The practice of using microaffirmations enables positive outcomes through small acts of active listening that encourage feelings of inclusion and shared cultural intimacy. Microaffirmations can be intersectional and are beneficial to a wide range of populations, including people of color, LGBTQIA + individuals, and people with disabilities. School…

This article presents the development of the Antiracist School Counseling Inventory (ASCI), an instrument designed to support school counselors engaging in antiracist counseling practice. We administered the ASCI to a sample of 457 practicing school counselors. Results of an exploratory factor analysis yielded a 19-item exploratory model…

The American School Counselor Association Closing-the-Gap Action Plan template is a tool created to help school counselors identify educational gaps and track interventions. We applied a transcendental, phenomenological qualitative research method to explore school counselors' use of the template to advocate for students. Our findings demonstrate…

Systemic inequity in education compels school counselors to widen their scope of advocacy beyond their local school environment. Fortunately, the tools of evidence-based, data-driven school counseling can be scaled up to influence change in larger systems. We present an advocacy project undertaken by an elementary school counselor who was alarmed…

School counselors are called to advocate for social justice in education and use evidence-based practice (EBP) to meet the diverse needs of students in schools today. This conceptual article describes the approach of one Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited counselor education program to…

School counselors are uniquely positioned to promote college going and improve lagging postsecondary matriculation for Latino men. Hipolito-Delgado and Lee's empowerment framework guided this narrative inquiry to consider how school counselors (dis)empower Latinos via (in)access to college-going information. Findings revealed that participants…

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) encourages school counselors to promote equity experiences for all students through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. School counselors and school administrators (e.g., principals, assistant principals) are uniquely positioned to combine their social capital in an effort to create a positive…

Throughout the past decade, scholars have argued that the persistent achievement gap between Black male students and their White peers is a result of unequal and inadequate educational opportunities instead of inherent differences in their capability or character. School counselors can help support Black males by using equity-focused…

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of rural school counselors as social justice advocates. The first author interviewed seven participants in their respective communities and identified five themes, including both positive and negative elements: the stability of place, community promise, mutual reliance, professional and personal…

The academic achievement gap of students of color and low-income students as compared to middle and upper socioeconomic students and White students has been clearly documented. Historically the long-standing role of the school counselor has contributed to the status quo of these inequities, inadvertently maintaining educational and social…