Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the key strategies for developing school counselor leaders within the scope of the California accreditation standard on leadership. School counselors have been called upon to engage in collaborative educational leadership that provides comprehensive counseling and support services to all students in California's public schools. School counselor leadership has been identified in the literature as a key component in the collaborative, advocacy based, consultation work that is carried out by school counselors. Methods. The dynamic narrative approach (Hyatt, 2011a) was selected as the research method for this study. Research questions emanated from an extensive review of the literature and were based on the resultant conceptual framework. Semistructured interview questions were used to gather data to inform the study. Ten school counselors who met the study criteria voluntarily participated in the research. Findings. The study identified key strategies for developing school counselor leadership practices aligned with the constructs recognized by California Commission on Teacher Credentialing School Counselor Specialization Standard 22: Leadership: planning, organization, implementation, management, and evaluation. The research resulted in 16 specific strategies across the 5 constructs: 4 for planning, 4 for organization, 3 for implementation, 2 for management, and 3 for evaluation. Conclusion. The key strategies for developing school counselor leaders offered new perspectives on school counselor leadership practices that support academic achievement for all students and ensure the school counselors' professional future. These key strategies can be used as a guide for the professional development of school counselor leadership that supports the recent educational initiatives requiring the preparation of students for college and career readiness in a global economy. The identification of overarching key strategies for development of school counselor leaders also offered an opportunity for increased accountability in the field of school counseling and the fostering of student, parent, administrator, and community trust. Recommendations. School counselors can increase successful leadership practices by implementing key strategies identified herein. Further research could examine strategies related to the application of school counselor leadership and ensuring that school counselor leaders are able to anticipate and address stakeholder needs within the larger educational context.