School Counseling

As a former public school teacher, current education professor, and parent of two daughters in our public schools, I have come to have a few realizations about school counselors.  Here is what they do:

• Coordinate paperwork and data entry;
• Coordinate cognitive, aptitude, and achievement testing;
• Compute GPAs;
• Maintain student records;
• Keep records;
• Assist with duties in the office;
• Enter data.

According to the the American School Counselor Association, these are the exact things listed as inappropriate activies for school counselors.  ASCA recommends:

• Helping students with academic program planning;
• Interpreting cognitive, aptitude, and achievement tests;
• Providing counseling for absenteeism, disciplinary issues, and school dress;
• Analyzing GPAs in relationship to achievement;
• Interpreting student records;
• Helping the administration resolve student issues; and
• Providing small group counseling.
  

It is time that we let counselors be counselors.  It is time for school counselors to counsel. I advocate hiring staff to deal with non-counseling issues so that counselors can do the job that that were educated to do.

According to ASCA, "School counselors are certified/licensed educators with a minimum of a master's degree in school counseling, making them uniquely qualified to address all students' academic, career, and social/emotional development needs by designing, implementing, evaluating, and enhancing a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes and enhances student success."

-Drew