A Landscape Analysis of State-Level School Counseling Policy: Perspectives from State Officials

Abstract

This study explores the prevalence and implementation of four key school counseling policies at the state level and to what extent they are monitored for positive impact on the school counseling profession. Drawing on an analysis of state school counseling policy documents and interviews with school counseling leaders from 30 state education agencies, we found that policies vary considerably across states. Within states, the constrained authority of state counseling officials and lack of funded counseling mandates contributed to differences in policy implementation at the local level. These barriers can unintentionally reduce the efficacy of counseling policies and thus their impact on students.

Student-To-School-Counselor Ratios, School-Level Factors, and Leadership Practices of School Counselors: A National Investigation

“…Consideration may also be given to potential discrepancies between the appropriateness of responsibilities and roles assumed by school counselors in their respective schools (Hilts et al, 2019, and that caseload sizes may not equate with increased quantity and quality of services delivered to students. Last, other unobserved or extraneous variables may have influenced the study results, such as school funding and counseling mandates (Kratsa et al, in press;Savitz-Romer et al, 2023). Given these limitations, any conclusions drawn about the relationships between school counselor caseload and variables examined in the present study should be interpreted with caution.…”

“…Students from historically marginalized backgrounds, such as those who are bi/multilingual and students of color, often require more support in their academic, social/emotional, and postsecondary development; however, these students often reside in school districts with less local and state revenue (EdBuild, 2019;Education, n.d.;Institute of Education Sciences, n.d.), which can have implications on students' access to a highly qualified school counselor. Scholars have asserted that budget constraints may prevent lawmakers from instituting more manageable caseload sizes, and that the states that do have mandated ratios have policies based on grade levels served (Savitz-Romer et al, 2023). In other words, despite research showing that students from marginalized backgrounds especially benefit from access to school counselors, these students often attend schools with the highest student-to-schoolcounselor ratios (Donohue et al, 2022;Gagnon & Mattingly, 2016).…”