All the good intentions, proclamations and endorsements of support for school counseling programs will not change the lives of students without funding. Counselors engage in advocacy through the American Counseling Association and American Mental Health Counselors Association among others by lending their voices to actionable policy solutions in order to advance the profession and to ensure clients have the necessary resources at the federal, state levels. Most recently, counselors have been engaged in amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.) to include the “Counseling for Career Choice Act”, which focuses on students career planning and economic development through the allocation of state funds for career counseling programs. This paper will present background information on Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, my reaction to the bill and discuss the impact and implication to counselors.
In February 2015, the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions received a proposal requesting the addition of the “Counseling for Career Choice Act” to Title V—Grants To Strengthen State Departments Of Education of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.). S.282 is critical to the counseling profession in that there school counseling has never had a specific focus on career counseling, but rather counselors have incorporate conversations about postsecondary education into their repertoire of counseling in education settings. The Counseling for Career Choice Act makes provisions that allow counselors to gain training and broaden the career-counseling framework within school systems. S.282 proposes $40,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2015 and $40,000,000 for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years, was sponsored by Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) Representative James R. Langevin, [D-RI-2] and received bipartisan (10D, 1R) co-sponsorship from 11 states including Ohio, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and Washington among others. Previously, it was introduced to the 113th Congress on June 11, 2013, but was not enacted. S. 282, which was referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education in April 2015, proposes that state funds be made available to expand or create comprehensive school counseling frameworks, which provide guidance from post-secondary schools, local school districts and programs, and industry and local business. The framework will allow State Education Agencies to “establish and implement a statewide counseling framework that provides information on: career awareness, skills assessment, skills training, student interest surveys, postsecondary education entrance requirements, secondary school graduation requirements, high school equivalency, adult education programs and services, financial aid, institutions of higher education, community colleges, programs leading to industry-recognized credentials, career and technical education programs, internships, dual enrollment programs, apprenticeships, and professional development opportunities for school counselors” (S. 282) Further, the proposed bill “provides professional development to counselors to ensure they are able to offer students a comprehensive understanding of current workforce trends and post-secondary opportunities, including non-degree certificate programs, internships, apprenticeships, and two- and four-year degree programs.”
According to the proposal, states receiving funding under the Counseling for Career Choice Act may provide grants to local school districts and education organizations/agencies, including tribal organizations, non-profit organizations or consortiums working on improved career counseling services. More specifically, states and education programs can “create quality professional development opportunities for school counselors; create statewide systems for providing students with current workforce information; establish, improve or coordinate post-secondary opportunities for students; and hire additional school counselors.” Previous and current, ESEA and its reauthorizations under previous leaders did not fully integrate school counselors into professional development and school improvement programs. In a number of instances throughout the history of ESEA, professional development for school counselors and other specialized instructional support personnel (SISP) is include "as appropriate," however participation by teachers and administrators is not qualified. An enactment of the Counseling for Career Choice Act would ensure that counseling is integrated into the education system and becomes are critical part of the overall education. With the help of counselors who provide career resources, students are better prepared to make decisions about their postsecondary options.
ESEA was part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” and was enacted less than three months after its introduction. President Johnson, a former teacher, was a proponent of equal access to education and believed it was critical to a child’s ability to live a productive life. Since its enactment, the Bill has been reauthorized under President Bill Clinton's Improving America's Schools Act of 1994; President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 200 and most recently by President Barack Obama's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Over the years, there has been much discussion that NCLB was restraining in that it did not allow schools to make improvements necessary to benefit students, the economy and communities. On the contrary, President Barack Obama’s Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 has been heralded for “upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students” (Langevin, 2015)
School counselors are critical in transforming students’ future aspirations into tangible postsecondary opportunities and success. It is quite disturbing that the bill was not passed when it was introduced in 2013 and is currently not receiving much coverage or discussion in the public sphere. Providing resources that allow counselors to deepen and increase student awareness of programs that ameliorate the conditions that prevent young children from becoming successful adults – the employees, customers and neighbors that the world needs is critical to the nation as a whole. S. 282 is critical in that if for example a counselor has a student who has a child or is expecting a child, the counselor can not only provide services for early childhood development (responsive parenting, health, childcare) but also help the student pursue a career and education, which provide a nurturing environment for his/her child. When schools fail to provide in-depth counselling resources that do not touch the complete continuum of care needed, students are put at a disadvantage. The Counseling for Career Choice Act is appropriate and its passage is critical because it would not only allow counselors to work with colleges and address the emotional and developmental needs of students, but it specifically provides funding for counselors to form partnerships with local business in order to create career opportunities for all students. School counselors are pivotal in helping students navigate the confusing world of academic programs and the unpredictable life events that may threaten students’ success in post-secondary education and professional settings. Additionally, passage of this bill and continued amendments to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs (ESSCP), which “provides funding to LEAs to establish or expand elementary and secondary school counseling programs” and is also covered in Title V will create opportunities for not only school counselors, but career counselors specifically.