School Counseling

The Milwaukee Public Schools recognizes that comprehensive school counseling programs are essential to each student’s academic achievement, personal and social development, and career success. College and career readiness is a major aspect of the experience at our schools. School counselors serve as a school leader, student advocate, and team collaborator to remove systemic barriers to student success.

A comprehensive school counseling program, when delivered in a collaborative relationship among school, parents, and community, provides students with the skills necessary for them to become successful lifelong learners, responsible citizens, and productive workers. School counselors, in addition to providing counseling services, provide instruction in the following essential skills required for success in school, community, and work settings:

• Academic/learning skills
• Communication skills
• Relationship/friendship skills
• Decision making/problem solving/self-management skills
• Organization and planning skills
• Academic, college, and career planning skills


The ultimate goal of comprehensive school counseling programs is student success. The program is delivered through the school counseling curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, program management, and system support. The three domains of academic, personal/social, and career development are addressed in the program as it focuses on what all students, pre-K through grade 12, should know, understand, and be able to do in order to develop into contributing members of their communities.

School counselors will do the following:

• Design and implement a comprehensive school counseling program based on the National Standards for School Counseling Programs and the American School Counselor Association’s National Model
• Ensure that students will receive guidance curriculum in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development
• Provide intervention services for students experiencing academic and personal/social barriers to learning
• Provide guidance and information to students and families to ensure success in student attendance, behavior, graduation, and planning selection of postsecondary opportunities
• Provide resources to staff to ensure that each school counseling center is a family-friendly environment
• Ensure that students have access to a safe school climate necessary for academic and social/emotional growth

All school counselors are state licensed and hold master’s degrees in the area of educational psychology.