| Services should match students' school-life stages.
|
Figure 4 describes the essential services that can enhance student success. The
Office of Student Services personnel have selected three stages of attendance
during which students may need these core services:
- Pre-Enrollment--the period when one is preparing to enroll in a secondary
school
- Enrollment--the period when the student is enrolled
- Post-Enrollment--the period when the student has left the program, whether
he or she has advanced to the next level or withdrawn
Figure 4
describes the services students may require during different stages of their
school life. The principle undergirding the framework is that schools must
assist all students in realizing their educational and career goals.
Students need some services during all three levels and others at different
stages of enrollment. Of course, each student's needs will be unique. Some of
these services, such as counseling, food services, transportation services,
safety and security services, and medical/nursing services, are often taken for
granted by students and parents. Other basic or fundamental services include
child-care assistance, psychological services, social work/social services, and
special accommodations.
|
Provide basic services and assistance during different
stges of school life:
Pre-Enrollment
Enrollment
Post-Enrollment
| The services listed in Figure 4 consist of assistance delivered during
different stages of the student's school life: pre-enrollment, enrollment, and
post-enrollment services. During the pre-enrollment stage, students need
certain services to facilitate their movement to the next level (e.g., middle
to high school, high school to college, education to work). Activities and
programs at this stage are designed to help students be familiar with and
adjust to another level of school life or, ultimately, to work. Orientation to
their new school is very helpful. Appropriate assessment should take place, as
well as career awareness and exploration activities. Students will benefit from
career/educational counseling prior to entering a high school program.
During enrollment, most students will continue to need educational/career
counseling, including career exploration and awareness, career/transition
planning (including financial aid), and additional assessment. Some students
will need tutoring, most will benefit from a mentor, and almost all can use
academic advisement. Job-referral and job-placement services help ensure a
student's smooth transition from school to gainful employment.
While early school leavers and graduates traditionally have minor contact with
the former institution, many of them would still profit from job referral, job
placement, and counseling. There seems to be a growing trend for former
students in the post-enrollment stage to return frequently to their previous
school to serve on advisory councils, to act as mentors to current students, to
offer jobs to students, and to provide other assistance.
While there is probably no single "best" approach to providing essential
student services effectively, the following are some general guidelines that
schools can use in building a student services system:
| Maximize resources.
- Use all available resources, including those in the school, the total
system, and the community. Parents, students, business and industry
representatives, school administrators, faculty, counselors, and all school
staff, as well as community service providers must work cooperatively and
collaboratively.
| Conduct needs assessment
| - Assess the needs of every student to determine the necessary services.
Assessment is imperative in determining how to best serve and avoid duplication
of programs and services.
| Build a comprehensive management system.
| - Implement a comprehensive management system to ensure that all students
are receiving needed services.
| Adopt the developmental approah.
| - Use the developmental approach. Through this approach, each individual,
while in the process of progressing through some common growth stages, is still
recognized as unique.
| Involve everyone in the change process.
| - Involve administrators, parents, teachers, and other school staff members
in the change process. High schools can combat potential resistance to the
concept of building a comprehensive student services system by gaining the
support and collaboration of those working with students.
| Hold ongoing professional development activities.
| - Design and conduct staff development activities that will prepare the
school and the community for the work ahead. Workshops or seminars can focus on
the following topics: how the new system works, curriculum integration, team building,
time management, and others.
| Keep communication lines open.
| - Keep the communication lines open among all key players. This will help
break down the traditional barriers between levels of education and between
student services personnel and other school staff.
| Resikve cibfkuctubg ussyes,
| - Resolve issues that can impede the implementation of an inclusive student
services system (e.g., coordinating several services, providing time for
personnel to work together, and funding).
| Evaluate and do follow-up.
| - Conduct ongoing evaluation and follow-up for program improvement and to
determine student services.
| Form a student srvices team.
| - Organize a student services team (SST). As a team, student services
personnel can effectively provide the necessary student services.
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