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Hi! My name is Lauren Schuller, and I am a graduate student at Angelo State University pursuing my Masters in Professional School Counseling. I am a former math teacher and have completed a semester as a school counselor. Upon graduation, I plan to continue my career in school counseling.

As a school counselor, I used many different types of data to inform my practice. I am now collecting further information on how data can be utilized by professionals in my field.

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Data is defined as "factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation" (Merriam-Webster, 2022). Essentially, data is information that is collected and used to analyze and make decisions.

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There are different types of data researchers use in general. Some general types of data include:

Quantitative-uses numerical data, logical and statistical procedures, objective (Ahmad et al., 2019)

Ex. School demographics, attendance rates, test scores, participation rates

Qualitative-uses descriptors from a person's own perspective (attitudes, beliefs, ideas, etc.), subjective (Ahmad et al., 2019)

Ex. Student self-reports during counseling sessions, open-ended student surveys, Needs Assessments

Formal-uses a systematic approach and scientific methods ("What is the difference", 2021)

Ex. Peer-reviewed research papers

Informal-uses nonscientific methods to gather info ("What is the difference", 2021)

Ex. Casual observations during classroom visit

There are also some specific data sets that are particularly useful for school counselors. Some examples of these include (Hatch & Hartline, 2021):

Student Achievement Data

Standardized test scores

Graduation rates

GPAs

SAT & ACT scores

Achievement-Related Data

Referrals and suspension rates

Attendance rates

Course enrollment patterns

Family involvement

Use of scholarships/financial aid

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Comprehensive school counseling programs today are data-driven. Data is used as the basis of designing the program, determining interventions, and measuring the effectiveness of various efforts (Hatch & Hartline, 2021).

In my own practice as a new school counselor, I designed and built my program from scratch and aimed to align it with the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. This is a research-based template, created by the Texas Education Agency, for how to best structure a school counseling program. It is like the gold standard for school counselors in Texas to follow. I also used the American School Counselor Association's National Model for school counseling programs, which is similar to the Texas Model but adopted on a national scale.

When I first started my job, I reviewed data on my school's demographics, standardized test scores, attendance rates, and other basic stats to get a feel for my campus. I also created a Needs Assessment and gathered data from teachers to identify and prioritize top needs for the program. This helped me determine which topics to use for my guidance lessons and small groups as well as which initiatives I may begin.

Throughout the year, I collected simple pre- and post-tests from students during each guidance lesson to determine its effectiveness and see where I could improve. I also created a pre- and post-test for each of my small groups to measure each student's growth and the effectiveness of my design. Further, I was very intentional about using research-based methods and counseling modalities to best serve each student given their individual needs. These methods included Solution Focused Brief Counseling and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as well as some play therapy, sand therapy, and art therapy (which are particularly effective at the elementary level where I worked). Though some of counseling is intuitive, my aim was always to follow frameworks that have been proven effective and avoid advice-giving or just winging it.

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ACA provides resources for school counselors on best practices in counseling.

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American Counseling Association | A professional home for counselors

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American Counseling Association - a professional and educational organization that is dedicated to all things counseling related.

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There are various professional organizations and agencies related to school counseling that serve as a guide for school counselors. They offer a variety of useful resources, forums, conferences, research, and more. With involvement with these organizations, school counselor can continue their education, stay current on research and significant issues in the field, and refine their skills to improve their practice. I am a member of the American School Counselor Association and have listed some others below as well.

American School Counselor Association

Texas Education Agency

American Counseling Association

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ASCA developed the research-based ASCA National Model for School Counseling Programs. This organization provides resources counselors can use to inform their programs and stay current on best practices-magazines, journals, toolkits, research reports.

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TEA developed the research-based Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. The TEA website includes a "Reports and Data" library full of data and resources.

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Welcome to Texas Education Agency | Texas Education Agency

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The latest news from the Texas Education Agency is available through news releases, online correspondence, mailing lists, and other posted information.

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Ahmad, S., Wasim, S., Irfan, S., Gogoi, S., Srivastava, A., & Farheen, Z. (2019). Qualitative v/s. quantitative research-a summarized review. Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare 6(43), 2828-2832. http://dx.doi.org/10.18410/jebmh/2019/587

Hatch, T., & Hartline, J. (2021). The use of data in school counseling : Hatching results (and so much more) for students, programs, and the profession (2nd ed.). Corwin.

Merriam-Webster. (2022).
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data

Merriam-Webster. (2022). Peer review. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peer-reviewed

What is the difference between formal and informal research. (2021, July 21). PEDIAA. https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-formal-and-informal-research/#:~:text=Definition-,Formal%20research%20is%20a%20type%20of%20research%20study%20conducted%20using,to%20gather%20and%20analyze%20data.

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There are some hot topics in school counseling right now at the center of research and debate. Some of these include:

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on students

Increasing mental health issues and suicide rates

Need for more Social-Emotional Learning

Racism and bias in schools

Lack of resources and support for school counselors

Counselors use of time on non-counseling duties (related to SB 179)

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School counselors are primarily responsible for supporting the academic and mental health needs of students, but this involves taking a look at the larger school and community and supporting those components as well. Some populations school counselors study include:

Student population

Used to determine students' academic and social-emotional needs

Teacher population

Used to determine how to better support teachers so they can better support students

Parents and families

Used to determine the family's role and how to support the whole family so the student functions better inside and outside of school