Professional School Counseling

Preferred: Secondary - High School Level

EDG 6304 Research -Stribling

School counselors use research to investigate what they need to develop their own comprehensive program with methods, strategies, and interventions to assist their particular students in their academic, career, and social-emotional development (ASCA, 2023 & Texas Education Agency, 2018). In order to be useful and relevant with their program, they must conduct research for the specific needs of their school. They need to know what works and what does not.

Specifically, at the high school level, school counselors conduct research on programs for students to assist with career counseling (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024). This research topic is unique to high schools.

Finally, school counselors stay up to date with the law by researching legal requirements so as to stay firmly within with bounds of legal and ethical guidelines (Texas Education Agency, 2018).

School counselors use research to both find areas of need and then to find resources to address the need identified. For example, at the high school level, school counselors spend time researching career readiness as that is of interest to students at that level (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024). Ellis, a seasoned school counselor, indicates that high school students are interested in colleges, scholarships, and jobs. Therefore, they spend time preparing to address those needs by continually researching programs.

1. Research topics being addressed at Brownwood High School (BISD), my preferred future role, are the types of careers and jobs available in the job market (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024). BISD school counselors use The Texas Work Force link, Texas Reality Check, to search current job availability and entry requirements, among other information (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024).

2. Additionally, BISD school counselors allot time to researching TEA updates to laws, and especially those laws related to CCMR (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024). Texas has a strong accountability system which requires counselors to stay updated (The Basics of CCMR, 2021).

3. This past year, BISD school counselors researched social-emotional learning strategies and how to help grieving students (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024).

A recent interview with a school counselor at a Midland, Texas, middle school revealed that another topic being investigated by school counselors is anger management (H. Johnson-Muniz, June 4, 2024). Johnson-Muniz indicated that research topics change with the situation (personal communication, June 4, 2024). They have to meet their students where they are. This past year brought a Midland middle school the challenge of dealing with anger amongst a large group of students (H. Johnson-Muniz, June 4, 2024). As such, they researched the issue and began implementing new strategies.

Other issues at BISD:

*Cyberbullying

*Low socioeconomic status issues

*Vaping (K. Ellis, personal communication, June 5, 2024)

Texas Education Agency (2018). The Texas model for comprehensive school counseling programs (5th ed.). Texas Counseling Association. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Pub_2018_Texas-Model_5th-Edition.pdf

The basics of CCMR in accountability and legislation. (2021). Texas OnCourse. https://blog.texasoncourse.org/educator/the-basics-of-ccmr-in-accountability-and-legislation