Increasing partnerships in educational leadership and school counseling: a framework for collaborative school principal and school counselor preparation and support

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a practical training framework for collaboration for pre-service and in-service school counselors and principal training programs, which can serve as a model for other programs to best meet the social, emotional, academic, and career and college readiness needs of P-12 students. The framework includes six elements: 1) effective pre-service preparation; 2) sustainable partnerships; 3) stakeholder collaboration; 4) current practitioner support; 5) model site development; and, 6) ongoing research and professional learning. Each element of the framework is presented with examples of collaboration among principal and school counselor preparation programs. While principals and school counselors have unique and diverse roles in schools, their collaboration supports the holistic (e.g. academic, social, and emotional) development of P-12 students. Similarly, collaboration between pre-service training programs, community partners, and practitioners can be beneficial for both students and educators. Little information is known about how these collaborative skillsets are developed in pre-service and in-service training programs, however. This framework provides faculty in higher education and pre- and in-service practitioners insights to foster school counselor and principal collaboration and positive relationships.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for their generous support of this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Notes on contributors

Rachel Louise Geesa

Rachel Louise Geesa, EdD, is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Ball State University. Dr. Geesa holds degrees in art education, educational psychology, gifted education, school superintendency, and educational administration and supervision. Her research agenda focuses on exploring academic, professional, and personal development and support systems for educational leaders in national and international settings. Recent study topics are related to educational leadership and integrative STEM education, mentoring, school counseling and principal relationships, and supervision in international student teaching programs. She taught and served as an administrator in PK-12 schools in the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Renae D. Mayes

Renae D. Mayes, PhD, NCC, is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies at the University of Arizona. Her research agenda centers around the academic success and college readiness for gifted Black students with dis/abilities and Black girls while providing recommendations for dismantling systems of oppression through policy and practice. As an extension of her work, Dr. Mayes has worked with faculty in educational leadership to support the research and training of culturally responsive practices and partnerships among pre-service and in-service school counselors and administrators.

Kendra P. Lowery

Kendra P. Lowery is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Assistant Dean for School Engagement in Teachers College at Ball State University. Her research interests include principal-school counselor collaboration and preparation, social justice leadership practices, cross-racial dialogues, school de/segregation, and educational experiences of Black women and girls.

Marilynn M. Quick

Marilynn M. Quick is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Ball State University. During her career, she served in Indiana and Arizona as a school superintendent, central office leader, principal, reading specialist, and teacher. Her degrees were earned at Indiana University and the University of Arizona. The major themes in her consulting work and research agenda center on personnel evaluation, school improvement processes, and raising student achievement.

Lori G. Boyland

Lori G. Boyland is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Ball State University. Dr. Boyland also serves as the Director of the Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision and P-12 principal licensure programs at Ball State. Her research interests focus on the principal’s role in creating healthy school environments that promote the well-being of students and staff. Before joining the faculty at Ball State, Dr. Boyland served as a P-12 public school teacher and administrator for 22 years.

Jungnam Kim

Jungnam Kim is an Assistant Professor of School Counseling at Ball State University. Her primary line of research focuses on developing parent empowerment framework and investigating effects of parent empowerment framework on educational outcomes, especially, for marginalized parents. She also uses large national secondary datasets to research school counselors’ roles in promoting college and career access and opportunity and fostering student success through investigating protective factors, such as Asian American students’ help-seeking, school connectedness or school bonding, and collaborations with administrators.

Nicholas P. Elam

Nicholas P. Elam is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Ball State University. Previously, he served in a variety of roles in PK-12 schools, including principal, assistant principal, athletic director, and teacher, at the elementary school, middle school, and high school levels in diverse and rural settings. Dr. Elam’s research focuses on teacher evaluation systems.

Kaylee M. McDonald

Kaylee McDonald holds a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University in psychology and youth leadership development. Currently, she is a graduate student in Ball State University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and graduate assistant in the Department of Educational Leadership. She is passionate about counseling and research interests include the impact of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on relationships, experiences of LGBTQIA couples in couple and family therapy, and the impact of school counselor-principal collaboration on students.