The revised developmental guidance and counseling model differs from historical models in that it moves counseling from a crisis management model to one that is planned and based on priorities. The district now funds this student support program started as a grant funded initiative. Counselors nominate five teachers from each campus who are trained by Baylor faculty in a formal curriculum designed for elementary, middle school and high school. Moreover, teachers are trained and encouraged to listen to students and to lead the group in discussion about the subjects students want to talk about. After training is completed, the district hires substitutes to free teachers to conduct support groups in the first period of the school day.
Groups meet once a week for ten weeks.
Follow-up comparison with a control group has revealed that the TAM student participants have improved grades, improved attendance and fewer discipline referrals than before their participation in the group. I am a graduating senior who needed help with college applications in the fall, but the counselors were unavailable. While the district has a comprehensive guidance curriculum, counselors spend too much of their time on non-guidance activities. Interviews with counselors and feedback from focus groups show that counselors spend time on activities that are not directly related to counseling. Some counselors are assigned bus and lunch duty.