Dive Brief:
- Education Week reports Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado and Indiana are among the states spending more money on school counselors this year, following cuts driven by tight budgets during the Great Recession.
- Minnesota will spend $12 million on counselors, social workers, nurses and school psychologists for 77 schools, Tennessee will use $7.2 million over three years to increase the number of college counselors in schools, Colorado is expanding an initial $15 million investment because that one was so successful, and the Lilly Endowment in Indiana has pledged $30 million.
- An Education Week analysis of federal data found nearly 30% of K-12 schools have no counselors on staff at all, and where there are counselors, their caseloads are nearly twice as large as the American School Counselor Association recommends — yet a study in Colorado showed every $1 invested in counseling saved $20 in potential costs from students who would have dropped out of school.
Dive Insight:
Under No Child Left Behind’s accountability system, schools were unduly motivated to focus on test prep in math and English/language arts. When the Great Recession hit, “non-core” classes like art, music and physical education were the first to be cut in many schools, along with “non-core” personnel like social workers and counselors. On both matters there has since been a reversal.
Besides states’ reinvestment in school counseling outlined by Education Week, the Every Student Succeeds Act places a heavy emphasis on educating the “whole child.” Federal education policy now aims to make sure schools do not get a sense of tunnel vision on tested subjects but instead are held accountable for providing holistic educational opportunities and supports.
