Comprehensive Student Guidance, “School as a Team,” and Partnerships with Families and Communities

While issues related to student guidance in schools, such as bullying and school absenteeism, are on the rise, attention is being drawn to the harsh working environment of teachers. Comprehensive student guidance has the potential to improve such situations and further deepen ties with families and the community

• Today's school environment
• Increasingly busy teachers and the "school as a team"
• Points to note for team schools
• Comprehensive student guidance initiatives
• Multi-Level Approach (MLA) Program
• Cooperation with parents and local residents is important
• The concept of collaboration in the United States
• Regional Cooperation and MLA
• A starting point for understanding and trust

Today's school environment

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that student guidance issues are becoming more serious among school-going students. First, bullying has generally been on the rise in both elementary and junior high schools. Due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, it temporarily decreased around 2020 (Reiwa 2), but has been increasing again since around 2022 (Reiwa 4). Furthermore, school absenteeism has also been increasing at an accelerated pace in both elementary and junior high schools since around 2017 (Heisei 29), and since around 2020 (Reiwa 2), the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to even greater numbers of students not attending school (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 2023a).

Meanwhile, it has also been pointed out that teachers are becoming increasingly overworked as they deal with these student guidance issues. With the increasing diversity and suddenness of educational activities, the traditional approach of individual teacher support for each student with challenges is reaching its limits.

First, let's examine the reality of long working hours. According to the "Survey on Teacher Working Conditions (2022)" published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the total time spent at school and taking work home on weekdays for general teachers in 2022 (2022) was 11 hours 23 minutes for elementary school teachers and 11 hours 33 minutes for junior high school teachers. On weekends, the figure was 1 hour 12 minutes for elementary school teachers and 3 hours 7 minutes for junior high school teachers (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 2023b). Considering that the legal working hours for general workers under the Labor Standards Act are eight hours, teachers' working hours are by no means short.

Source: Created by the author based on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Survey on Teacher Work Conditions (2022)"

Increasingly busy teachers and the "school as a team"

Furthermore, the mental burden is also increasing. Yoshioka (2020) categorizes the causes of increased teacher workloads in recent years into three factors: (1) "changes in children, parents, and society," (2) "factors stemming from teachers themselves," and (3) "factors stemming from administrative policies and measures by the Ministry of Education, Culture,

Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Boards of Education (BOEs)." To summarize each factor in detail, (1) refers to the decline in the educational power of families and communities, as well as the social capital that is their source of education, and the resulting increased societal pressure on schools as a last resort. (2) refers to the decline in collegiality among teachers due to lifestyle changes that emphasize individual life and the difficulty of supporting each other's growth due to the decline in the number of mid-career teachers who are the core of school work. (3) refers to the overload of teachers' workloads, which are already bound by fixed schedules such as class schedules and meetings, yet are still imposed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Boards of Education (BOEs) as part of "educational reform."

Yoshioka (2020) states that these factors "create vague feelings of anxiety, burden, and stagnation due to unfinished work, and also create feelings of isolation and pressure in relationships with students and parents, which further leads to feelings of futility and powerlessness." As a result, the number of teachers suffering from burnout and mental illnesses has increased (Yoshioka 2020).

Source: Created by the author based on Yoshioka (2020)

Given the circumstances described above, discussions have begun on the shift to a "school as a team." This concept was put forward in a 2015 report by the Central Council for Education entitled "On the Role of Schools as Teams and Future Improvement Measures." The report proposes that the conflicting issues of the increasingly difficult, complex, and diverse challenges facing schools, combined with the increasing workload of teachers who must deal with these challenges, be resolved by encouraging the entry of other professionals into schools. This also calls for a change in the traditional view of schools, in which all school activities are carried out solely by teachers

Points to note for team schools

However, simply having specialists from other fields stationed at schools does not necessarily reduce teachers' workload or enhance school functions. It has been pointed out that for other professionals, such as school social workers, to fully function in schools, a process of mutual understanding of each other's expertise is necessary between the host teaching staff and the school.

For example, Suzuki, Harada, Ida, and Ito (2019) state that school social workers must be "clearly positioned as quasi-staff members of the school" and "have clear guidelines regarding the composition of case conferences, the purpose of their activities, and the form of their activities." Furthermore, Kurihara (2017c) states that while education is central, it is important to have a management perspective that is also knowledgeable in psychology and welfare, and that a school team will not function properly unless teachers are positioned at the core of the team.

In other words, teaching staff are required to accept other professionals with a sense of difference, while also having the attitude and skills to consider the same issues based on their own educational expertise. This means that new expertise is required for the sake of collaboration itself.

Comprehensive student guidance initiatives

Considering the current environment facing teachers, schools will need to simultaneously address student guidance challenges, improve teachers' time- and mental-pressure working conditions, and foster collaboration with other professionals, such as welfare workers. This calls for the

Japanese version of the Comprehensive Student Guidance Program (Multilevel Approach, hereafter MLA). Developed by a research group led by Professor Shinji Kurihara of Hiroshima University, MLA is based on the "comprehensive approach" to educational counseling and student guidance adopted in the United States and other countries. It aims to promote holistic development for all students, focusing on psychological and social development while also considering academic and career development (Kurihara 2017a).

At the same time, a systematic training system has been established to enhance the competence of individual teachers, nurturing the skills needed to collaborate with colleagues with a clear vision for student guidance.

