Advocacy Toolkit

School counselors engage stakeholders at the school, district and state levels to inform and educate others about what school counselors do and why this support leads to better student outcomes. Following are helpful tools to use when navigating discussions with or making formal presentations to teachers, administrators, district leaders, school boards, lawmakers and more. Providing specific examples to this information helps to personalize the impact of the work.

School Counseling Program Advocacy

• ASCA Position Statement: The School Counselor and School Counseling Programs
• Who Are School Counselors Infographic
• The Role of the School Counselor
• The Essential Role of Elementary School Counselors
• The Essential Role of Middle School Counselors
• The Essential Role of High School Counselors
• Student-to-School-Counselor Ratios (2021–2022)
• ASCA National Model Executive Summary

Research on School Counselor Effectiveness

• School Counselors Matter
• Effectiveness Research (Empirical research demonstrating school counselors' impact)

The Legislative Process

Understanding the logistics of legislative advocacy can be vital to share information at the most effective times. In addition to participating in your state school counselor association advocacy events, school counselors can always initiate contact with lawmakers as private citizens to share information about the profession. Get tips for setting up an appointment with your state legislators.

Learn more about the federal legislative process here. You may want to access your specific state to note when your general assembly is in session and the specific bill- to-law process.