Comprehensive, developmental school counseling programming has been associated with numerous benefits for students and is considered current best practice. A qualitative, grounded theory study was conducted to investigate eight professional school counselors employed across grade level, geographic setting, and region within the United States. This…

This article evaluates the initial psychometric qualities of the School Counseling Program Evaluation Survey (SCoPES). SCoPES is a 64-item instrument designed to correspond to "The National Standards for School Counseling Programs" (Campbell & Dahir, 1997). Coefficient alphas on the overall score and the three subscales (i.e.,…

School counselors acknowledge the need for supervision but rarely receive it. This article describes the counselor performance improvement system in one school district. Supervision is embedded in a process that assesses counselors' levels of professionalism on a matrix of competence and commitment. Administrative and clinical supervisors…

A clinical simulation technique was used to investigate how future school principals view the roles of professional school counselors, particularly as those responsibilities are represented in the ASCA National Model[R]. The 244 respondents were principals-in-training (i.e., graduate students) officially enrolled in educational administration…

Describes efforts to help teenagers stop smoking. Discusses the use of a curriculum titled Tobacco Free Teens in a stop-smoking group offered to students. The curriculum, an eight-session program with meetings of 50 minutes each, assists participants demonstrate increased knowledge of the benefits of quitting smoking. (RJM)

Stresses the importance of character-building activities for children and how school counselors can promote such activities. Describes a comprehensive character education program in one school in which different mediums are used to emphasize a certain character trait each month. Discusses elements of the program and program effectiveness. (RJM)

Describes the implementation of Student Assistance Program (SAP) support groups in one middle school and one elementary school. The Health Education department administers the program and licensed school counselors serve in local schools as program counselors. Discusses support group offerings, the procedures used in SAP support groups, and…

Early adolescents make early career decisions in the form of curriculum choices for high school, and these choices can influence future postsecondary education and career paths. This exploratory study examined relationships between school and demographic variables and 522 eighth graders' choices of high school academic tracks. Analysis of variance…

Describes a student profile information sheet that was devised by a high school counselor. The profiles standardize information on students, their schools, and their communities. It is claimed that the profile could supply much of the information a college admissions official might need regarding an applicant. (RJM)

Describes the development of a curriculum for students in K-5 that teaches character development and involves all members of the school faculty. Uses animal associations to reinforce the importance of certain character traits, outlines lesson planning, and discusses program development, character traits, program evaluation, and the need for…

Describes a peer helper program developed for students in grades K-5. The program applies the concept that each student has something positive to offer the school and is responsible for providing that service. Discusses program goals and objectives, ways to gain support for the program, training, implementation, and evaluation. (RJM)

Describes a program called the Life Skills group which was started to help latchkey children who attended a rural elementary school. Besides teaching the students practical skills, such as answering the door, organizers developed a newsletter and created a specific curriculum for parents to better meet the needs of their children. (RJM)

Describes a four-session, career development intervention strategy that can be used as part of a comprehensive school counseling plan. Discusses the plan's effects on 22 third-grade Haitian students new to a school. Provides the procedures used during each counseling session and the results of the intervention. (RJM)

Describes a schoolwide student management program (SSMP) which uses a team approach that is both preventive and remedial. The SSMP's central goal is to either ward off disruptive behavior or change such behavior. Outlines the program and presents SSMP's proactive component and response component. Discusses remediation and individual plans. (RJM)

Describes Special Friends, a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP), with special attention given to the specific elements of a CSCP. Provides background information for Special Friends, implementation procedures, the selection of students who would benefit, the selection of volunteers, training, beginning and maintaining the program, and…