Student Success Support

Design an in-depth professional development program designed to equip teachers and school staff with the knowledge, strategies, and empathy needed to better understand and support students living with poverty. The goal is to foster a deeper understanding of how poverty affects students’ academic success, social interactions, and mental health, and to provide educators with the tools to cultivate supportive classrooms.

Expected Outcomes:

1. Cultivate Empathy: Teachers should leave the training with a deeper understanding of the struggles faced by their students from low-income backgrounds and a greater sense of empathy.

2. Practical Tools and Strategies: Educators will have a toolkit of strategies they can immediately apply in their classrooms to create more supportive learning environments.

3. Stronger Community Connections: Teachers will learn how to connect families with resources and community services, ensuring students' basic needs are met.

4. Improved Student Outcomes: Ultimately, the goal of this training is to improve student success by providing teachers with the tools and knowledge needed to address the unique challenges faced by students from low-income backgrounds.

As educators, understanding and supporting students' mental health is crucial for creating a safe and conducive learning environment. Mental health training that addresses anxiety, the impact of electronics, and the role of bullying—especially (cyber)bullying—empowers educators to recognize the signs of distress and implement strategies to address these challenges. This training provides K-12 educators with the tools and knowledge needed to support their students’ mental well-being in the face of modern challenges.

Expected Outcomes for Educators:

• Identify anxiety in students.

• Understand the mental health impacts of electronics, screen time, and connections to student success 

• Recognize and respond to bullying and cyberbullying, ensuring that all students feel safe and supported in the classroom

This training session is designed to help K-12 educators understand the challenges faced by students with incarcerated parents and provide them with effective strategies for supporting these students both emotionally and academically. Parental incarceration significantly affects the educational experiences and outcomes of K-12 students. Approximately 2.7 million children in the United States have an incarcerated parent, equating to about one in every 27 children. Parental incarceration can have lasting impacts on children, affecting their mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. Through this session, educators will gain insights into how to recognize these challenges and foster a positive, supportive learning environment for affected students.

Expected Outcomes for Educators:

1. Understanding the Effects of Incarceration: Explore the emotional, social, and psychological impacts that parental incarceration can have on children.

2. Building a Supportive Classroom Environment: Learn practical techniques for creating an empathetic classroom where students with incarcerated parents feel safe and valued.

3. Addressing Behavioral and Academic Concerns: Gain strategies for identifying signs of distress and implementing accommodations to support students' academic success.

4. Fostering Positive Relationships with Families: Discover how to engage with families in a sensitive and supportive manner, building trust and promoting open communication.

5. Providing Trauma-Informed Care: Understand the principles of trauma-informed teaching and how to apply them to better meet the needs of students impacted by parental incarceration.

This free network provides a professional forum for school counselors to engage in collaboration, share best practices, and analyze trends and developments within the field of school counseling, with the ultimate goal of promoting student success. Mark your calendars for curated sessions suggested for and by Central Ohio counselors, featuring expert facilitators and practitioners!

Sept. 14 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): Beyond Bullying: Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Bullying and Cyberbullying

In collaboration with Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Kids Mental Health Foundation, this session helps school counselors recognize how bullying and cyberbullying can affect students' mental health, relationships, academic engagement, and overall well-being. Participants will explore practical strategies for identifying warning signs, responding to concerns, supporting students and families, and connecting students with appropriate mental health resources.

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Sept. 21 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): What's Changing with Ohio's Industry-Recognized Credentials?

Join Danielle Levesque, IRC Consultant with the Central Region Career Pathway Support Network, for an overview of Ohio's Industry-Recognized Credential redesign. Learn about updates to the credential framework, important timeline changes, and how counselors can support students as the new system is implemented.

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Oct. 5/Nov.9 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN) - Charting the Life Course: Supporting Students with Disabilities

Join us in supporting your students' lifelong success! The Charting the LifeCourse framework was created to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. The framework is the keystone for supporting a community of learning that champions transformational change through knowledge exchange, capacity building, and collaborative engagement. The Charting the LifeCourse framework is an authentic grassroots activity, driven by the core belief that "all people have the right to live, love, work, play and pursue their life aspirations.” Driven by the quest to answer the question, "what do families need to know to support their family member with a disability across the lifespan”, it has now evolved into a transformative human-centric movement impacting policies and practices across the country.

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Nov. 16 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): "AI, Teens, and Mental Health: Emerging Policy Tensions"

Most teens have now used an AI companion, and over half do regularly. In this session, we'll review how that use impacts mental health and well-being. We'll also explore two responses now shaping district policy: restricting access, and the cultivation of digital wellness.

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Dec. 14 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN) - Where Regional Growth Meets Student Opportunity- Data, Pathways Impact

This session equips school counselors with the regional economic context and practical tools needed to guide students toward in-demand careers. Participants will explore Columbus Region growth data from One Columbus - including major employers, high-growth industries, and workforce projections - and see how that data translates into student opportunity. The presentation covers the Career Connections Framework, student interest inventory findings, and the full continuum of work-based learning experiences, from middle school career exploration to high school internships and pre-apprenticeships. Counselors will also get an update on Ohio's Industry-Recognized Credential redesign and pre-apprenticeship eligibility changes, along with strategies for building strong employer, higher education, and community partnerships. The session closes with concrete action steps counselors can bring back to their districts.

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Jan. 11 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): Gifted and Misunderstood: Counseling Strategies for Meeting Complex Learner Needs in K-12 Settings

In this tailored session for school counselors, we will explore the misconceptions about gifted learners, the social and emotional aspects in working with students who are gifted at any grade level, and what areas for gifted learners might impact an integrated MTSS, such as school scheduling needs and twice exceptional student needs.

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Feb. 8 | Central Ohio Counselor Network: Shared Futures (COCN): Supporting Newcomer Youth in Our Community

Join community partners Community Refugee and Immigration Services and the Columbus Council on World Affairs for a session will explore approaches for building meaningful connections with students and families, fostering cultural exchange, understanding current social and community challenges, and strengthening communication with parents and caregivers. Participants will also learn about community-based resources and opportunities for partnership that can help schools connect newcomer youth and families with direct services and support.

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March 17 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): Building Student Hope with Families

Building Student Hope with Families explores how schools can strengthen student hope by partnering intentionally with families. Because children spend the vast majority of their lives outside of school, family partnerships are essential for reinforcing hope, resilience, and belonging beyond the classroom. Participants will explore research on hope and family engagement and leave with practical strategies for communicating and collaborating with families to create consistent, hope-building experiences across home and school.
 

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April 12 | Central Ohio Counselor Network (COCN): Beyond the Behavior: Understanding What Students Are Communicating

In collaboration with Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Kids Mental Health Foundation, this session seeks to help school counselors look beyond challenging behaviors to better understand the underlying emotional, social, and mental health needs of students. Participants will explore how behavior can serve as a form of communication and gain practical strategies for recognizing warning signs, responding to student needs, and connecting students with appropriate supports and mental health resources.

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