Transforming Your Advisory Council

We recently recorded a 15 minute school counseling podcast episode that we called a “from the trenches” episode. In this episode we shared 4 tips that helped us as we conducted our first semester advisory council meeting. We’ve put these in a guide that you can download and use to create your ideal advisory council.

Before we make any school counseling decisions we ask ourselves these 3 questions: Will this save me time? Will this position me as a leader? Will this contribute to my overall success? If the answer is yes, we do the thing! These tips that we’re sharing passed our litmus test, especially during this unprecedented year of stress and trauma.

Step 1: Start Small

ASCA recommends one advisory council meeting per semester. If the first semester blew by without you completing an advisory council meeting, it’s ok! Start somewhere- start small. Set a goal to organize a group and have a meeting as soon as you can. I used to only include teachers on my advisory council. One year I decided to step outside of my comfort zone, and I invited one person from the community. The next year I invited several people from the community. Every year after that I have had more community members than school representatives.

Step 2: Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Were you able to read that without singing? We are huge believers in using people from your community. Even if you’re in a rural community, you can make this work. Include people from outreach organizations or churches. Think of restaurants or stores and invite the manager. Real estate agents may want to come so that they know how to talk about your school when they are selling homes to newcomers. Retired teachers are huge assets on advisory councils. They understand the school world, and they know how to get things done.

Step 3: Humble Brag

Learn how to put your hands together in front of you- we call this prayer hands, and repeat after us, “I hate to brag, but….” and then brag! Remember, you’re not bragging on yourself, you’re talking about your program. How many students did you see individually during the first semester? What topics did you cover in your classroom guidance lessons? How many students did you serve in PST/MTSS/RTI? How many students did you see in a small group? What are your school counseling goals, and how do you plan to reach them? These are all topics you can cover during your meeting. Consider bringing students in to talk about what all you have done through the school counseling program.

Step 4: Give Them an Assignment

What is something that you need help with? Mentoring? Food distribution? Career fair? Meals for the staff during emergencies? A washer and dryer for the school? List your needs and see how they might be inspired to help. They may hear things that you’re doing and have their own ideas on ways they can meet those needs. Giving them an assignment makes them feel like they are serving a purpose, and they are!

I always tell my advisory council that I see their role as the biggest cheerleaders in the community for the school counseling program. I want them to tell people how great our school is and what fabulous things they see going on. More than that, I want to work alongside them and permeate the culture of the community with what we’re doing in my school counseling program.

This is a report from the trenches! We’re in this with you!
-Kim and Laura

Download our guide to your advisory council here: