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School Counselors
Working for Social Justice
School counselors are ideally positioned in schools to work as social justice advocates. Educational equity in a democratic society requires that all children have equal access to quality teaching and curriculum and also the support they need to receive a quality education. That, indeed, is the goal of the standards movement. However, data from states and local school districts show that poor students and students of color are systemically denied the kind of education that leads to success in the marketplace. The gap that separates poor students and students of color from other young Americans is wide and getting wider.
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While the 1970s and 1980s saw progress in narrowing the gap, by 1990 we stopped dead in our tracks and things are getting worse again. In some ethnic groups, more students are graduating from high school: more are even entering college. But the high school diplomas they get often are not worth the paper they are written on. And the proportion of these young people earning a college degree has barely changed in two decades. Thus, many children of color and poor children leave high school, if they even make it through, without the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully enter college or the workplace.
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Poor students and students of color have a greater need than their more advantaged peers for caring and committed adult advocates and mentors in the school setting because they often lack family and community members who can adequately fill these roles. Also, their families and communities have a long history of being marginalized, with little success in ameliorating the negative impact that bureaucracies like schools have on their lives.
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In spite of often dire circumstances in their surrounding communities, some schools serving children of color and low-income children succeed in equipping their students with high level academic skills. Invariably, these are schools where all students are held to high academic standards, pushed to stretch and achieve, and given support throughout this process. In these schools, there are significant adults who believe that neither the amount of money their parents make, nor the color of their skin should consign students to limited future opportunities. These caring adults, through advocacy and active concern, create conditions that support this belief.
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School counselors are ideally positioned in schools to carry out this advocacy function. We are challenged by the principles of social justice to ensure that all students have access to a quality education. Every student, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, or socio-economic status is entitled to a successful school experience that will ultimately increase their economic potential and positively impact their quality of life. School counselors must examine their behaviors and accept the responsibility to work towards the common goals of eliminating the achievement gap and assure all students equity in educational opportunity. Merely doing the same thing for all students doesn't mean equity. School counselors must work for systemic change in the "system" to give individuals the most that need the most.
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