ABSTRACT
The focus and scope of school counseling has expanded in recent years from a primary focus on work transition to include a comprehensive range of developmental services that address academic, interpersonal, and vocational readiness. Currently, the design of most school counseling programs is on the provision of “comprehensive” services that include a developmental guidance curriculum; individual services to children, youth, and their families; and responsive services (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2003; Gysbers, 2001). Recent large-scale evaluations indicate that programs offering comprehensive services result in positive outcomes for youth (Lapan, Gysbers, & Petroski, 2003; Lapan, Gysbers, & Sun, 1997; Sink & Stroh, 2003). Youth attending schools that implement a comprehensive school counseling model reported higher grades and higher achievement test scores; they believed that more career information was available to them, could see the relevance of their current school work to their future endeavors, and perceived a more positive school environment, in terms of feeling safe in school and feeling connected to their teachers (Lapan et al., 1997, 2003; Sink & Stroh). One such study also examined student outcomes by various types of student characteristics, including race/ethnicity and socioeconomic indicators (Lapan et al., 1997). The researchers discovered that, overall, students of color reported lower grades on average than White students did. While comprehensive guidance programs were found to positively influence grades for all students, these programs did not reduce the achievement gap between youth from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and White youth or between youth from lower income and higher income backgrounds.
