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Advocacy Project: Part III Write-Up

Ilana Malone
Seattle University

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Advocacy Project: Part III

Vision Data: Social Media Needs Assessment

Based on the school-wide needs assessment the counselors performed at the beginning of
the year, Hamilton does not have a major issue with bullying of any kind. However, this does
not mean that prevention is not necessary when it comes to cyberbullying and misuse of social
media and other online resources. In this age of technology teens are becoming remarkably
proficient in the use of social media, and they should be aware of how to use social media in a
positive way but also potential consequences to their actions.
For my project, my vision is that in 5 years, a social media literacy curriculum will be
incorporated into 95% of all 8th grade classrooms and 25% of 7th grade classrooms. This means
that in the next five years, the counselors will work with the administration and the teachers to
create guidance lessons surrounding social media use, responsibility, and etiquette that will
become a regular part of the 8th grade curriculum, and eventually the 7th grade curriculum as well.
Yearly Benchmarks:
This is a tier 1 intervention, so the goal is that ultimately the majority of the school will
receive it. Each year, this social media curriculum will be incorporated into more 8th grade
classrooms and changed as needed, until all of the 8th graders receive the guidance. The focus
should then be turned to including this curriculum into the 7th grade classrooms. There are
seventeen 8th grade classes being taught this year and twenty one 7th grade classes. I will be
giving my guidance lessons to three 8th grade classes. For each year following, the number of
classes that receive this intervention should increase by three until all 8th grade classes are
receiving it, and by year 5 (earlier if possible), four or five 7th grade classrooms should also
begin giving social media responsibility lessons.

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Where and How to Intervene:

As a tier 1 intervention this will be fairly general. Therefore, subsequent interventions
would get more and more specific if a need arises. Teachers should certainly provide
expectations around the use of social media and smart phones in class, and parents should be
reached out to if a student is abusing this. Also, if school climate surveys continue to show an
increase in cyberbullying or if social media is used to start rumors that is harmful to a student,
more specific interventions with the smaller group of people affected will be needed. Finally, as
the curriculum is integrated in to more and more classrooms it will be important to make sure the
information stays current and relevant. Technology and social media is moving very quickly,
and to stay effective we need to make sure that the guidance lessons move with the trends.
Intervention:
As mentioned above, the intervention will be in the form of two or three guidance lessons
(as time permits) to three 8th grade classrooms- one general education, one spectrum, and one
APP. These lessons will cover topics such as cyberbullying, sexting, consequences, and how
social media can be used positively. A pre- and post-test will be given to determine students
knowledge about the different social media platforms and things that can happen if used
inappropriately. The end goal is that students be more aware of what theyre doing on social
media, how theyre doing it, and how it might be impacting their lives in negative or positive
ways.