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Elementary counselors report delivering thousands of interventions; students describe new Ron Clark house system
Summary
District counselors reported hundreds of classroom lessons and thousands of direct supports since August; Helen Steiner Rice students described the Ron Clark House System and its effects on attendance, teamwork and motivation.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, Lorain City Schools elementary counselors described growth in counseling services since they began in fall 2021 and detailed the scope of supports delivered in the first half of the school year. Helen Steiner Rice Elementary students also addressed the board to describe a new Ron Clark "house" system the school adopted to boost attendance, teamwork and school climate.
Kaylee Finley, a counselor at Helen Steiner Rice Elementary, told the board the elementary counseling program uses the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) framework with pillars of academic, career and social-emotional development. Finley said implementation began in fall 2021 and reported the district—s elementary counseling teams have provided short-term individual counseling and small-group interventions directly to 3,716 students between August and December; they also delivered 604 classroom lessons and completed 251 crisis-support interventions in that span.
Finley said those services include resource allocation (clothing, hygiene and winter weather gear), small-group skill instruction and tiered interventions guided by data from the Panorama survey and referrals from staff and families. She noted ASCA recommends a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio; Finley said most district elementary schools have ratios around 300:1.
"We're seeing a decrease in violence in peer conflict within our buildings," Finley told the board, and staff are increasingly able to support the "whole child," she said. The counselors said the program has increased students' ability to name feelings and use coping skills.
Earlier in the meeting, Bridal Brookbank, principal of Helen Steiner Rice Elementary, brought four 4th- and 5th-grade student house leaders to lead the pledge and briefly explain their school's Ron Clark House System. Brookbank said one 5th-grade teacher secured grant funding to support the program and that houses compete in friendly challenges, earn points and meet monthly.
Students identified their houses and described benefits. Scarlett, a student leader, said, "My favorite part about being Inzabendi is that we are the house of courage and that we are like a family at school. We help each other out and encourage each other to do the best we can." Ariel said earning points makes her "proud and happy," and Bralyn said the house system motivated her because she feels like she belongs.
Board members commended the presentations and encouraged more regular appearances by building staff and program leaders so the board and public can better understand district initiatives.
