Evidence-Based School Counseling: Making a Difference With Data-Driven Practices

by Catherine L. Dimmitt (Editor), John C. Carey (Editor), Trish Hatch (Editor)

Overview

Measure the difference you make in students′ academic, career, and personal/social development!

Today′s school counselors are under enormous pressure to document their effectiveness by using data and producing quantitative accountability reports—whether or not they′ve had the appropriate training. This authoritative guide from highly respected counselor educators and trainers gives preservice and inservice school counselors the tools to knowledgeably identify evidence-based practices in their field and to use data in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and interventions.

Evidence-Based School Counseling provides a practical process for using evidence to determine three critical issues: what needs to be done, which interventions should be implemented, and whether or not the interventions are effective. Aligned with the American School Counselor Association′s National Model, this resource offers counselors skill-building guidelines for:

• Selecting, collecting, and analyzing data for informed planning
• Carrying out action research and building collaborative partnerships
• Measuring student learning and behavior change
• Communicating results to stakeholders, and more

As counselors successfully incorporate data-based decision making and program planning into their work, they will witness positive academic and personal changes in the lives of their students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452294018
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/08/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Carey Dimmitt is the Associate Director of the Center for School Counseling Outcome Research, an Assistant Professor of School Counseling, and the Clinical Director of the School Counseling Program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from UMass-Amherst.

Prior to her work as a counselor educator, Dr. Dimmitt worked for 14 years with children and families in schools and community mental health settings. Dr. Dimmitt’s major scholarly interests are in the areas of outcome research, effective teaching and counseling practices K-16, school counseling curriculum development, clinical training for school counselors, and systemic change in educational institutions. She is the mother of two children.

Dr. John Carey is Director of the Ronald H. Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research&Evaluation and Professor of School Counseling at UMASS Amherst. He is a recipient of an American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Counselor Educator of the Year Award. Dr. Carey is included on the Fulbright Specialist Roster and works internationally to improve school-based counseling and school counselor education. His research interests include school counseling outcome measurement, policy research in school-based counseling, standards-based models of school counseling, and the development of research-based interventions to promote academic achievement and eliminate the achievement gap. He is coeditor of Multicultural Counseling in Schools: A Practical Handbook.

Trish Hatch, Ph.D., retired as a professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) in August of 2019 and was recently awarded Professor Emeritus status. During her tenure, Dr. Hatch served as Director of the School Counseling Program from 2004-2015 and as Executive Director of SDSU’s Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership.

 

She is the best-selling author of The Use of Data in School Counseling (2013) and co-author of Evidence-Based School Counseling: Making a Difference with Data-Driven Practices (Dimmitt, Carey, and Hatch, 2007) and the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003, 2005). These books, as well as the three most recent collaborative texts that focus on implementing elementary and secondary school counseling programs, are used throughout the world in the preparation and professional development of school counselors.

 

Trish recently self-published Pilots, Passengers, Prisoners and Hijackers: An Educator’s Guide to Handling Difficult People While Moving Forward (2018), a book derived from nearly 20 years of workshops and keynote speeches she’d given on the topic.

 

Regarded within the profession as an advocate and national leader, Dr. Hatch served as a consultant and advisor on school counseling and educational issues for the White House and the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama administration. In 2014, she co-led the organization and planning of the second “invitation-only” White House Convening on School Counseling at SDSU.

 

A former school counselor, site and central office administrator, state association president, and American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Vice President, Dr. Hatch has received multiple national awards, including ASCA’s Administrator of the Year award and its highest honor, the Mary Gehrke Lifetime Achievement award. She most recently received the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) Excellence in Education Award, previously awarded to First Lady Michelle Obama and Senator Tom Harkin, as well as the inaugural California Association of School Counselors’ School Counselor Educator of the Year award.

 

As President and CEO of Hatching Results, LLC, Dr. Hatch leads a team of award-winning school counseling professionals who provide training and consultation to school districts across the country.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. Moving to Evidence-Based School Counseling Practice
Integrating Evidence and Practice
A Model for Evidence-Based School Counseling Practice
Evidence-Based School Counseling in the Context of the Reform Movement
School Counseling and Standards
School Counseling Reform
Summary
2. Data-Based Decision Making: Knowing What Needs to Be Addressed
Data-Based Decision Making and School Improvement
Data-Based Decision-Making Models
A General Model for Data-Based Decision Making
Enabling Conditions for Data-Based Decision Making
Summary
3. Practical Considerations in Using Data
Types of Data
Collecting, Analyzing, and Disaggregating Data
Developing Data-Based Action Plans
Creating an Action Plan With Evaluation in Mind: Using Process, Perception, and Results Data
Data Over Time
Summary
4. Choosing Interventions: Reading and Weighing Outcome Research
Why Are Research-Based School Counseling Interventions Important?
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Research
The Research Context
How Can School Counselors Find Interventions That Will Work?
Summary
5. Evaluating School Counseling Interventions and Programs
What Is Evaluation?
Programs and Interventions
Evaluating Interventions
Evaluating Programs
"Customer" Satisfaction
Using External Experts in School Counseling Reviews
Summary
Sample Intervention Evaluation Action Plan: Evaluation of Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum (Fifth Grade)
6. Action Research and Collaborative Partnerships
What Is Action Research?
Action Research Partnerships
Why Conduct Action Research?
How to Conduct Action Research
Summary
7. Measuring Student Learning and Behavior Change
Types of Assessment
Measuring Student Learning Effectively
Using Existing Assessment Tools
Measuring Changes in Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge
Developing Pre- and Posttests
Summary
Sample Learning Goals and Related Pre- and Posttest Questions
Sample Standards-Aligned Curriculum and Pre- and Posttests
Fifth Grade-Middle School Transition Lesson
8. Using Surveys to Gather Information
Using Existing Surveys
Survey Development
Summary
9. Moving to Evidence-Based School Counseling Practice
An Integrated Evidence-Based Proactive Approach
The Journey: Getting From Here to There
A Five-Year Plan
Reporting About Results to Enhance Legitimacy
Disseminating Results Effectively
The ASCA National Model and Results Reporting
Planning Your Ongoing Professional Skill Development
Reconstructing Professional Identity
Appendix A: Guidance Curriculum Action Plans, Intentional Guidance Action Plans, and a Needs Assessment Survey
Appendix B: Summary of School Counseling Outcome Research Articles and Findings
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"School counselors and students of the profession receive specific guidelines and models for collecting and analyzing data, including tips on measuring student learning and behavior modification. An excellent guide counselors will appreciate. "

California Bookwatch

"What sets this book apart from its contemporaries is that it is both comprehensive and practical. The book is well written, well organized, and easy to read. It not only serves to educate but, equally important, to inspire change, innovation, and forward movement. "

February 2008 Psyc CRITIQUES

"An excellent contribution to the field of school counseling. "

Victoria L. Bacon

"The move to evidence-based school counseling practice presents a daunting challenge, but the authors offer a sound argument as to why it must be met and then get busy explaining how to do what we need to do. "

Katie Gray

"An utterly invaluable guide to measuring qualities and situations that would seem at first glance to deny quantification. Highly recommended for aspiring and working professionals in the field. "

Wisconsin Bookwatch

"The dual scenarios at the beginning of each chapter give a great visual of what an evidence-based approach looks like."

Shawn Grime

"What sets this book apart from its contemporaries is that it is both comprehensive and practical. The book is well written, well organized, and easy to read. It not only serves to educate but, equally important, to inspire change, innovation, and forward movement."

February 2008 PsycCRITIQUES