Why School Counselors Should Spill the (Data) Tea: End of Year Data Reporting **Editable**
Let's talk for a hot minute about data! So many school counselors miss this important step in program advocacy, but let me tell you, spilling the tea (sharing your data), is one of the most impactful ways to garner support for your program and move towards getting some of those inappropriate duties reassigned.
Before we get started, first things first. You need these two books to do this well:
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Here’s the problem: When administrators don’t know what you actually do, they assume what you probably do. Which means… more inappropriate duties. 😞
The solution? Spill that tea! 🗣 Share your data. Loudly. Clearly. Regularly.
Let’s talk about why and how data is your best friend—and how it can turn the “Hey can you cover 2nd lunch?” into a “Wow, you’re making an impact—we’ll get someone else to cover lunch duty.”
🎯 Why Share Data? Because Perception Drives Delegation
Imagine this: You spend hours running SEL groups, helping a student navigate grief, and crafting a Tier 1 academic intervention. But your principal sees you most when you’re decorating the bulletin board. So guess what duty you’ll keep getting?
If it isn’t measured and shared, it didn’t happen. Invested Partners (aka stakeholders), from administrators to school boards to families, don’t always see the behind-the-scenes counseling magic. But they do understand charts, graphs, and student outcomes.
For real, at one school I worked at, I made the background of my outcome reports presentation a football field because most of our school board meetings revolved around football discussions. I made a joke about it before I started presenting, and it instantly got their attention. I presented all of the data I collected and was prepared to answer their questions. As a result, I ended up getting the approval I needed for my AP program, which I was working on improving.
Sharing data isn’t self-promotion. It’s ethical practice & professional advocacy.
📊 What Data Should You Share? (Hint: All of It. Strategically.)
Counseling work spans multiple dimensions, and each one tells a compelling story. Here's how the types of data can help:
1. Process (or participation) Data (What you did for whom)
“We delivered 10 classroom lessons for grades 9-10, and 3 small-group sessions for grade 9-10 this month.”
This shows you’re working. It’s like showing your receipts, but with pie charts.
Aim to answer the who, what, where, and when/how often
How it helps: When someone asks, “Why can't you cover the front office during lunch?” you can point to the 23 students you delivered school counseling services to during that time, in one day, during a Stress Management workshop.
2. Perception (Mindsets & Behaviors) Data (What students believed, learned or felt)
“After the conflict resolution unit, 85% of students reported increased confidence in handling peer issues.”
How it helps: Demonstrates that your work changes attittudes, skills and knowledge—not just schedules.
3. Outcome Data (So what? The most powerful indicator of your program’s impact)
“After implementing the tier 2 positive academic progress agreement intervention with freshman who failed one or more 1st quarter classes, the number of students failing a course at the end of the semester decreased by 15% from 13 to 11."
How it helps: Administrators love results. This is where the “we need you doing more of this” conversation begins, and the “please input transcript data for new students into the system” requests end.
💡 Real Talk: Data Can Delete Duties
Let’s get specific. Sharing well-organized data can lead to:
Let’s get specific. Sharing well-organized data can lead to:
✅ Fewer hallway patrols
✅ No more test proctoring “just in case”
✅ Zero lunchroom DJ gigs unless it’s your passion
✅ Actual time for Tier 2 interventions
When you show your administrator how you can contribute to overall student (and school) success, you become a strategic asset, not an extra set of hands. Suddenly, your time becomes too valuable for recess duty and administrative tasks.
✅ No more test proctoring “just in case”
✅ Zero lunchroom DJ gigs unless it’s your passion
✅ Actual time for Tier 2 interventions
When you show your administrator how you can contribute to overall student (and school) success, you become a strategic asset, not an extra set of hands. Suddenly, your time becomes too valuable for recess duty and administrative tasks.
🎙️ Pro Tips for School Counselor-Data Rockstars
Speak their language – Use administrator-friendly visuals and tie your outcomes to school-wide goals (achievement, attendance, discipline).
Tell stories with data – Humanize your charts and reports. “Because of our college prep program, 100% of first-gen students applied to college by November 1.” Include a picture of those students.
Share often and widely – Present at staff meetings (outcome data), publish monthly updates, email highlights. Be your own press secretary.
🧩 Final Thought: The Data Isn’t for You. It’s for Everyone Else
You already know you’re doing critical, high-impact work. Now it’s time they knew too.
When you use data to define your role, you protect your time, advocate for your students, and elevate the entire counseling profession. So open that spreadsheet, fire up Canva, and show the world what happens when counselors are left to do the work they were trained to do.
Because if data talks, yours should be shouting from the rooftops.
Need some inspiration to get you started? Here are a few of my latest creations...
🕰 End of Year Results Examples
💹Program Intervention Results (I implemented this program with this book)
🗣 Sharing Data with Families
I am making a copy of a few of my creations available on Canva for you to COPY. Please do not edit these files or I will have to delete them. If you use a copy, please leave a comment of "thanks" and come back to share your program success with all of the blog followers.
Speak their language – Use administrator-friendly visuals and tie your outcomes to school-wide goals (achievement, attendance, discipline).
Tell stories with data – Humanize your charts and reports. “Because of our college prep program, 100% of first-gen students applied to college by November 1.” Include a picture of those students.
Share often and widely – Present at staff meetings (outcome data), publish monthly updates, email highlights. Be your own press secretary.
🧩 Final Thought: The Data Isn’t for You. It’s for Everyone Else
You already know you’re doing critical, high-impact work. Now it’s time they knew too.
When you use data to define your role, you protect your time, advocate for your students, and elevate the entire counseling profession. So open that spreadsheet, fire up Canva, and show the world what happens when counselors are left to do the work they were trained to do.
Because if data talks, yours should be shouting from the rooftops.
Need some inspiration to get you started? Here are a few of my latest creations...
🕰 End of Year Results Examples
💹Program Intervention Results (I implemented this program with this book)
🗣 Sharing Data with Families
I am making a copy of a few of my creations available on Canva for you to COPY. Please do not edit these files or I will have to delete them. If you use a copy, please leave a comment of "thanks" and come back to share your program success with all of the blog followers.
Need help collecting your data as a team? Create a Google Sheet like this one, and share the link on the first day of each month. Set a deadline for all data to be entered. Once you customize the August tab for your program, duplicate it for September etc. to continue to collect data all year long. If you use a copy, please leave a comment of "thanks" and come back to share your program success with all of the blog followers.
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