Mission Statement

The Center for School Counseling Outcome Research is dedicated to improving the practice of school counseling by developing the research base that is necessary for responsible and effective practice.

School counseling has great potential to help all students achieve to high standards, make wise vocational/career choices, and develop pro-social attitudes and skills. Powerful new models of practice exist (i.e. The American School Counselor Association's National Model and The Education Trust's Transforming School Counseling Initiative) that can ensure that all students have access to the benefits of effective school counseling.

The new School Counseling Models emphasize:

1. A focus on helping all students achieve academically
2. The importance of systemic interventions that help students by influencing their families, schools, and communities
3. The critical importance of using research to guide practice, monitor effectiveness, and evaluate student learning outcomes

Implementation of these new models is hampered by a paucity of good research on school counseling outcomes. Underlying this shortage are limitations in the instruments used to measure outcomes, limitations in the evaluation models for systemic interventions, and limitations in the methods for incorporating research and evaluation activities into the fabric of school counseling programs.

Consistent with the Research-land Grant Mission of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Center operates with a dual focus:

1. To enhance school counseling nationally by providing intellectual leadership in grounding practice in research
2. To enhance school counseling in the Commonwealth by helping K-12 leaders and practitioners use research findings and methods to improve practice by enabling them to set standards, establish benchmarks, implement evidence-based interventions, measure student learning outcomes, and evaluate program effectiveness

Acknowledgments

The idea for a national center devoted to school counseling outcome research was initially developed at an Education Trust Transforming School Counseling Summer Conference. At that meeting, discussions among Reese House, Sue Whiston, Carol Dahir, Peggy Hines, and Jay Carey outlined the need for and general activities of such a center.

Jay Carey, Carey Dimmitt and Janine Roberts, the core faculty of the University of Massachusetts School Counseling concentration at that time, elaborated the Center concept and developed the design. The Center was championed by Barbara Love, Chair of the Student Development and Pupil Personnel Services Department, and Andrew Effrat, Dean of the School of Education, who also provided a start-up budget for the Center.

Establishing a Center focusing on School Counseling Outcome Research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst was inspired by the work of Dr. Ron Fredrickson, Emeritus Professor, Counselor Educator, and long-time advocate for school counseling research. Ron is the founder of the University of Massachusetts school counseling concentration and continues to be a model of intellectual rigor and compassion.

The Center is part of the Department of Student Development and Pupil Personnel Services of the School of Education. The Center is proud to participate in the University of Massachusetts-Amherst's heritage of national leadership in research and service to the people of Massachusetts.