A Landscape Analysis of State-Level School Counseling Policy: Perspectives from State Officials

Abstract

This study explores the prevalence and implementation of four key school counseling policies at the state level and to what extent they are monitored for positive impact on the school counseling profession. Drawing on an analysis of state school counseling policy documents and interviews with school counseling leaders from 30 state education agencies, we found that policies vary considerably across states. Within states, the constrained authority of state counseling officials and lack of funded counseling mandates contributed to differences in policy implementation at the local level. These barriers can unintentionally reduce the efficacy of counseling policies and thus their impact on students.