Data Collection Without Tears

Listen to the full episode below:

You guys want more data, and I am here for it! I thought I had talked about data enough, but after doing a poll to find out what your New Year’s goals are as school counselors, there were a few people who wanted to work with data more effectively and keep more data. You may be reluctant to start data tracking because you don’t really know where to start. Maybe you’re tracking data already but you could be a little better at it, or maybe you just need confirmation that you’re doing it correctly.

In today’s episode, I’ll be talking to you about how to get started with data in a way that will not make you feel overwhelmed. This is a great entry-level data teaching for you, focusing mainly on two data tools that can help you easily track student progress. I’ll also be sharing some amazing tools you can use in your school counseling program, including The Counseling Hub and my Data Tools Bundle.

When collecting data, it’s important to gather information from teachers, parents, and students to get a well-rounded picture of how counseling services are impacting the students. I will share the tools I use and give you tips about how to go about collecting data that is timely and accurate.

Once you’ve collected the data, you’ll be ready to organize it and use it to evaluate the effectiveness of your services and make adjustments as needed. Our goal is to see students progress through counseling so they can use what they’ve learned independently and not become too reliant on us.

Another great way to use data is to advocate for your role as a counselor and show how valuable your work with students really is. It’s one thing to talk about the great things you’re doing, but when you can back it up with data, that’s even better. Principals, parents and teachers love to see the difference counseling is making, and using data will give them one more way to see the progress that is happening through your counseling program.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

  • Two data tools that can help you easily track student progress without feeling overwhelmed

  • An overview of the 5 data tools I use to run my counseling program

  • The difference between tracking services provided and student progress and why you need to keep data on both

  • Tools you can use to get a complete wraparound picture of student progress

  • Ways to use data to determine how to best support student needs and how to look at the data logically instead of taking it personally

  • How to use data to advocate for your role with your principal and show how powerful and necessary school counselors are

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More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

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