Capstone Systems Change Project 1

Capstone Systems Change Project

Anna Romero

Brandman University
Capstone Systems Change Project 2

Capstone Systems Change Project

Introduction

Two Bunch Palms Elementary School is a public school located in the city of Desert Hot

Spring, California and part of the Palm Springs Unified School District which is located in the

Coachella Valley. Desert Hot Springs is a lower income area north of Palm Springs famously

known for some of the purest hot and cold mineral springs in the world and its high crime rate.

Desert Hot Springs is an extremely ethnically-diverse city but people of Hispanic or Latino

origin are the most prevalent group. Two Bunch Palms has a mission to make sure that “every

member of the community shows respect for self, others, and the learning environment” (TBP,

2020). I have only started my internship virtually at Two Bunch Palms and I have already

realized that there is a need for more mental health support for the student body and their

families. This year students have faced challenges with learning virtually due to the COVID-19

pandemic. The pandemic has not only affected Two Bunch Palms students academically but also

emotionally and psychologically. I believe that this school site will benefit greatly from

additional support in the counseling department by hiring a second counselor.

Two Bunch Palms Elementary

Two Bunch Palms currently has one full time school counselor with a ratio of 522

students per counselor. TBP also has a mental health therapist who only works on Mondays that

the school pays for. Due to COVID-19, students are currently enrolled in distance learning. This

has been the case since March of 2020 and there has been little to no update as to when students

can return to school. This uncertainty had been challenging for both students and the school

counselors as they have adapted to a new way of learning and interacting. This is evident in

monitoring current classrooms and realizing that teachers and counselors are struggling with
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controlling attendance and classroom participation. Unfortunately, giving the circumstances

counselors have a hard time interacting and reaching out to the students who are struggling. In a

traditional school setting, a school counselor would be able to have a one on one with the

students if they are struggling but currently the school counselor has to get a hold of the

student’s parent first before being able to meet with the student virtually. Sometimes being able

to get a hold of the parents is a challenge within itself so it limits the counselor to help that

student’s needs. At TBP this responsibility falls on one counselor who already has a list of

responsibilities that may not allow him to reach out immediately. With children returning to

school from distance learning, one can expect an increase of students needing more

social/emotional support. With a second counselor, there will be additional support and the needs

of more students can be met.

PSUSD School Counseling Program

The Palm Springs Unified School District school counseling programs are designed to

ensure access to services and equity so that every student is challenged, and supported to achieve

their highest potential. According to PSUSD:

“Based on American School Counseling Association (ASCA) , the purpose of the school

counseling program is to create a healthy student learning environment by assisting

students in establishing academic, career, and personal/social goals.The standards serve

as a framework in the development of measurable student competencies”. (PSUSD,2021)

Palm Spring Unified School District comprises sixteen elementary schools, five middle schools,

one alternative education academy, four comprehensive high schools, and a continuation high

school. Overall there are about fifty school counselors in the district and the only schools that

have more than one counselor are the secondary schools and primary schools are allotted to one
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counselor to the respected site. In each of the elementary schools there is an average of 600

students. According to the ASCA standard the recommended ratio of students to school

counselors is 250:1 and the average student-to-school-counselor ratio is 464 to 1. At the TBP, the

ratio is doubled from the recommended ratio and well above the average leaving the counselor

with a high caseload. PSUSD schools try to follow the ASCA Model at their schools, but they

struggle to put a plan in place that mirrors it. In this school district, school counselors are

typically reactive and responsive in a school of 750 plus students rather than being proactive. I

can’t speak for all elementary schools about their delivery system but I can give a description of

the delivery system that I have witnessed at TBP.

