School Counselors as Social Justice Leaders

Teaching and Reaching Every Area (TAREA) is a comprehensive school–family–community partnership designed to increase Latino student achievement. The authors use action research to describe how a school counselor developed TAREA and post hoc analysis to provide examples of social justice and systemic collaboration leadership dimensions. The authors detail parent, staff, and student engagement outcomes. Throughout, they transform the abstract concept of leadership into concrete steps for school counselor advocacy and action.

Does cultural intelligence matter?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether the levels of cultural intelligence (CQ) of principals and teachers influence Latino students’ achievement. The study first tested the applicability of Ang and Van Dyne’s (2008) Cultural Intelligence Questionnaire (CQS) for the measurement of principals and teachers’ CQ levels by construct validating this instrument. Later, it investigated whether the CQ levels of principals and teachers explain the achievement levels of Latino students in mathematics and language arts. Design/methodology/approach A naturalistic relational research design was used to study the relationships between the study variables. Participants included a cluster random sample of 86 principals and 311 teachers in a southern state. The convergent validation was used to establish the construct validity of the CQS by correlating CQS subscale scores with several measures of principal and teacher multicultural exposure. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between the principal and teacher CQS subscale scores and the Latino student achievement scores on state standardized tests. Findings The four-factor structure of the CQS scale was found to be valid in the educational settings. Principals’ level of CQ significantly predicted Latino students’ achievement scores of eight grade math and eight grade language arts. On the contrary to the expectations, there was no evidence to suggest that teacher-level CQ as measured by the CQS is predictive of Latino student achievement. Further analyses showed that multicultural exposures of teachers, such as being multilingual and visiting other countries, significantly predicted Latino students’ language arts performance. Originality/value This study has policy and research implications toward understanding and eliminating achievement gaps of Latino student populations. It sheds empirical light on whether this gap can be explained with the multicultural intelligence levels of principals and teachers, the two most influential actors in schools. By construct validating CQS, the study methodologically contributed to the pertinent educational research, which lacks instruments for the measurement of CQ levels of educational workforce.

Beyond Instructional Leadership: The Lived Experiences of Principals in Successful Urban Schools

Despite national statistics that suggest declining African American and Latino student achievement, few schools accept the challenge of educating the neediest students, and even fewer succeed. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of and strategies employed by three principals of urban schools that effectively educate traditionally underserved students. Contrary to instructional leadership practices, these principals limited opportunities for teachers to share in the decision-making process regarding school operation and leadership, instead expecting teachers to concentrate on classroom instruction as the priority. Additionally, these principals focused and nurtured teachers’ personal and professional characteristics to enhance the quality of instruction at their particular schools.

Promoting Latino Student Achievement and Development through the ASCA National Model®

This article provides a contemporary view of assisting the large and growing Latino student population in K-12 schools, particularly as it relates to current demographic shifts, school reform, and the ASCA National Model®. The article highlights concerns for Latino students and families, culturally appropriate school counseling strategies for promoting Latino student development and achievement, and methods for incorporating Latino students’ strengths and concerns into the four elements of the ASCA National Model.