President’s Letter: Giving Roots and Wings

One of my favorite quotes is, “There are only two lasting things we can hope to give our children: one is roots, the other is wings”. I believe that a strong school–family partnership begins with this premise. Taking ideas from an article entitled, “How to communicate effectively with parents of students” by Ashley Henshaw, school counselors can focus on three areas to support parent collaboration and involvement.

1. Communication is key: Giving parents information on your school counseling program and offerings is essential in building a positive relationship. It is also important to use multimedia approaches to reach as many parents as possible. In younger years, children often bring home information, but as students increase in age and independence, school counselors need to use other formats for communicating important information to reach as many parents/guardians as possible.
2. Being transparent and building bridges: I often feel the school counselor’s role in parent meetings is to help connect parents to the school community and act as advocate for both student and parent/guardian. Many times, parents bring their own school experiences (both positive and negative) into meeting situations with their children. School counselors can help bridge relationships with parents/guardians and school staff to better support the student. I often say to parents, “We want what’s best for your student; we have the same goal.”
3. Facilitating opportunities for involvement: Using Epstein’s model for school–family–community relationships, school counselors can provide opportunities for families in many ways:

• Parenting – giving parent training workshops or information on relevant school issues
• Communicating – fostering two-way communication between family and school staff, taking into consideration cultural and language needs
• Volunteering – giving parents opportunities to showcase specialized skills (career fairs, career days) or provide assistance in other ways (mentoring, tutoring)
• Learning at home – providing resources and connections to support extending curriculum at home
• Decision making – having parents participate in advisory councils or other district committees to give voice on important issues and topics
• Collaborating with community – connecting families with local resources and services to support families in various ways.

Other notable resources on family engagement:
 
Getting parents involved in your school counseling program, M. Govner
 
ASCA Position Statement - The School Counselor and School-Family-Community Partnerships
 
Aligning and integrating family engagement in positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)
 
It has been a pleasure to serve as the PSCA president for the 2017-2018 year. I am grateful for the opportunities this leadership position has given me – I have met school counselors from across the state of Pennsylvania to enhance the important work that we do with students every day. I am very thankful for the support and collaboration of PSCA Executive Director Dr. Judith Bookhamer and the PSCA Governing Board. I leave you with a quote from Michelle Obama’s last speech as first lady, which was at the school counselor of the year celebration in 2017:

“Our hope is that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us."
 
This is my hope for school counselor across Pennsylvania, as we are often confronted with barriers to our work. I hope you continue the great work you do for your students and families every day, and give your children those imperative roots to grow and wings to fly.
 
Contact Lisa A. Maloney, Ph.D., NCC, NCSC, PSCA president, at maloneyl@hasdpa.net.