What Advisory Could Be

A friend asked me recently to define what advisory is and what it could be. What a world apart those two definitions are!

Here is advisory as it is now, in the average US middle or high school: a loosely supervised classroom where students are talking, working on homework, maybe receiving some administrative announcements from the teacher. To many it feels like wasted time, though maybe a welcome break.

Advisory as it could be? Now that’s a whole other story. And to me one of the most promising ones in education.

Amazingly, despite all the pressure to squeeze the most academically out of every minute of school, advisory is still there because people feel like they should do something with it. They sense it could be the place where students feel connection with a teacher, or learn the deeper skills that support their success in school. They may not have the time, training, or tools to do this yet. But even if that aspiration is not yet reality, it opens a very special window of opportunity. Time already set aside, with many people aspiring to use it well, is an ideal beginning point.

I think that the instinct educators have – that advisory could and should be a special place – is right on. It takes a modest amount of training, the patience to practice and tinker, and the support from leadership to put words and actions behind the importance of advisory.

So what could advisory be?

Here’s what I’ve seen in the school I was fortunate to lead, and in other schools that have moved in this direction. First, the basics: advisory is a stable group of students, ideally no more than 15, led by one teacher or administrator (the advisor). They meet at least weekly over the course of a year or more. The advisor receives a few kinds of support: training in how to facilitate a group; tools for social-emotional learning; time to prep; and access to a community of practice, fellow advisors with whom they can discuss ideas and challenges.

When these elements are in place, advisory becomes the heart of a great middle or high school. It becomes the place where students feel a strong, trusting connection with at least one adult in the building. This in turn increases their school connectedness, which research has shown has profound positive effects on academic success and mental health. Advisory becomes the group where their membership is most secure, where they can share messy feelings, test out identities, and not risk being kicked out. As they process their social and emotional questions, they free up attention and capacity for academics and other forms of growth. Ultimately, advisory becomes the best time in the school day to develop social-emotional intelligence.

In case there was any doubt, the research on social-emotional intelligence is clear. Social-emotional wellness is not a luxury. It’s the foundation of successful academic journey and of a happy and meaningful life. Social-emotional learning leads to better academic results and better mental health, and the results persist well into adulthood. And if we need more clarity, we need look only to this past pandemic year, when so many people of all ages experienced profound anxiety and stress. Our ability to manage these aspects of life determines much of our success and happiness. That is social-emotional intelligence.

But excellent social-emotional learning does not happen via scripted curricula or traditional classroom instruction. It needs a group – an advisory. Why?

First: because most adolescents are socially motivated above all else, and a group taps into that social drive. Their intense curiosity about each other and desire to be seen will bring their full engagement to the group.

Second: because they need a diversity of experiences to make sense of their own. In groups they see different ways peers handle the wild ride of adolescence, their evolving identities, conflict, and more.

Third: because as a group becomes safe, they share more and more openly, facing their challenges with the group’s support, and learning social-emotional tools when they feel most useful and relevant. It’s the opposite of a dry or scripted curriculum — a useful social-emotional tool when you most need it is memorable and precious.

I’m feeling even more passionate than usual about this topic because I just finished co-leading a training on SEL Advisory Facilitation, offering facilitation skills and SEL tools to a fantastic group of middle and high school educators. We plan to expand this work (more here). The tools and knowledge for how to lead excellent advisories is out there. If this speaks to you, go and get them! Every young person deserves a safe space to speak honestly and listen deeply with peers, making sense of life together.