A Review of the Major School Counseling Policy Studies in the United States: 2000-2014

i The Ronald H. Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research is dedicated to improving the practice of school counseling by developing the research base that is necessary for responsible and effective practice. The Center provides national leadership in the measurement and evaluation of the outcomes of school counseling interventions and programs. The Center Research Monograph Series presents original research that makes a contribution to evidence based practice. ii The American Counseling Association has provided valuable help disseminating this document in the interests of supporting the development of school counseling policy research and of providing advocates and policy-makers with valuable information and perspectives about the practice of counseling in schools. The actual views expressed in this policy review do not necessarily reflect those of ACA. Drs. Carey and Martin are entirely responsible for the interpretation of the results and the conclusions of this policy research review. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the major policy studies concerning school counseling in the United States that were disseminated between 2000 and 2014. In all, we located 37 documents that were disseminated between 2000 and 2014 and that were either intentionally written with a focus on policy implications or were frequently used to attempt to influence policy decision-making. The review is organized by The results of several of the reviewed studies raise the question as to whether the role of the school counselor in high school and the range of duties associated with this role has become overly broad. Studies suggest that counselors cannot adequately focus their work on improving students' academic achievement and promoting college access partly because of this impossibly broad role. Research on student outcomes associated with the implementation of the Comprehensive Developmental Guidance (CDG) approach (including the American School Counselor Association National Model) in schools has established that benefits to students can be expected if a CDG approach is implemented. Benefits to students can be expected to occur in high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. Policy favoring CDG implementation is warranted. Lower student-to-counselor ratios were consistently found to be associated with higher attendance rates, higher college application rates, lower discipline rates and (for 2 elementary students) enhanced academic achievement. Government policies reducing these ratios (especially in states with particularly high ratios) would be expected to result in enhanced benefits to students. However, it is still unclear whether reducing ratios is the most cost-effective …