A GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING A STUDENT SERVICES SYSTEM

• Step 1: Identify the Need
• Step 2: Develop a Vision1
• Step 3: Identify Resources
• Step 4: Make a Plan
• Step 5: Get Down to the Nitty-Gritty

Step 1: Identify the Need

• What is the current student services situation like in our school/district?
• Is this situation satisfactory/unsatisfactory?
• What kind of student services system do we want? (The answers to this question could also lead to statements that can be used for the visioning activity.)
• Why do we want this kind of system?

Step 2: Develop a Vision1

1. Know your organization. (Use Handout VI-6 as a guide.)
2. Locate critical individuals. (Use Transparency VI-9 as a guide.)
3. Involve critical individuals in the organization, school, or community in developing the vision. (Use Handout VI-7 as a guide.)
4. Explore the possibilities. What are the future trends that will impact the organization? What will the schools be like in the future? What does this mean for school students? Develop a statement of what your organization will do or aim for in light of these future trends. (Use Handout VI-8 as a guide.)

Handout VI-6

Transparency VI-9

	Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 211 E. Seventh Street Austin, Texas 78701

Handout VI-7

INVOLVE CRITICAL INDIVIDUALS

	Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 211 E. Seventh Street Austin, Texas 78701

Handout VI-8

	Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 211 E. Seventh Street Austin, Texas 78701

Put the Vision Statement in Writing

There are four steps involved in this process:

1. Identify commonalities.
2. Write commonalities in sentences.
3. Get input from whole group.
4. Determine if vision statement is (1) future-oriented, (2) likely to lead to a clearly better future for the students, (3) consistent with the school's or district's purpose/mission, and (4) clear and concise. (Refer to Handout VI-11.)

Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth Vision

The heart of the State's vision for the year 2000 is healthier individuals, families, and communities. Elements in realizing this vision include empowered, resilient individuals and families residing in proactive, involved communities where families are supported, cultural diversity is respected, life is valued, and there is moral and ethical responsibility at all levels. Supportive of these ideals, the vision addresses basic needs such as housing; viable job and economic opportunities; affordable quality child care and preschool; affordable and accessible health care; and affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation. Services envisioned include a continuum of care for youth and their families, and structured youth enrichment programs. (Taken from Childrens Agenda 2000: A State Plan for Services to Children, Youth and Families, Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, and Oklahoma Planning and Coordinating Council for Services to Children and Youth, 1995)

Garland Independent School Districts Career and Technology Education Guidance Program Mission

The mission of Career and Technology Education in Katy Independent School District is to integrate career awareness, technical preparation, and academic excellence to train students to become productive citizens in a global workforce. Career and Technology Education students will be

• Self-Directed Learners, who demonstrate the ability to create options for themselves, monitor and evaluate their progress, and assume responsibility for continued learning.
• Collaborative Workers, who use effective leadership and group skills to develop and manage interpersonal relationships within culturally and organizationally diverse settings.
• Complex Thinkers, who identify, access, integrate, and use available resources and information to reason, make decisions, and solve complex problems in a future characterized by constantly evolving technology.
• Community Contributors, who contribute time, energies, and talents to improving the welfare of others and the quality of life in diverse communities.
• Quality Producers, who create intellectual, artistic, practical, and physical products which reflect originality, high standards, and the use of advanced technologies. (Taken from Garland Independent School District's Career and Technology Education Guidance Program, 1995)

The Vision for Zapata High School is to empower students with knowledge and confidence in taking initiatives for a continuous re-engineering of its entire program, reflecting creativity, constant improvement, synergy, and innovation to transcend the status quo. (Taken from Zapata High School's Comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling Program, 1997)

Step 3: Identify Resources

• People who will be involved in many different roles. Do not rule out anyone at this stage. Almost every member of the school and community will have a role to play, no matter how small.
• Businesses and government agencies that will be involved as team members or that can provide support. These may include local hospitals, banks, and other companies, as well as social services agencies, Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) offices, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) or Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), and other organizations.

Step 4: Make a Plan

• Team Composition. What will the student services team look like? Review the program examples, if necessary. Will it be different for each student? Who will take the lead? Will leadership be permanent or rotated? What will be the roles and responsibilities of the team members? Who will handle records?
• Procedures. How will the team organize its activities? What will be done during meetings? Where will meetings be held? Who will call meetings? How often? Is there a need for a set of guidelines for operation? Talk about confidentiality of records. How will problems be handled? Is there a need for an advisory board? If so, who will be the potential members?

• Group consensus. Decisions made by consensus require input from each member and agreement that he or she understands, supports, and is willing to implement the group's decision. This method is ideal for partnerships because the process requires a thorough discussion of alternatives, allows all voices to be heard, and fosters commitment. However, consensus decisionmaking can be time consuming. To reach a decision in the time allotted, groups sometimes must resort to another method such as majority rule.
• Committee decisionmaking. Sometimes a few members are appointed to a committee to decide an issue on behalf of the full membership. This method expedites the work process; however, all members of the larger group may not support the committee's decision. If the larger group frequently overrides decisions, committee members may begin to question their investment of time and effort.
• Majority rule. With this approach, the greatest number of votes carries the decision. Because it is a winner-take-all method, it may erode participants' commitment to collaboration and is probably most useful for deciding minor issues.

Step 5: Get Down to the Nitty-Gritty

• Training. Training is a necessary prerequisite to implementation of the new system. With your group, make decisions about the following:
  • Who will provide the training? If no one in your group has had any training related to student services or the system which you have put together, it may be necessary to secure training from a known training provider such as a local college or university, the state department of education, or social services.
  • What topics will be offered/requested? In addition to training on the use of your system, it will be helpful to get training on dealing with change.
  • When will the training be held?
  • Who will fund the training?
• Evaluation. Is it necessary? Yes, it is critically important to your efforts. Your group will have to address this issue and decide on the following:
  • Who will conduct the evaluation?
  • Who will be evaluated?
  • How often?