Evidence-Based School Counseling: Embracing Challenges/Changes to the Existing Paradigm

Abstract

This special edition of Professional School Counseling presents some of the key proceedings from the ninth annual Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference. This article offers both an overview of the content of this issue and—in this complex world context we now inhabit—new ideas for ways to use evidence-based school counseling (EBSC) to support the emotional well-being and future success of our students, families, and school colleagues. We include some possible ways to do antiracist and social justice-focused school counseling from an EBSC lens and offer several suggestions for updates to the EBSC lens itself.

How the Culture in School Counseling Programs Shapes College-Going Outcomes: Do the Effects Vary by Race?

“…Despite the numerous studies (e.g., Bryan et al, 2011; Cholewa et al, 2015; Perna et al, 2008; Poynton & Lapan, 2017) that support the valuable role of school counselors in creating college readiness and access, especially for marginalized students, research indicating what works for school counselors in improving students’ college-going outcomes is scant (Castleman & Goodman, 2014; McMahon et al, 2017). The Evidence-Based School Counseling model has amplified the importance of identifying evidence about what works that can be used for creating effective school counseling programs and interventions (Dimmitt & Zyromski, 2020; Zyromski & Dimmitt, 2022). The dearth of school counseling intervention research on college going and college access (McMahon et al, 2017) may be attributed to a lack of information on malleable factors and theories of change to inform college access interventions in school counseling.…”

A Quantitative Exploration of School Counselors’ Evidence-Based Classroom Management Implementation: Investigating Culturally Sustaining Practices and Multicultural Competence

“…Considering these factors, the SCCMI itself is a meaningful contribution to the repository of practical instruments available for school counselor utility. Further, given calls for school counseling practices that are both evidence-based and culturally sustaining (e.g., Dimmitt & Zyromski, 2020; Zyromski & Dimmitt, 2022), the SCCMI and this study can help cultivate affirming and inclusive school cultures in multiple ways. Foremost, utilizing the techniques noted in the SCCMI can help students feel more connected with their school counselor, classmates, and general school environment, although confounding variables must be considered.…”

“…In light of the double pandemic and the rise in youth mental health needs, the school counseling field has increasingly prioritized evidence-based practices and culturally sustaining practices (Grothaus et al, 2020; Zyromski & Dimmitt, 2022). First, in the current context of K–12 education, Zyromski and Dimmitt (2022) described evidence-based school counseling as being grounded in context: acknowledging the impact of systemic racism, mental health challenges, and other systemic barriers, and then exploring (a) what is known about a given situation, and (b) how to determine and measure change in that situation. Second, several authors have discussed cultural competence and the crucial importance of culturally sustaining practices in school counseling (e.g., Greene, 2018; Grothaus et al, 2020; Holcomb-McCoy et al, 2008).…”

“…The SCCMI fits with Zyromski and Dimmitt’s (2022) definition of evidence-based practices: It is an empirically based instrument measuring school counselors’ classroom management strategies, grounded in evidence-based K–12 classroom management strategies particularly relevant to school counseling. Although previous literature has looked at school counselors’ classroom management, there remains a need to examine this construct through a multicultural, culturally sustaining lens (Edirmanasinghe et al, 2022).…”

School Counselors and Principals Serving as Co-Conspirators for Antiracist Program Evaluation

“…This evaluation process becomes a matter of checking the box for evaluation (i.e., "check-box" evaluation) and upholding the current system rather than identifying opportunity, attainment, and achievement gaps hindering students who are marginalized from academic opportunities and success. The field of education can no longer approach evaluation in terms of quantitative growth, merit based upon achievement, and judgment using isolated data points rather than viewing outcomes as an opportunity for changing systems (Zyromski & Dimmitt, 2022).…”