Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011 Page: 7
79 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A Snapshot of the Texas High School Counselor
Disconnect@
Alisa Carter and Koy Floyd
A total of 42 high school counselors in North and East Texas were sur-
veyed to obtain a cursory look at the different types of responsibilities
they have and how much of their job is spent counseling students, espe-
cially in the areas of opportunities and options in higher education. The
survey instrument included questions regarding the size of school they
served, the grade level(s) and number of students for which they were
responsible, the sources where students obtain their information on their
options and opportunities after high school, and how effective the coun-
selors felt they were in their role in helping students obtain that infor-
mation. Perceptions varied, however, a majority of those surveyed ex-
pressed their frustration with the amount of time required to do non-
counseling duties. Secondly, when compared to state and national ac-
crediting agency standards for counselors, proper utilization of counse-
lors appears to be in question. Lastly, with increasing demands on stu-
dents, teachers, and administrators to improve academic performance on
state mandated tests, the role of the school counselor is perhaps being
redefined to accommodate increased administrative responsibilities. The-
se new administrative duties, according to our survey results, provide
evidence of a growing disconnect and job dissatisfaction for the highschool counselor.
Frustration is oftentimes manifest-
ed among many counselors in pub-
lic high schools across Texas as
they juggle the multitude of rou-
tine responsibilities associated
with their role. Time does not ap-
pear to be adequate for counselors
to assist and guide high school stu-
dents and particularly soon-to-be
graduating seniors in planning for
their immediate and long-term fu-
ture, even though the desire and
expectation for doing so exists.
Through personal conversations
(S.W. Carter, personal communi-
cation, April 02, 2010) with practi-
tioner high school counselors,
many said they tend to spend their
time dealing with a multitude of
tasks not associated with the tradi-
tional role of a counselor. These
managerial tasks include: adminis-
tering state mandated tests, class
scheduling, creating honor rolllists, calculating class rank and
students' grade point averages, as
well as other administrative duties
assigned by the principal (M.B.
Carter, personal communication,
April 10, 2009; D.L. Carter, per-
sonal communication, August 10,
2010). Collectively, these extended
role activities serve as barriers to
designated and expected role re-
sponsibilities and potentially con-
tribute to counselor job frustration.
Reasons for our Study
After visiting with a group of high
school counselors, most expressed
a disconnect between their day-to-
day routine and the district job de-
scription of their role. Not unlike
the challenges many other Texas
school districts are facing, (Rado,
2009) and in deference to the
American School Counselors As-
sociation (2010) recommendationsTime does not appear
to be adequate for
counselors to assist
and guide high school
students and particularly
soon-to-be graduating
seniors in planning for
their immediate and
long-term future, even
though the desire and
expectation for doing
so exists.
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011, periodical, 2011; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201694/m1/9/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.