This phenomenological inquiry explored the experiences and reactions of five school counselors who worked in a school that banned a Gay-Straight Alliance club. Specifically, the authors examined how counselors' perceptions of the ban influenced their advocacy for LGBTQQ students. The results of semi-structured interviews revealed one overarching…

Although much of the current educational research literature on achievement gaps has focused on core curricular areas in public schools, few have focused on racially identifiable gaps in non-core areas such as high school foreign languages. These achievement, and thus advancement, gaps often result in the under-representation of students of color…

Enacting college and career readiness policy in secondary schools requires systemic involvement of all school professionals, but identifying the specific roles that should be played by teachers and counselors remains a challenge. The study reported in this article used qualitative interviews with counselors and teachers to describe this challenge…

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores urban school counselors' perceptions of low-income families in their schools. Ten school counselors participated in two rounds of individual interviews and answered two emailed reflective questions. Six themes emerged from the data: (a) perceptions of family characteristics and environment, (b)…

A major school crisis can cause physical and emotional distress as well as impact student academic performance. The purpose of this study was to use a web-based survey to explore Missouri school counselors' perceptions of individual and school-wide crisis preparedness and crisis training experiences. Results indicate that the more involved school…

As mandated by state and federal laws, students with disabilities have been mainstreamed into a general educational setting. The problem was these students exhibited behavior that interfered with their learning or the learning of other students. The perception of educators and administrators regarding social skills instruction for students with…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of secondary school counselors regarding their roles in the postsecondary transition process for individuals with learning disabilities. Five research areas were discussed knowledge, advocacy, collaboration, self determination, and parent/student involvement with regard to transition…

Many minority, first-generation, and low-income students aspire to college; however, the college application process can present a significant obstacle. These students cannot always rely on their parents for college information and must instead turn to their high schools, where counselors are in a key position. Drawing on a two-year field study at…

Purpose: The purpose of this comparative research study was to determine the perceptions of career counselors and principals on the types of career decision-making difficulties experienced by high school students and the extent to which a large-scale high school technology-based career development program addresses these difficulties, using the…

Undergraduate admissions in the United States is a multibillion dollar industry involving families, higher education institutions, journalists, testing companies, test preparation companies, private consultants, marketing firms, high school guidance counselors, high school teachers, coaches, financial advisors, and publicly funded programs.…

The purpose of this study was to examine Mississippi Delta area public high school counselors' and principals' perception of the impact of SATP2 testing on counselors' services to students in order to determine whether or not testing responsibilities have an adverse effect on counselors' delivery of services to students. This study was similar to…

This qualitative case study examined 5 Mexican American women's experiences at the intersection of race and gender in public high school. Critical race theory provided the analysis and interpretation. The significant findings of this research included the following: (a) Racism is endemic and pervasive in public education; (b) many educational…

The Office of Shared Accountability (OSA) in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program. The ACES program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC), and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) to create a seamless pathway…

The goal of this research study has been to develop, implement, and evaluate a school reform design experiment at a continuation high school with low-income, low-performing underrepresented minority students. The complexity sciences served as a theoretical framework for this design experiment. Treating an innovative college preparatory program as…

This mixed-methods case study examined two out-of-school (OST) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs at a science-oriented high school on students' Self-Efficacy. Because STEM is a key for future innovation and economic growth, Americans have been developing a variety of approaches to increase student interest in science within…