Improving School Guidance programs: A Framework for Program, Personnel, and Results Evaluation

Abstract

This article describes the overall evaluation framework that is guiding Missouri's efforts to evaluate comprehensive school guidance programs. Evaluation is viewed as an ongoing process designed to improve a school's guidance program. The overall evaluation framework described consists of program, personnel, and results evaluation. It is an outcome‐based framework. Five questions guide the evaluation process. Are the program elements in place? Are school counselors supervised and evaluated based on their comprehensive guidance program job description? Are procedures used to measure students' mastery of guidance competencies? Are procedures used to measure the impact of the program on the climate and goals of the school? Are the individuals served by the program and the patrons in the community satisfied with the program?

Helping Seventh Graders Be Safe and Successful: A Statewide Study of the Impact of Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Programs

“…Many writers, both within the United States and from the international guidance community, have consistently highlighted the need for rigorous program evaluation research studies that would inform school counseling program reform and improvement efforts (e.g., Borders & Drury, 1992;Gerler, 1992;Gysbers, Hughey, Starr, & Lapan, 1992;Killeen, Sammons, & Watts, 1999;Lapan & Kosciulek, 2001;Oomen, Athanassoula-Reppa, Barnes, Petri, & Hautvast, 1997).…”

School guidance and counselling in the United States and Taiwan: Parallels and beyond

“…Gysbers and Henderson stated that guidance is a program with characteristics similar to other programs in education and has an emphasis on teamwork and student outcomes. The accountability focus is particularly stressed (Gerler, 1992;Gysbers et al, 1992). This thinking is not entirely new.…”

“…Current trends call for a paradigm shift (Gysbers and Henderson, 1988;Gysbers, Hughey, Starr and Lapan, 1992) in terms of how counsellors conceptualize their role and function within the school. Underlying this shift is the clearer articulation of theory and practice into written comprehensive programs particular to the local school setting.…”

Attitudes Toward Teaching Prevention and Developmental Issues Among Turkish Counselor Educators

“…The final survey first contained 21 items listing preventive and developmental issues that might be included in the counselor training courses: (1) Coping with stress (Capuzzi & Gross, 1996;Cowen, 1982); (2) examination anxiety (McDonald, 2001); (3) anger management (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 1998); (4) decision making and problem solving skills (Botvin & Dusenbury, 1989;Elias et al, 1997); (5) conflict resolution skills (Roerden, 2001;Smith, Daunic, Miller, & Robinson, 2002); (6) assertiveness training (Botvin & Dusenbury, 1989); (7) communication skills (Capuzzi & Gross, 1996;Elias et al, 1997); (8) substance abuse prevention (McWhirter et al, 1998;Pierre, 2001); (9) sex education (Sanderson, 1999); (10) time management (Dinkmeyer & Dinkmeyer, 1984); (11) suicide prevention (Kalafat & Ryson, 1999); (12) eating disorders (Grave, DeLuca, & Campello, 2001;Rohwer, 2001); (13) social skills (Cummings & Haggerty, 1997;O'Neil, 1997); (14) shyness (Carducci, 1996;Martin & Thomas, 2000); (15) effective study skills (Capuzzi & Gross, 1996;Graham, 2002); (16) self care skills (Kickbusch, 1989); (17) peer support (Blocher, 2000;Coi et al, 1993;Graham, 2002); (18) parent effectiveness training (Atkinson, 2002;McWhirter et al, 1998); (19) choosing a university and field of study (Graham, 2002;Gysbers, Hurley, Starr, & Lope, 1992;…”