Delivery

During the early weeks of my internship at TBP, I realized the ASCA model is the

framework used and noticed the delivery system that the counseling program has utilized. I have

noticed that the most used components of the delivery system are school counseling curriculum,

responsive services and system support. At TBP, this combination of three delivery systems

through their implementation in live counseling situations and discussions with the head

counselor at TBP. Of course, it does need to be mentioned that due to distance learning, the

delivery system may actually differ from what it usually is because of the current situation. The

counselor at TBP currently has to monitor a student body of over 750 students, so it is no

surprise that they are more reactive in their delivery approach as opposed to proactive. For the

counseling curriculum, the school counselor delivers social/emotional lessons virtually each day

for different grade levels. For responsive services, the school counselor gets referrals from

teachers of students who may need some extra support. The counselor meets with the students

individually for counseling, assessments and advice through Zoom breakout room. As for the
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system support, I noticed that during the weekly counselor meetings, that administrators, school

support staff, and the counselor have implemented a standardized form for students who may be

in need of counseling or intervention. Forms that will be utilized for referrals, tier 2 or 3

intervention or used to record student data. During these meetings, they also discuss proactive

measures to better serve the students and ways to help students who are struggling to adapt to the

distance learning environment. This collaboration of ideas is used to better each other's method

of helping students with their academic development and social/emotional development.

Needs Assessment

A needs assessment was completed by parents of students, teachers, administrators, and

school staff support at TBP. Due to COVID, the needs assessment was formatted through google

forms and sent by email. The information I gathered to help me create the needs assessment was

from TBP’s SARC. Based on the SARC for the school year of 2019-2020, TBP has 1.5 full time

equivalent counselors and a 522.7 student to counselor ratio. The school counselor works closely

with the behavior paraprofessional at TBD so he is being counted as the .5 FTE in the SARC

information. Based on the data collected from the needs assessment, it seems that there is a need

for more mental health support staff. Majority of participants do feel that students have enough
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access to the school counselor but there is a need for more mental health support.

In addition to the school counselor, 85 percent of participants believe that students could

benefit from additional mental health support staff on-campus as they return from distance

learning. Participants also suggested that it is not possible for one person to be able to address all

the needs and that having a second full time or part time school counselor would help and

support the current school counselor.

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Participants also suggested that “it would be helpful to have support in Spanish for families who

do not know English” (Anonymous, 2021). If a second counselor were to be hired at TBP, it

would be beneficial if that person is bilingual especially in a community where there are a lot of

Spanish speaking families. The additional mental health support can be provided to families who

do not know English. Most of the participants suggested that there needs to be more counselors

or time for counseling. It is necessary to hire a second counselor as it will help ease the load of

the current school counselor who is struggling to serve all students. Students will benefit from

additional mental health support especially when returning from distance learning. There is a

need now especially with distance learning and the pandemic as students' well-being might be

affected by both, so it is important there is additional support so that all students' needs are met.

Below is a link to the needs assessment and responses from teachers, administration, parents of

students and school support staff.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDo0X2p_Z5rbwu3wLWC-

2DBbgC_WNU3d4hyRWjf5LQU/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeceuesIe2gytx87HRRkDSfwVPynRIl4k0dHyXHA

O4sf7VSJA/viewform?usp=pp_url

Recommendations for a Systems Change

All elementary schools from the Palm Springs Unified School District have at least one

full time school counselor at their site but there was a time that the elementary schools did not

have a school counselor at all. PSUSD decided to fund one school counselor to Title 1

elementary schools. All elementary schools in Desert Hot Springs are Title 1 schools so the

district decided to focus on the schools from DHS first. TBP has benefited greatly from having

one school counselor but there is a need for additional mental health support especially after
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coming back from distance learning. If hiring one school counselor made a difference, then

hiring a second school counselor to all elementary schools in the PSUSD can make more of a

difference and will help meet all students' needs. Student attendance also improves and they have

fewer behavior problems when they have more access to a school counselor. According to Jones

(2020), “numerous recent studies show that a well-staffed school counseling department can help

boost students’ academic performance, decrease absenteeism and narrow the achievement gap

between white students and their black and Latino peers” (para8). PSUSD investment in hiring

one school counselor has paid off at TBD as there was a drop in chronic absenteeism and

suspension rates according to the California Dashboard from 2018 to 2019. With the current ratio

of over 750 students to one counselor, counselors' workloads are becoming more strenuous and

interfering with their overall goal of focusing on students’ needs. The high student to counselor

ratio has a negative impact on true implementation of a comprehensive plan. Elementary school

counselors in the district may feel that they are completing tasks rather than implementing a big-

picture plan. The district can help lower the ratio by adding a second counselor to the schools in

need. PSUSD can begin implementation of a second school counselors in schools classified in

Title 1 elementary schools and gather results to determine effectiveness. Currently all elementary

schools in PSUSD fall under Title 1 however, there are six with an enrollment of over 700

students. Out of the six elementary schools, three of them are located in Desert Hot Springs. The

average cost of a school counselor in California is $58,818 per year according to Ziprecruiter.

