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Results
Outcome-Based Research in School Counseling
School counseling has been experiencing a great deal of turmoil of late in relationship to issues of accountability and outcomes. Although accountability has always been a part of the work of school counselors*, the school reform movement of the past two decades has made particularly challenging judgments about educator accountability in general, including school counselors, in the highly politicized domain of student achievement. Some in the field have even gone so far as to say that the profession of school counseling itself is at risk if it cannot show evidence that school counseling services and interventions lead to positive outcomes in terms of student academic, personal/social, and/or career development. The current focus on outcomes and results in school counseling provides an opportunity to strengthen our awareness that research and practice are intricately intertwined.
The Clearinghouse Project believes good research is crucial to strengthening practice and growing a profession. The Project supports evidence and outcome-based approaches to providing services associated with AB 1802. According to the National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR), evidence-based practices are "practices which have been rigorously studied and evaluated, and have accumulated research evidence which consistently shows that those practices are effective".
* Source: www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/EBP_docs.htm
CSCOR identifies "promising practices" as practices that have been "rigorously studied and evaluated, but have not yet accumulated enough research evidence".
* Source: www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/EBP_docs.htm
The Clearinghouse Project will identify both evidence-based and promising practices across the state and will share information as rapidly as we can.
Some school counselors focus on outcome-based approaches in selecting practices to implement as a part of a school counseling program. For others, the focus is on achieving results with the work they do as counselors. As Sharon and "Curly" Johnson put it, the results-based approach is "a comprehensive, developmental student support program based on students' need for competencies in learning, working, relating, and leading a balanced, healthful lifestyle" (2006, p. 8).
The Johnson's approach is congruent with the ASCA National Standards and was one of the three models that constituted the foundation of the National Model for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003). Major segments of the National Model reflect the original work of Johnson and Johnson. In the Johnson's approach, results are meaningful in the context of clearly identified student competencies and specifically written Results Agreements that spell out "the specific responsibilities and contributions of each student support team member" (Johnson, Johnson, & Downs, 2006, p. 83).
The Clearinghouse Project will maintain a separate folder for these larger scale efforts. Here, our criteria will be that the items we include come from schools and districts in which the provisions of AB 1802 are being incorporated into comprehensive student support systems.
* All references available upon request
Related Links
CSCOR Research Briefs
www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/briefs.htm
Comprehensive Student Support System
www.doe.k12.hi.us/programs/csss/index.htm
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