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Rural school communities face an array of systemic barriers that often impact students’ college and career readiness (CCR). These barriers often extend to students identified as gifted and talented...

School counselors are an important cornerstone in addressing inequities and supporting student success. A thorough review of the literature promotes the unification of contemporary school counselor...

Considering professional calls for culturally sustaining, comprehensive school counseling practices, this study examined school counselor factors (e.g., age and years of experience) and school factors (e.g., school size and percentage of students of color enrolled) that predicted school counselors’ implementation of evidence-based, culturally sustaining classroom management. We also examined correlations between school counselors’ classroom management and their multicultural practices. The results indicated (a) that age, previous teaching experience, years of school counseling experience, caseload, and percentage of students of color enrolled at school were the strongest predictors of school counselors’ culturally sustaining classroom management implementation and (b) that evidence-based, culturally sustaining classroom instruction is moderately correlated with school counselors’ multicultural behaviors. We offer implications for school counselor practice and preparation, and discuss limitations and future directions.

School counseling classroom lessons provide all K–12 students with Tier 1 preventive supports. Educators use classroom management strategies to best deliver classroom lesson content to K–12 students, although the existing literature for school counselors in particular is sparse (e.g., Goodman-Scott, 2019; Runyan et al., 2019). We describe the creation and validation of the first known assessment on school counseling classroom management: the School Counseling Classroom Management Inventory, resulting in a five-factor model. Our discussion includes strategies for school counselors at the preservice, practicing, district, and counselor education levels to best use this inventory to serve students in K–12 schools.

School counselors completed measures of school counselor activity and role beliefs; competence with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI) issues; and school-based LGBTQQI advocacy and awareness. Hierarchical multiple regression identified that LGBTQQI clinical skill predicts school counselor LGBTQQI advocacy and awareness, adjusting for school counselor demographics, sexual-affective and gender identities, activity beliefs, building level, and LGBTQQI training. We discuss implications for school counselor training and practice.

This study aimed to develop and validate the ASCA-Informed Student Needs Assessment—High School Version, an ASCA-informed and practitioner-friendly instrument that high school counselors can administer to students to identify pressing student needs. The results revealed a four-factor model consisting of the following dimensions: (a) school connectedness and prosocial skills, (b) social/emotional support, (c) academic and career development, and (d) relationships and emotional regulation. The study’s findings suggest suitable reliability and validity. This article discusses implications and areas for future research.

Empirical scholarship exploring the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) process in rural school communities is notably lacking. In response to this gap, we conducted a phenomenological study with eight rural school counselors who successfully navigated the RAMP process. Participants shared influential reasons for pursuing RAMP, supporting factors in that work, obstacles that occurred during their RAMP pursuit, and outcomes related to earning the distinction. The findings support the need for RAMP resources geared toward school counselors working in rural settings. We discuss further implications in the article.

School counselors are often integral in implementing multitiered systems of support (MTSS), and training in MTSS is crucial for building school counselors’ MTSS capabilities (Sink, 2016). However, scholarship investigating school counselors’ MTSS training is limited, particularly regarding their school counseling practices. In this study, we assessed school counselors’ training in MTSS in relation to their beliefs about appropriate roles and activities. School counselors indicated whether they completed coursework, continuing education, or supervision focused on MTSS, and whether they had experiences with MTSS. Participants shared their beliefs about appropriate activities for school counselors via the International Survey of School Counselor Activities, United States version (Fan et al., 2019). We found that MTSS training was related to perceptions of career counseling, individual work, group work, leadership, and prevention, highlighting the aspects of MTSS training that corresponded with school counseling roles. We provide implications for practice and future research.

This study aimed to adapt the Teaching Students With Disabilities Self-Efficacy Scale for contemporary school counseling practice. The adaptation, titled the Students With Learning Disabilities School Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, is a resource that assesses school counselors’ belief in their ability to counsel and support students identified as having learning disabilities. The findings suggest that the scale has sound validity and reliability metrics, with a few considerations. This article also discusses implications.

In response to a gap in the literature and to inform school counseling practice, we conducted a phenomenological study of school counselors in five states and 10 school districts, examining their experiences with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in pre-K–12 schools. Overall, school counselors communicated challenges in their involvement with the 504 process including four themes: (a) time-consuming coordination/management; (b) relational strain with teachers, students, and families; (c) lack of expertise in Section 504; and (d) ambiguity of the Section 504 process. We discuss implications for practicing school counselors, school leaders, and school counselor educators centered on increased education, support, and advocacy.