These costs of hiring a second full time or part time school counselor can be offset by seeking

grants and/or by working with local nonprofit organizations.

Through the CARES act, passed in March 2020, a relief package was created to support

state education agencies to streamline funding and waivers in response to the COVID-19
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pandemic. Of the $30 billion passed through the CARES act, $13 billion was set aside for the

sole purpose of Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to assist in

much needed areas of focus for schools struggling. One of the activities listed is for mental

health services and supports. Local educational agencies (like TBP) may spend from when the

bill was passed in March 2020 to September 30, 2022 and applications are available. Being that

schools are currently on pace to open their doors and have on campus learning, there will be a

greater need for an additional counselor, either part time or full time, to help more students in

need of counseling. Another source of funding is the local foundation such as Andersons

Children's Foundation. Andersons Children’s Foundation has helped sponsor special programs in

the Palm Springs Unified School District as well as fund school counselors in the past. The

purpose for ACF is to continue the legacy of Irene Anderson who sought to enhance the lives of

children in the Coachella Valley. Andersons Children’s Foundations maximum project funding is

$40,000 and for large organizations, such as schools, separate departments may apply for the

grant. The Regional Access Project Foundation (RAP) Inc is also a local foundation that focuses

on unmet needs in health, mental health and juvenile intervention for residents of eastern

Riverside County. RAP has smaller educational grants and each district has its allotment and are

on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual allotment is exhausted. These are possible

sources of revenue to help fund a full time or part time school counselor for TBP and other Title

1 elementary schools with an enrollment of more than 700 students. Eventually, all elementary

schools in the PSUSD can have a second school counselor and expand their mental health

services to their comprehensive counseling program. The smaller grants may not cover all the

cost of hiring a second school counselor but it can help with some cost and it is a way for the

district to find money for mental health services. .

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Conclusion

With anticipation with students returning from distance learning, mental health services

will be needed much more. These students have been away from schools and their normal lives

for over a year and will need help transitioning and adjusting to the new norm of life post covid.

My recommendation to add a second counselor at TBP is in anticipation of an increase of

social/emotional development of the students whether it will be fear, anxiety, depression etc. By

adding an additional counselor, the school district can be proactive in providing these services as

opposed to being reactive in their school counseling program. It is important to be able to meet

all students' needs especially when it comes to their well being because as school counselors, we

strive to help our students become successful and become responsible members of society.

Link to presentation and recording of presentation below

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gxK11KNQQOIwL3mMYmNII2GnE6kEgGf7uelPQR-

ckNY/edit?usp=sharing

https://brandman.zoom.us/rec/share/i--

WcKeaHVuDhs0NH_k1In0ITQlDPg5EFLyOdqYIT0J1AsirYm8US_TgeuMDSfYR.sIMPn1ltJ

USjJvGG?startTime=1614417491000

Passcode: w8z9$8MM
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References

Andersons Children Foundation. (2020). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from

https://www.andersonchildrensfoundation.org/Grant_Application_Process

California school Dashboard (CA Dept of education). (2020). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from

https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/33671736115448/2019#english-learner-

progress-card

Counseling / Counseling Program. (2020). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from

https://www.psusd.us/Page/6605

ESSER funding. (2021). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from

https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/cr/esser.asp

Jones, C. (2020, February 09). How some California school districts invest in Counseling – and

achieve results. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://edsource.org/2020/how-some-

california-school-districts-invest-in-counseling-and-achieve-results/623489

Jones, C. (2020, July 27). Schools want to hire more counselors amid budget woes. Retrieved

February 27, 2021, from https://edsource.org/2020/schools-want-to-hire-more-

counselors-amid-budget-woes/637049

Regional Access Project Foundation. (2021). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from

https://www.rapfoundation.org/

School Accountability Report Card. (2019). Retrieved February 26, 2021, from

https://www.sarconline.org/public/summary/33671736115448/2018%E2%80%932019

School counselor annual salary in California. (2021). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/School-Counselor-Salary--in-California
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Two bunch Palms ES / HOMEPAGE. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from

https://www.psusd.us/Page/37