The National Guidance Consortium has been honoring elementary and middle schools for 10 years for their comprehensive and effective guidance and counseling programs. The program is competitive nationally and selections are made on very rigorous standards set by the Consortium of State Guidance Leaders. This year two schools were selected and the following is a summary of the schools program.

The Greenville Middle Academy was highly rated across all of the National Consortiums standards and program elements of Guidance Curriculum, Individual Planning, Responsive Services and System Support. Most impressive was how guidance is integrated into the whole educational experience. The program deals with the personal and social skills as well as life skills, employability and career and life planning. The core of the guidance experience is found within their guidance career awareness and exploration curriculum including a program called GoalMine.  The community and faculty seem to all be involved in some way in the planning, delivery and assessment of impact and effects of the program. Students are afforded job shadowing, a variety of career assessments, are involved in Character Education and end up with an educational and life plan before graduation,

Marsha W. Leamon
Career Specialist
Greenville Middle Academy
Greenville SC
P/ (864) 355-5620
F/ (864) 355-5682
mleamon@greenville.k12.sc.us

Johnson Elementary School was selected for Honorable mention given their creative and complete attempts to deliver a complete guidance experience for ALL students.  They work with all their stakeholders to determine needs, integrate their guidance goals and expected outcomes with the academic program of the school.  They appear to be very complete in assuring that ALL students are exposed to career planning, life skills, decision making, college and work seeking and preparation, respect for others. They are accountable, measure what they do, and see guidance as a program of counseling and instruction. For more information contact: