This study examined counselors' openness to discussing issues of race, ethnicity, and culture by setting (e.g., school, clinical mental health, and counselor trainee) using the Broaching Attitudes and Behavior Scale. School counselors and White counselors reported significantly higher mean scores on the "Avoidant" subscale, a measure of…

School counselors are challenged to cultivate critical consciousness (CC) among youth engaged in anti-racist advocacy (American School Counselor Association. (2016; Ieva et al., 2021; Moss & Singh, 2015; Ratts et al., 2007; Singh et al., 2010). However, review of youth-led anti-racist initiatives reveals a lack of clarity regarding…

This qualitative study examines the roles, practices, challenges and demands of school counselors (known as guidance counsellors) in Barbados. A focused ethnographic approach is used to provide a comprehensive and nuanced view of five school counselors' experiences. Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to code and analyze the data…

Over the past two decades, research on urban schools has focused predominantly on achievement gaps. However, achievement gaps exist because of gaps in opportunities for urban, low-income, and racially/ethnically diverse students. Partnerships among schools, families, and communities can provide the enrichment opportunities, support, resources, and…

This article discusses school counselors' multifaceted role as educator-counselor-leader-collaborator, inextricably linked roles so necessary to build strengths-based school-family-community partnerships. We examined the effects of one such partnership on 20 elementary school students, using photo elicitation and interviews to explore students'…

Throughout the past decade, scholars have argued that the persistent achievement gap between Black male students and their White peers is a result of unequal and inadequate educational opportunities instead of inherent differences in their capability or character. School counselors can help support Black males by using equity-focused…

Using a national sample of 155 school counselors, we examined the relationships between school counselors' personal and environmental factors and their involvement in partnerships with families of color. We found positive correlations between school counselor self-efficacy, multicultural competence, and involvement in partnerships. Multiple…

This phenomenological qualitative study examined a national sample of high-achieving, low-income middle school students' (N = 24) perspectives of protective factors and processes that contribute to their academic success in school. Four main themes and 12 subthemes were identified. The main themes are peer social capital, teachers who care, family…

Caribbean students are among the distinct immigrant groups in U.S. public schools with particular needs to be addressed by school counselors. This article discusses the challenges Caribbean immigrant students face that create obstacles to their academic and personal/social success. Guidelines for school counselors are outlined, which can be used…

School counselors play critical roles in partnerships with faith-based organizations that provide valuable programs for students with economic challenges. This study evaluated the effects of a counselor-led, faith-based, school-family-community partnership on student reading achievement in a high-poverty elementary school. Results indicated…

This study examined the factor structure of the School Counselor Leadership Survey (SCLS). Survey development was a threefold process that resulted in a 39-item survey of 801 school counselors and school counselor supervisors. The exploratory factor analysis indicated a five-factor structure that revealed five key dimensions of school counselor…

Using social capital theory as a framework, the authors examined data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (Ingels, Pratt, Rogers, Siegel, & Stutts, 2004) to investigate how student contact with high school counselors about college information and other college-related variables influence students' college application rates. In addition…

The extant literature documents the importance of school counselors' roles in school-family-community partnerships, yet no model exists to guide school counselors through the process of building partnerships. The authors propose a model to help school counselors navigate the process and principles of partnerships. They define partnerships; discuss…

Disproportionality plagues schools nationwide in special education placement, dropout, discipline referral, suspension, and expulsion rates. This study examined predictors of teacher referrals to school counselors for disruptive behavior in a sample of students selected from the Educational Longitudinal Study 2002 (National Center for Education…

This qualitative multicase research study identified the home, school, and community factors and processes that contributed to the academic success of 8 urban, African American high school graduates from low-income, single-parent families. Ten main themes emerged: school-related parenting practices, personal stories of hardship, positive…