Texas Middle and High School Counselor Demand and Supply Greg Cumpton Principal Investigator Research Associate Ray Marshall Center LBJ School of Public Affairs The University of Texas

Outline House Bill 5 Challenges Counselor Effects from the Literature Counselor Time and Student-to-Counselor Ratios Research Questions New Paradigms

Challenges of House Bill 5 HB5 radically altered the structure of Texas’ high school curriculum: –Foundation Graduation Plan –Five Endorsements Students choose their high school course plan, including endorsements, on entering 9 th grade. Districts note that these student choices early on in high school will likely impact their opportunities for college enrollment. Counselors will play a large role in providing context for these student choices.

Graduation Plan Effects Previous research has demonstrated that the presence of diverse curricular tracks often result in the reinforcement of social stratification on racial and socioeconomic lines due to two interrelated phenomena: –Different curricular pathways provide students with varying levels of academic preparation and, consequently, access to higher education, and –Racial minority, low-income, and first-generation students are often the least informed regarding the long-term effects of the academic pathways they choose. Delany, 1991; Gamoran, 1992; Lee, 1993; Rosenbaum, 1976; Spade, Colomba & Vanfossen, 1997

Counselor Effects High school counselors can have a pronounced impact on students’ college outcomes by: –Increasing their postsecondary aspirations, –Assisting them in navigating the financial aid system, –Expanding and refining the types of colleges they apply to, and –Helping them choose a postsecondary institution that is aligned with their aspirations and abilities. More interactions between students and counselors have a positive and significant impact on students’ likelihood of postsecondary enrollment. Adelman, 1999; Belasco, 2013; Bryan et al., 2011; Holcomb-McCoy, 2010; Jordan, 2001; McDonough, 1997; Orfield & Paul, 1993; Perna & Titus, 1997; Rosenbaum, Miller, & Krei, 1996, Belasco, 2013; Engberg & Gilbert, 2013; Stephan & Rosenbaum, 2012

Counselor Time While counselors may be one of the most crucial links between students and postsecondary life, a number of factors already hinder counselors from providing appropriate guidance and support: –Counselors also engage in standardized test coordination and administration, crisis intervention, developmental counseling, and discipline. –The more students a counselor has to provide support to (the student-to-counselor ratio), the greater the diversity of the supports and the smaller amount of time a counselor may devote to helping any single student. Ballard & Murgatroyd, 1999; McDonough, 2005a; NACAC, 2006; Venezia & Kirst, 2005; Brown, Galassi, & Akos, 2004; Perna et al., 2008

Counselor Student Ratio In Texas, we have approximately 11,000 Counselors* but recent budget cuts and student population growth show a noticeable rise in the number of students a counselor needs to serve. *FTE Count and Calculations on this page from PEIMS Standard Reports ( ), Texas Education Agency.

Research Questions What has been the supply of high school counselors in Texas since 2000? What has been the demand for high school counselors in Texas since 2000? Have there been and are there regional variations in counselor supply and demand, both in terms of the number of individuals serving as counselors and whether these individuals meet the educational and certification requirements of the profession? Is there historical evidence of an effect of changes in Texas policies (such as graduation requirement) on counselor supply and demand?

Data and Methods This project will use Texas Education Research Center data housed at the Ray Marshall Center to look at counselor supply and demand since Linking counseling staff to their school and district will be used to calculate the general supply of counselors over this time period. In order to calculate the demand for and actual availability of services, we will examine trends in the demographic composition of the student body. Examine the data for discontinuities in the student-to- counselor ratio. We will attempt to interpret these discontinuities in light of substantive educational policies implemented over these years.

New Paradigms RMC will also examine non-traditional or innovative approaches for providing counseling services to enable students to have a clearer understanding of HB5 and its options: –May increase the ability of counselors to more effectively communicate, –Provide more information on the potential long- term effects of student choices, and –Target information to students who need it the most.

Thank you! Contact Information: Greg Cumpton Matt Giani g Chris King