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American counselors have been working with school-aged children since the turn of the 20th century, but early instances of school counseling education stressed graduates' vocational guidance skills over those that might address the social and academic wellbeing of their students. What was the primary goal of vocational school counseling practitioners? To assist youths in making a smooth transition between school and work. Flash forward: school counseling education is now a sophisticated and necessary component of the greater educational system. Modern school counselors are responsible for guiding student academic success and therefore closing the achievement gap. Graduates of School Counseling Education programs are taught skills in prevention and intervention, and to work with diverse student populations possessed of a wide array of needs and special interests. A major player in the transition between past and present school counseling education philosophies was the National Center for Transforming School Counseling (NCTSC), an arm of the Education Trust. The Education Trust pledges to work for success in all students' academic achievement, from kindergarten through college. The NCTSC used several focus groups comprised of K-12 students, parents, teachers, administrators, superintendents, and others to focus on what was and wasn't working in school counseling. Over the course of their study, they found that there was a lack of true student advocates – school counselors who would challenge building politics and fight for enhanced academic and social opportunities for all students. This needed to change. The NCTSC knew that if graduate level School Counseling Education programs improved the methods and content of what they taught, so too would the practices of K-12 school counselors improve. Beginning in 1998, the NCTSC began providing generous grant funding to select graduate-level School Counseling Education programs from both urban and rural environments, but only on the condition that they would actively work to transform their curricula. The School Counseling Education programs were expected to focus on counselor-student advocacy practices, teamwork amongst school departments, communication and collaboration, leadership, and culturally-aware student development. The selected School Counseling Education programs were also tasked to maintain high quality standards and thorough skill assessment through data collection and management. Another driving force behind the modernization of School Counseling Education programs was the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The ASCA released a national model that stressed advanced skill development in graduate-level learners. It also encouraged evidence-based behavioral practice. For School Counseling Education program graduates, evidence-based practice entails active decision-making about how to provide care. Decisions are made by integrating the best available practitioner evidence with the case-specific needs of those who would be affected, and evidence comes from research findings and systematic data collection. As a result, accumulated data informs both book-based and hands-on coursework: graduate learners apply peer-reviewed findings along with personal skill sets. Learners improve skills through repeated counseling scenarios role-played with peers and instructors, and in moderated sessions with real-life clients. Technology also enhances School Counseling Education programs. By reviewing session recordings and utilizing web-based data management software, learners can work with their instructors to build a portfolio and answer questions such as: What techniques need improvement? Have learned skills transferred to work with real-life clients? Recordings also make it easier for instructors to score tests and appraise learners' progress across the span of the program. When School Counseling Education program graduates are aware of their weaknesses and given the means to review and improve, they will be better able to adapt to meet specific requirements once they're employed. School counselors make decisions based on data gathered from past and present, coursework and fieldwork. This helps realize the goals of modern school counseling: to advocate the social and academic success of all students. About the Author Arcadia's secure, web based applications provide all the tools you need School Counseling Education to run training and Counseling School in an effective, streamlined way.
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