ABSTRACT
According to recent estimates (U.S. Department of Education, 2003), students of color in elementary and secondary schools constitute nearly 40% of the nation’s school-aged population. In states such as Alabama, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, students of color represent over 70% of the school-aged population in many large and mid-sized cities. The multicultural competence of school counselors has received increasing attention in the literature over the past decade (e.g., Carey, Reinat, & Fontes, 1990; Holcomb-McCoy & Day-Vines, 2004; Lewis & Hayes, 1991; Reynolds, 1999). School counselors are challenged but uniquely poised to promote the academic, career, and psychosocial development of their students in light of the complex constellations of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds of their clients (Lee, 2005). As such, this chapter (a) discusses academic, career, and cultural considerations for school counselors in relation to working with students of color, and (b) delineates competencies needed by school counselors in their provision of culturally competent services to students of color.
