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Advocacy with Intention

Danielle R. Crankfield, 2026 School Counselor of the Year®,  illustrates how an ASCA-aligned school counseling program  becomes a steady anchor when the school counselor’s role is  questioned, diluted or misunderstood. Drawing from her own  professional journey, Danielle demonstrates how grounding  your work in student-centered data, clearly defined program  priorities and a confident professional presence allows school  counselors to advocate boldly, without apology. This keynote  empowers school counselors to move beyond using data  defensively. Instead, participants learn to leverage data as an  advocacy tool and elevate the school counseling program,  communicate impact with clarity and make the value of their  work unmistakable across the school community. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand how student-centered data anchors and  guides an ASCA-aligned school counseling program.
• Examine how program-focused data strengthens  professional presence and clarifies impact. 
• Apply data-informed strategies to promote. elevate and  amplify the value of the school counseling program. 

The first national School Counselor of the Year from Maryland, Danielle Crankfield is a school counselor and department chair at Crofton High School in Gambrills, Md. The school serves 1,900 students, grades 9–12. Crankfield, who has been a school counselor since 2010, received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University and a master’s degree in counseling (school counseling concentration) from Johns Hopkins University. “Danielle represents the very best in professional school counseling from her commitment to her students’ academic, college/career and social/emotional success, to her reputation among her peers as Crofton High School’s ‘North Star,’” said Molly McCloskey, School Counselor of the Year Selection Committee member. “Her excellence is not only in what she does, but in the way she does it – authentically and with an eye toward meaningful, measurable results.” In her school’s founding year, Crankfield disaggregated course enrollment data to determine whether the school had a course access gap, particularly in honors and Advanced Placement courses. The data showed that Black and Hispanic students were disproportionately taking standard-level courses rather than honors and Advanced Placement classes. To address this access gap, she created guidelines for middle and high school teachers to use when making core course recommendations. In addition, she collaborated with the testing coordinator and department chairs in several content areas to promote higher-level courses and honors and Advanced Placement electives that met students’ interests. “The school counseling department and I encouraged open access, which allows students and parents to request honors or Advanced Placement courses by choice, even when students are recommended for a different course level,” Crankfield said. “Over time, the course access gap decreased.”