Source: Created by the author based on Yamazaki (2019)

Yamazaki (2019) summarizes student guidance practices at MLA as follows: Student guidance at MLA is divided into three tiers based on purpose: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary student guidance targets all children and aims to "develop the ability to do things on their own." Secondary student guidance targets all children and aims to "develop the ability for friends to support each other." Tertiary student guidance targets a select group of children with greater support needs, with "teachers and other experts playing a central role in providing support." The program has a strong preventative approach, enhancing both primary and secondary student guidance efforts to minimize the need for tertiary student guidance

Multi-Level Approach (MLA) Program

MLA has four core programs focused on classroom group development (Yamazaki 2019). Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), primarily implemented in primary student guidance, focuses on developing individual social skills and behavioral abilities. Secondary student guidance includes collaborative learning and peer support, which leverage the power of connections among students and focus on group growth. Finally, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support), implemented throughout primary and tertiary student guidance, aims to help students develop valuable behaviors through positive behavioral interventions. Teachers who participate in MLA training will personally

experience these programs. In addition to lectures, they will also engage in exercises, discussions, and reflection sessions to acquire the skills necessary for collaborative learning, SEL, and peer support. "The training sessions will be a place for collaborative learning, a place for SEL where students deepen their awareness and learn skills, and a place for peer support where they support each other through their experiences" (Kurihara 2017b). Through this training, teachers are empowered to embody the three elements of "teamwork": emotional connection, shared ideals, goals, and policies, and shared roles (ibid.).

The training is divided into several levels, and in addition to classroom-based initiatives, it also develops teachers who will assume leadership roles within the school. Senior teachers, such as principal teachers, are trained as middle leaders with an educational counseling perspective, who observe children's conditions and connect them with other professionals and institutions at the appropriate time. These middle leaders "build networks daily, continually gather information, and seek the right timing and appropriate support methods" (Ohata 2017).

In this way, MLA is designed to not only improve student guidance skills but also restore the weakened collegiality within teacher groups, which is a factor in increased workloads and a requirement for team-based schools. In this respect, it is an initiative well-suited to modern school settings.

Cooperation with parents and local residents is important

Collaboration with parents and the community is an important theme when attempting to fundamentally resolve student guidance issues. This is because it is necessary to ensure consistency in the educational messages children receive between schools, families, and the community.

Therefore, how to build collaboration and the mutual trust that facilitates it are crucial. According to Tsuyuguchi (2012), whether or not a school regularly provides information about the efforts and achievements of its learning environment, teaching ability, and school improvement impacts parents' positive evaluations of the school. At the same time, the study also found that parents' participation in networks with other parents and networks consisting of diverse people in the community is related to their tendency to trust the school (Tsuyuguchi 2012). This suggests that the best thing for schools to do is to share their activities with parents and provide some form of support for the formation of parent networks.

The concept of collaboration in the United States

So how does parental involvement in school education deepen? In the United States, where collaboration between schools, parents, and communities is common, parental involvement in schools is thought to progress through the following four stages (Stefanski et al., 2016).

The first stage is "family and organization collaboration." This is the most basic form, and it focuses on providing students and their families with easy access to not only educational services but also health and social services.

The second stage is "comprehensive service schools." While maintaining access to basic services, parents become involved by participating in school events and volunteering.

The third stage is "comprehensive service community schools." School management decision-making becomes more democratic, and parents and community members are viewed as equal participants. The

fourth stage is "community development." "Schools are not just places for the intellectual development of adults and children or for organizations to provide social services, but are places where parents and community members discuss and address local issues."

By taking these steps, cooperation between the school, parents, and the community will progress.

Source: Created by the author based on Stefanski et al. (2016)

Regional Cooperation and MLA

A comprehensive approach like MLA can also be a good starting point for collaboration with parents and the community.

Soja City in Okayama Prefecture implemented a project called "Creating a School Everyone Wants to Attend," incorporating MLA, in 2010, and has achieved significant results. At the start of the program, the rate of absenteeism at Soja City junior high schools was 3.63%. By 2016, this had dropped to 1.63% (Soja City website). Additionally, the number of junior high school students arrested or referred by the police dropped from 205 in 2009 to 7 in 2015.

In this project, PBIS has served as a catalyst for parent and community involvement in school education. PBIS aims to instill value-based behavior in children, but what constitutes value-based behavior is determined through consultation with parents and the community. When determining the values ​​to teach, Soja City conducted a survey of approximately 8,000 parents of all children attending kindergarten, nursery school, elementary school, and junior high school. The values ​​were then discussed by a committee consisting of parents, the Chamber of Commerce, the police station, the chief child welfare officer, and experts, and were decided upon (Soja City Board of Education, 2015). The values ​​thus decided were made known to local residents, who were encouraged to praise children in the community when they witnessed them practicing the values ​​and to actively inform the school (ibid.). The system has reportedly been well received by local residents.

A starting point for understanding and trust

The Soja City initiative does not place a heavy burden on parents or local residents, and is thought to be an opportunity to deepen understanding of the school's initiatives. In this sense, MLA has the potential to be a starting point for mutual trust

Source: Compiled by the author

Comprehensive approaches such as MLA aim to improve student guidance, which is thought to make it easier for schools, teachers, parents, and the community to share the same goal. Furthermore, rather than a one-sided relationship between teachers, parents, and the community, where one party seeks to improve student guidance on an equal footing, there is potential for future collaboration.

When considering future collaboration between families, schools, and the community, it is extremely important to refine discussions based on a comprehensive approach such as MLA.

(Revised and expanded version of the article in the February 2024 issue of EN-ICHI FORUM)

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