Unlocking Student Potential: Pathways to Success

In the world of education, there are remarkable individuals who shape the future by guiding and nurturing our young learners. School counselors, often unsung heroes, play a vital role in students' lives, helping them discover their strengths, interests, and aspirations. Among these dedicated professionals is Dr. Ivan Velasco, the Director of Learner Pathways at Willis Independent School District in Texas.

Dr. Velasco shared his insights during a Conversations with Educators webinar, hosted by our own Marco Garcia. During this conversation, they explored how school counselors make a profound difference in the lives of their students, create inclusive and supportive environments for a diverse range of learners, and optimize their time to ensure productive face-to-face interactions.

How can school counselors guide students to recognize their strengths, interests, and aspirations?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: I truly believe that in education all adults have their place, but counselors are the heartbeat of the school. They have an incredible and critical role that many on the outside do not understand or even perceive.

The most important area, though, to consider when you're talking about counselors is that developing those relationships with students is critical, but it takes time, and you'll be surprised how many hours these counselors are putting in beyond what we see in school.

They have a very important role in making sure that our students are healthy. We know that EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is as important as IQ, and that our students will not learn if they're not emotionally ready for learning.  

80/20 is a big thing. School districts are required now to make sure that counselors are assigned 80 percent of their time to working on counseling issues and 20 percent to everything else, including administrative duties and documentation.

Marco Garcia: Although 80/20 relates to Senate Bill 179 in Texas, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) also recommends that school counselors spend 80% of their time in direct and indirect student services.

What advice would you give to educators looking to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for students?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: Being inclusive is not just saying, you're welcome to come in, but understanding that students come from different backgrounds and that their experiences are of value to what we do at schools.  

Once we value what each individual brings to the table, the opportunity for discussion, just like we're having right now, the opportunity for trying things that perhaps we have not tried before only because we were not exposed to it, but somebody comes in with, hey, this actually works, let's give it a shot.

My advice is to be very conscious, be very aware. Be personally aware of your bias. Biases can create barriers.

Marco Garcia: You hit the nail on the head. Understanding that there are micro biases and macro biases, and all the things that go along with being inclusive, entails constant reflection.

What are some innovate approaches or initiatives you have implemented at Willis ISD?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: One of the things that we have done specifically for counselors is to look for resources they can utilize.  

One of the things that we are working on for the current year is to provide resources so that we can gather all the information I was talking about earlier today without having to run 50,000 spreadsheets and trying to piece together College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) information.

Pathways is a great resource. It just brings all the information that is in your student information system (SIS) into one single place. It's unbelievable the amount of time counselors can save by going to Pathways.

How can counselors ensure that face-to-face time with students is most productive?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: I go back to being prepared. They (counselors) have to be very strategic on setting up schedules, so that they can meet students. But once they have the student in front of them, having the information about where the student is, if it is high school where the credits are, where the areas of need are potentially happening, and obviously what are the goals and expectations for the future once the student finishes high school. Having all that information is critical.

How can school counselors better understand the unique strengths, interests and aspirations of each student?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: There are career surveys that are given to students. Not all students want to go to college. Getting a quick understanding of what the strength of the student is allows you to have conversations about things that perhaps the students have not considered in the past.  

Continue identifying the strengths of the students and providing resources. We bring in different colleges and trade schools to provide experiences that speak to what the students want to do.

I'm asked to spend a large amount of time doing non-counselor duties. How can I help administration understand this situation?

Dr. Ivan Velasco: Clearly marking what you do, day to day, and then breaking down how much of that is what you're doing that is counseling and what you're doing that is not counseling. Have a conversation with your administrative team and say, hey, this is where I am, and I need to somehow balance this.

How does Education Advanced help school counselors?

Education Advanced transforms schools and empowers educators by providing software that makes operational tasks easier. Pathways is a product that will help counselors make the most effective use of their time.

Pathways enables counselors to effectively create and track each student's progress toward graduation. Implementing Pathways will help efficiently organize information from the student information system in one easy-to-access platform. It will bring information together into one place and break down the information without excessive spreadsheets.

Unlocking student potential is achieved when school counselors efficiently manage their time while using the most effective and cutting-edge resources possible. Education Advanced is leading the way by providing education professionals with exceptional resources such as Pathways.