Dear Georgia school counselors,
February 6-10 is National School Counseling Week, so I wanted to
take a moment to celebrate the enormous role you play in student success. Not
just this week, but every week, I deeply appreciate the work you do to support
students’ academic and social/emotional development and guide them toward
successful futures.
As we continue to reorient
our work toward educating the whole child, your role is more
important than it has ever been. At the same time, I know you are juggling
large student caseloads, and I know we’re asking more and more of you to help
students become college and career ready.
My staff at the Georgia Department of Education is currently
working on a Counselor Companion tool that will help you advise students and
access records through the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS), in one
seamless location. Individual Graduation Planning and career exploration and
advisement will also be built into the tool. We know every Georgia school
counselor has a full plate and wears many hats – so it’s our hope that this
tool will enhance the support we’re able to offer you. We’ll continue to send
updates about the tool as more information becomes available.
I would also love to hear your ideas. If you have any feedback
or suggestions of ways we could offer greater support for your crucial work of
preparing students for the future, please share them with me – just send an email to rwoods@doe.k12.ga.us.
As a fourteen-year educator and eight-year administrator, I
cannot overstate the impact of school counselors on the success of Georgia’s
students. At a time when a strong bridge between K-12 and college and/or career
is needed, the role of counseling is more important than it has ever been.
Thank you so very much for your work, every single day, on
behalf of Georgia’s students – and happy National School Counseling Week!
Sincerely,
Richard
Woods
Richard Woods is Georgia's State School Superintendent. This letter was also sent via email to Georgia school counselors.