ABSTRACT
N ew school counselor education graduates from programs such as those developed through the Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) (Education Trust, 1997) have been prepared to facilitate learning opportunities for all students in a diverse environment. These TSCI graduates also have been prepared as leaders in attaining equitable opportunities for all students. According to House and Martin (1998) an increasingly global society calls for better use of resources and demands closing the achievement gap between poor and minority children and their more advantaged peers. This new vision developed through the TSCI has focused on the need to increase academic achievement and has acknowledged the role of counselors as change agents and advocates for the removal of barriers that impede student success. Thus, an academic focus must become the primary goal of these newly transformed school counselors. These new graduates will be faced with the challenge of entering a changing profession, not yet fully operational under the transformed models to which they have been introduced. Supporting these transformed counselors who are eager to implement their newly acquired attitudes, knowledge, and skills will be necessary for implementation of the new vision. Never has it been more important to recognize that the early stages of induction to the profession are critical for the development of a lasting identity and continued growth of the school counseling profession.
