Developing Culturally Responsive School Counselors to Work in Turnaround Schools

Abstract

The conversation of turnaround schools often involves best practices for teachers and administrators in order to produce effective student outcomes, in particular for Black and other marginalized students (Hines et al., 2020). The discussion is centered around closing opportunity gaps, preparing students for academic success, and advocating for resources to improve the school culture/climate. However, more research is needed on the role of preparing school counselors who are culturally responsive to the needs of students in turnaround schools and the communities they serve given that school counselors contribute to improve student achievement. This chapter will focus on how school counselor training programs, as well as P-12 professional development can prepare culturally responsive school counselors to work in turnaround schools to aid in producing positive student outcomes and addressing needed school-wide challenges. Recommendations for research, practice, and policy will be provided.