Position Statements: Advocacy in Action
Driving systemic equity, evidence-based practice, and robust advocacy for school counselors and the students they serve.
Our Voice, Our Mission
At the Institute for School Counseling Advocacy & Research (ISCAR), our research is designed to move the needle. We don’t just study the challenges facing K-12 education; we advocate for the systemic changes required to solve them.
Our official Position Statements serve as the cornerstone of our advocacy efforts. They synthesize research with on-the-ground realities to guide school counselors, district leaders, policymakers, and communities in creating safe, equitable, and high-achieving environments for all students.
Why Position Statements Matter: These documents define ISCAR’s official stance on critical issues in education, specifically impacting the school counseling profession. They serve as a tool for counselors fighting for appropriate job descriptions, districts aiming to close achievement gaps, and legislators drafting education policy.
Current Position Statements
Explore our active position statements, policy briefs, and research summaries below:
Defining the School Counselor’s Role: Freedom from Non-Counseling Duties
Core Takeaway
To maximize student equity and academic outcomes, school counselors must be completely insulated from systemic clerical, scheduling, and disciplinary assignments that dilute their master’s-level training.
Key Talking Point for Board Meetings
“When school counselors are saddled with non-counseling tasks like master scheduling or administrative data entry, districts lose their return on investment. Aligning counselor assignments strictly to research-backed practices directly correlates with improved graduation rates and lower disciplinary disparities.”
Email Snippet to District Leadership
“Dear Superintendent, I am sharing the official position statement from the Institute for School Counseling Advocacy & Research (ISCAR) regarding role boundaries. Protecting the specialized role of our counselors ensures our district’s mental health resources and multi-tiered systems of support are implemented with fidelity.”
Supporting LGBTQIA+ Students and Ensuring Affirming, Safe School Environments
Core Takeaway
Ensuring clear compliance with ethical mandates by establishing evidence-based frameworks that actively protect the physical, emotional, and systemic safety of LGBTQIA+ youth in school settings.
Key Talking Point for Policy Discussions
“Research continuously demonstrates that inclusive and identity-affirming school climates don’t just foster emotional safety—they directly mitigate acute chronic absenteeism and improve core academic engagement metrics for vulnerable populations.”
Advocacy Statement Text
“Our counseling frameworks must remain aligned with professional, ethical standards that mandate the preservation of human dignity, safe individual support plans, and equitable access to resources across all school buildings.”