In order for students to have successful school experiences, we must ensure that our school climates and cultures foster safe learning communities. Lauderdale County students are supported by numerous individuals and organizations, including:
School Counselors
AWARE Social Workers
Coordinated School Health (CSH)
Communities in Schools (CIS)
Family Resource Center (FRC)
AdviseTN
Below are brief descriptions of the roles each of these individuals and entities play in providing counseling services, community outreach, and connections to internal and external resources for our students and families in an effort to foster safe learning communities and academic success.
Who are School Counselors?
School counselors work to maximize student success by promoting access and equity for all. School counselors work closely with school administrators to create school cultures rooted in safety and success. School counselors help students apply academic achievement strategies, manage emotions and apply interpersonal skills, and plan for postsecondary options in higher education, military, and/or the workforce.
School counselors support students in a variety of ways, including:
individual student academic planning and goal setting
school counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards
short-term counseling to students
referrals for long-term support
collaboration with families/teachers/ administrators/ community for student success
advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings
data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges
acting as a systems change agent to improve equity and access, achievement and opportunities for all students
Who are School Social Workers?
School social workers are instrumental in furthering the mission of the schools which is to provide a setting for teaching, learning, and for the attainment of competence and confidence. School social workers are hired to enhance the district's ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving student success.
School Social Workers are trained mental health professionals who can assist with:
mental health concerns
behavioral concerns
positive behavioral support, academic, and classroom support
consultation with teachers, parents, and administrators
individual and group counseling/therapy
What is “Coordinated School Health”?
Coordinated School Health (CSH) is an evidence-based model designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote healthy school environments so children arrive at school ready to learn. CSH addresses eight components of school health: health education, physical education/physical activity, health services, school counseling, psychological, and social services, nutrition, healthy school environment, staff wellness, and student, family, and community involvement.
What is “Communities in Schools”?
The mission of Communities in Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Many students and their families have a hard time accessing and navigating the maze of public and private services. There may be ample resources in a community, but rarely is there someone on the ground who is able to connect these resources with the schools and students that need them most. Through a school-based coordinator, we bring community resources into schools to empower success for all students by removing barriers for students at risk of dropping out, keeping kids in schools and on the path to graduation and leveraging evidence, relationships and local resources to drive results.
What is “Family Resource Center”?
In 1993, school-based Family Resource Centers were developed as specified in T.C.A. § 49-2-115 to address the potential risk factors within the home and community environments which impede or create barriers to a child’s ability to learn and grow successfully. Potential risk factors include but are not limited to poverty, hunger, homelessness, abuse, neglect, poor health, mental illness, substance abuse and/or family conflict. Family Resource Centers network with community organizations to coordinate problem-solving and goal-setting processes with parents while assisting them to create a supportive environment and meet the needs of their children.
What is “Advise TN”?
Advise TN is a college advising and capacity building program developed by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and the Office of former governor Bill Haslam. Driven by the belief that every student has the potential to attend and thrive in postsecondary education, Advise TN aims to increase the number of Tennesseans accessing higher education by partnering with high schools and providing college advising services to up to 10,000 junior and senior students across Tennessee.
Advisors will provide services to all juniors and seniors at each participating high school with the intention of helping students enroll in the postsecondary option where they will be most likely to succeed and persist to a degree or credential—be it a four-year university, community college, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, or other form of quality postsecondary education.