The Production of Professional School Counselors in Alabama: Graduation Rates of CACREP and Non-CACREP Programs.

Today‘s professional school counselors have many roles and tasks within the schools. As more children de pend on the services of school counselors, well-trained counselors are needed to meet the demands. Data pre sented in this paper provide support for the production of professional school counselors in Alabama and the immediate southeastern area of the United States. We compared the number of graduates from universities that are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and those that are not accredited by CACREP. The Production of Professional School Counselors in Alabama In today‘s world, the work of Professional School Counselors is crucial because the needs of our school-age children are vast and diverse. Parents and other stakeholders must be made aware of the roles and tasks that Professional School Counselors perform so that their services are utilized to the fullest to meet the needs of 21st century students. Accordingly, it is imperative that Professional School Counselors are trained to the utmost extent so they are capable of working to help resolve the needs of today‘s students. To this end, the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) developed the National Standards for School Counseling Programs (Campbell & Dahir, 1997) to ensure training matches the demands of 21st century students. Additionally, the ASCA National Model (ASCA, 2003, 2005) was developed as a model framework to provide K12 school counselors the structure needed to guide their comprehensive programs. The Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) (Education Trust, 2003) preceded these ASCA developments and was ―the impetus for seeking and developing the fundamental changes needed to bring the work of school counselors into alignment with the mission of schools for the 21st century‖ (Martin, 2002, p. 148). Vaughn, Bynum, and Hooten (2007) reported the need for counselor education programs to prepare school counselors who are able to assume the roles as proposed by ASCA. Adherence to the State Plan for Alabama Higher Education 2003-04 to 2008-09 is also an important aspect to consider for training school counselors in the state of Alabama as it articulates the framework for higher education (Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), 2008). Connecting ASCA and Other Initiatives for School Counselor Education A key factor connecting the ASCA initiatives as well as TSCI is the educational focus that joins school counseling programs to the total school program. As an integral part of the school, Professional School Counselors work as team members collaborating to fulfill the No Child Left Behind (U. S. Department of Education (USDOE), 2001) legislation. As part of the educational team of their school, Professional School Counselors are also involved in the national standards-based movement as well as being accountable for providing comprehensive, The Alabama Counseling Association Journal, Volume 35, Number 1 The Production of Professional School Counselors in Alabama: Graduation Rates of CACREP and Non-CACREP Programs Susan R. Boes, Brent M. Snow and Julie S. Chibbaro University of West Georgia