at every opportunity, hand out your business card like candy at Halloween –always have extras. Invite officials to your programs for conversations and photos. Seeing is believing.

• Face-to-face meetings• Attend Legislators’ “town hall” meetings and other events in their own district and make your

voice heard while there.• Watch for a District Day, which is a day during which Legislators set aside time to meet with their

own constituents. If you have the ability to get to Tallahassee, schedule an appointment ahead of time and let the Legislative Assistant know you’re coming from out of town.

• Legislators are in their home district offices on alternate weeks during the session. Go see them individually or in small teams of two-three people just to introduce yourself and to tell them what you care about. Keep contact by phone or email with them and their aides throughout the session.

Working with Legislators

General Strategies• Concentrate on principles of policy, rather than the specifics. Trust that

your “every day professional advocates” know the details; your job is to set the stage with your elected officials to improve access for other advocates. The hometown connection is essential to help them listen with both ears.

• Bring more facts than opinions – talk about what is important to you as a citizen and professional. The more you can “prove” your point, especially with reliable data, the more Legislators will pay attention.

• Produce Written Summaries: Be able to leave behind your message and key points. Written summaries will ensure that your key points and message live on well beyond your brief meeting. Staff uses written summaries for briefings once the issue comes back up.

Working with Legislators

Working with (your) State lawmakers (cont.)

Phone Calls/Email• Go to http://www.leg.state.fl.us and search for you

Legislator(s) to find the correct phone number and email addresses. Look at all lawmakers whose districts touch your district and school; not just where you personally live.

• Leave a message with the Legislative Assistant to be delivered to the lawmaker’s office. S/He will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Working with Legislators

Working with (your) State lawmakers (cont.)Emails and Letters

• Send letters to:Sen./Rep. (person’s name)Florida Senate or House of Representatives Physical Address of Legislator (on website at http://www.leg.state.fl.us )Tallahassee, Florida

• Send emails to address listed on http://www.leg.state.fl.us website. It’s ok to email Legislators who are not in your district, especially when they serve on the committee that is hearing the bill(s) you are interested in.

• Concisely state your case and refer to any proposed legislation by bill number.

• Ask the lawmaker to vote “yes” or “no” on a specific bill and explain why.• Personalize Your Communications: Use form letters as a basis for your own

but remember that if you letter looks exactly like every other one, it will go in the round file. Make a statement about how this will affect you or your students or their constituents.

• If you want a reply, make sure to request one.

Making the most of your advocacy with lawmakers

After you have established a personal relationship through visits, phone or email contact, talk about specific bills!

You can track specific bills by staying in touch with the FSCA website, getting information from the state’s union or your own District’s legislative information office or by tracking bills yourself:

• Tracking a bill has never been easier, especially if you already know the bill number. It can help too if you know the process that a bill follows when going from draft to law (see “How a Bill Becomes a Law” handout for a visual explanation).

• Find information on a bill by signing onto the bill tracker for each branch of the Florida legislature: – This site lets you search by bill number or key words. – You can also view “floor activity reports” or “bill history” to find out what actions

have been taken and where the bill is in the process.– You can also search by committee to find out what bills are on the agenda for

the coming week’s hearings.

Last thoughts• This is a long-term process and a long-term relationship. It may take a

long time to get all of your goals accomplished. • Keep your eyes on the prize. If you have been thoughtful and careful in

developing your goal, you will not let new issues or barriers derail or deflect or distract you.

• Advocacy is focused on the art of compromise, never expect it all. While we strive for unanimity, we work for majority. There’s a difference between compromising principles and compromising in policy discussion.

• While there’s strength in diversity, there’s power in unity. Bring as many diverse voices to your cause as possible, but reach a unifying message. Agree on the important goals and success will be achieved.

• Recognize Political Realities: Some legislators are not going to agree with your positions. Expect it, it is healthy for our governmental system. Avoid confrontation and try to find some common ground or interests in a respectful but firm way. Your common areas will be of use in trying to reach a compromise.

Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

Your advocacy steps…• Step 1. Develop your in depth understanding of the problem based on data and

reduce it to a single page Fact Sheet. • Step 2. Identify what the policy maker/Legislature can do to solve your problem…

can they get you to the change you seek. (Do a power analysis of who is responsible for the problem and who can help you solve the problem. They may not always be the same person.

• Step 3. Determine who all is impacted by these issues and at multiple levels…i.e., youth, families, schools, districts, communities. Build a network of resources (key allied and partners who benefit from meeting your goal) to meet the demands of your advocacy effort.

• Step 4. Identify how multiple audiences perceive your problem or what they know about the problem so you can craft an appropriate public perception campaign.

• Step 5. Do analyses on how multiple audiences get information about your issue and have a media plan using talking points and one message.

• Step 6. Develop a campaign based on your resources and with plans to escalate as you get more resistance.

• Step 7. Build a database and website with 24 hour access and email capabilities. Use the web to get people to sign a petition or sign up for more information, forward info to others.

• Step 8. Establish a timeline and assign activities to responsible parties. Make sure there are several leaders who share the work.

• Step 9. Build evaluation tools into your work. Measure where you are and against a timeline to make course corrections and change strategies. Get outside feedback and help.

ReferencesAmerican School Counselor Association. (2003). The ASCA National Model: A framework for

school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.American School Counselor Association. (2005). Ethical Standards for School Counselors.

Alexandria, VA: Author.Bailey, D. F., Getch, Y. Q., & Chen-Hayes, S. (2003). Professional school counselors as social and

academic advocates. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Transforming the school counseling profession (pp.411-434). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Brown, D., & Trusty, J. (2005). Designing and leading comprehensive school counseling programs: Promoting student competence and meeting student needs. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Davis, T. E., & Osborn, C. J. (2000). The solution-focused school counselor: Shaping professional practice. Philadelphia: Accelerated Development.

Downing, J., & Harrison, T. Kuranz, M. (2002). Cultivating student potential. Professional School Counseling, 5, 172-179.

Myers, J. E., Sweeney, T. J., & White, V. E. (2002). Advocacy for counseling and counselors: A professional imperative. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80, 394-402.

Osborne, J. L., Collison, B. B., House, R. M., Gray, L. A., Firth, J., & Lou, M. (1998). Developing a social advocacy model for counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 37, 190-202.

Svec, H. J. (1987).Youth advocacy and high school dropout. The High School Journal, 70, 185-192.Svec, H. J. (1990). An advocacy model for the school psychologist. School Psychology

International, 11, 63-70.