Helping students grow their social and emotional skills has become a big part of school counselors鈥� jobs, particularly given the impact of the pandemic on student mental health and behavioral issues.
But it鈥檚 also time-consuming, difficult work, and counselors need more support and resources, according to a released this week by ACT and the American School Counselors Association, based on a survey done last year of counselors and district officials.
Nearly everyone agrees that social-emotional learning is both an important priority for schools and a part of counselors鈥� purview. The vast majority of school counselors surveyed鈥�85 percent鈥攔eported that they were 鈥渧ery interested鈥� in incorporating SEL into their school counseling programs. Less than 3 percent said they were only 鈥渁 little interested鈥� or 鈥渘ot interested at all.鈥� Meanwhile, the majority of district leaders鈥�72.5 percent鈥攑ut developing students鈥� social-emotional skills on par with building their academic knowledge.
鈥淎 common misperception is that school counselors provide really just a one-off counseling session,鈥� said Jill Cook, ASCA鈥檚 executive director on a call with reporters. 鈥淲hile that may have been the case several decades ago, today school counselors develop and deliver comprehensive programs to address student needs, with the goal of ensuring success for all students. It is no longer the day of the guidance counselor who perhaps only worked with students who are applying to college or students who may be in disciplinary trouble.鈥�
Teaching social-emotional skills can take up a huge chunk of a counselor鈥檚 day. A little more than a third of counselors surveyed last year by ACT and ASCA鈥�39 percent鈥攔eported that teaching social and emotional learning skills consumes at least half of their time, with 12 percent saying that it takes up three-quarters or more. Roughly another quarter of counselors鈥�27 percent鈥攕aid they spend somewhere between 21 percent and 49 percent of their workday helping students develop social-emotional skills. Just 17 percent said it takes up 10 percent or less of their time.
What鈥檚 more, many of the most important components of social-emotional learning are also the toughest for students to master, survey respondents said. Counselors selected three skills鈥攄emonstrating effective coping skills when faced with a problem, exhibiting self-discipline and self-control, and applying self-motivation and self-direction to learning鈥攁s among both the top five most critical pieces of SEL and the five most difficult for kids to learn.
Despite the importance placed on SEL, many school counselors aren鈥檛 getting the resources they need to implement it as successfully as possible. Less than half of counselors鈥�44 percent鈥攕aid that their school district directors supported their work to develop students鈥� SEL skills. But most school district officials surveyed鈥�88 percent鈥攖hought they advocated a 鈥済reat deal鈥� for resources to help school counselors teach SEL.
And while nearly all counselors鈥�98 percent鈥攕ay it鈥檚 either 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渕oderately鈥� important for parents/guardians to play a part in their child鈥檚 social and emotional development, more than three-quarters of counselors believe that it鈥檚 鈥渧ery hard or moderately hard鈥� to get them involved.
The vast majority of counselors鈥�91 percent鈥攁lso said they would benefit a 鈥済reat deal鈥� or at least 鈥渕oderately鈥� from additional professional development on SEL. But only a quarter reported getting a 鈥済reat deal鈥� of professional development, while 38 percent said they had gotten a moderate amount. More than a third said they had only gotten a little professional development on SEL or none at all.
To help, district leaders should make SEL a part of their comprehensive plans, use evidence to teach social-emotional skills, make sure school counselors have a leadership role on SEL at the school level, and use federal and state funding to support SEL development, the report recommends.
The most important of those recommendations, according to Janet Godwin, the CEO of ACT? Putting SEL into district plans. Godwin, who served on a local school board, said there鈥檚 a lot of clamoring for board members鈥� attention: transportation, academics, food, extracurriculars.
鈥淚f SEL is not intentionally, thoughtfully incorporated into comprehensive plans for the school alongside curriculum and academic achievement goals, it is not going to get done,鈥� she said.
The survey, which was conducted in February through April of 2020, included 263 school counselors, 26 school counselor educators, 68 pre-service school counselors in training, and 41 district directors with authority over staffing and support of school counselors.
