During times of high stress, crisis, and uncertainty it is difficult at best to make wise and well founded decisions. If your family is considering placing your child in a Therapeutic Boarding School, Residential Treatment Facility, Wilderness Program or just looking for help in choosing a college for your troubled child an Educational Consultant may help.
Are there different kinds of Educational Consultants?The two main professional organizations for educational consultants in the United States are the Higher Education Consultants Association and the Independent Educational Consultants Association. The Higher Education Consultants Association is a professional association focused exclusively on the practice of college admissions consulting, while members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association also assist students with consulting specialties that include college admission, day and boarding school, at-risk students, and learning disabilities.
The primary association in the UK is the Society of Education Consultants (SEC). Other UK professional associations or bodies to which educational consultants typically seek membership or affiliation include the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills), Learning and Skills Council, Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal and the Gilfus Education Group.
While some educational consultants are generalists, many specialize in assisting particular kinds of students or particular educational needs. For example some consultants focus exclusively on assisting students with college planning and admissions, some on students seeking a private secondary school, and yet others specialize in students who are learning disabled or have behavioral/emotional difficulties. Other consultants provide advising services for college students seeking admission to graduate school. Other educational consultants work to assist high schools and other organizations with educational program planning.
What do Educational Consultants do?Consultants offer a wide variety of services and specialties. Some have extensive experience in working with students who learn differently and need a school where accommodations can be best integrated into a student’s instructional plan. Other consultants have 20 years in working with students who need to work on behavior issues ranging from substance abuse to oppositional/defiant actions before a more traditional school is possible.
What is so clear is that every family situation, every student’s personality and academic needs are different. A great consultant is one who get to know and understand your family, the student and can suggest appropriate testing, provide needed advice and creative ideas and place the student first to ensure a successful match and a positive educational and social experience.
What do I need to look for when choosing an Educational Consultant?Families considering hiring an educational consultant should carefully assess the qualifications and experience of individual consultants. Membership in one or more of the professional organizations described above may also indicate a consultant's dedication to professionalism, since these organizations have specific requirements for the education and experience of their members. In particular, these professional associations prohibit their members from accepting compensation from educational institutions for student referrals. However, in addition to looking at a consultant's experience and professional affiliations, families should also ask for references from past clients. Consultants should be clear about their fees, counseling process, educational philosophy, and expectations at the beginning of the relationship.
What will happen when I hire an Educational Consultant?A consultant will first set out to learn and get to know the student and family. What's the impetus for a school change? What's the family history and setting? What is the student's educational history? How is the student presently doing in school?
The family may have a child experiencing difficulty in school with no known reason. In this case a consultant might suggest educational evaluation.
Has the student been evaluated in his/her previous school setting? Have any learning differences been diagnosed?
A family change may be behind the move to a different school.
Knowledge of the student and a family give the consultant the perspective and judgment to say "we need to know more" and seek educational assessment and testing when needed.
When the 'ducks are in a row' and the consultant is satisfied that he/she knows the family and the student well, then, thinking shifts to schools that might be good environments for the student.
Educational consultants know schools and that the devil is in the details. Consultants regularly visit schools to gain first hand experience of each school's unique perspective and workings.
Schools often appear quite similar in their literature and pictures. In reality, each school and student are a unique fit.
Once settled on a school or school list, an educational consultant can aid families in building a plan to follow so that no piece of the admission process suffers from short shrift or omission. Consultants can also help a family manage the application process.
The amount of involvement in the process is determined by the needs of the student and family.
The Best Match of Student and School
In an ideal school transition, the assessment and application process takes place over many months. However, many school changes occur in a short or tight timeframe. Keep in mind that- no matter what the application/school change time frame- the application process is exactly that- a process. Steps can be taken faster, but all the bases must be covered. Educational consultants excel in helping with a condensed process.
No matter the tailoring of the situation one goal remains at the end of every school search- matching, and fitting the traits and abilities of each student with a school setting that will best foster that student's growth.
What makes an Educational Consultant qualified to make recommendations?In the United States, educational consultants are not bound by any particular statutory rules for practitioners. However, many of the professional organizations listed above have established standards for professional and ethical behavior for educational consultants by which their members pledge to abide. An experienced Educational Consultant that specializes in placement for troubled children will consult with the family, the student, therapists, psychiatrists, and the child's current school counselors and teachers. Testing may be needed to further determine the needs of the student. The Educational Consultant will make placement recommendations based on the information the Educational Consultant gathers and their working knowledge of available facilities and programs.
It is important to remember that Educational Consultants are self employed and are not overseen by any governing power in the United States. Most importantly, remember that the final decision on whether to place your child and where to place your child is yours to make.
Information in this article obtained from:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_consultantwww.admissionsquest.com/onboardingschools/2008/04/the-role-of-an-educational-consultant-mark-sklarow-independent-educational-consultants-association.htmlwww.boardingschoolreview.com/articles/14
