Introduction to Special Issue: A Call for Practitioner Research

Professional school counselors have been called to action. They understand the urgency of using data to reduce barriers to student achievement, to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and curricula, and, ultimately, to demonstrate their effectiveness as a school counselor (House & Martin, 1998; Isaacs, 2003; Rowell, 2005; Sexton, Schofield, & Whiston, 1997). This special issue of Professional School Counseling is dedicated to practitioner research--practicing school counselors using data to reduce barriers to student achievement and increase their use of evidence-based practices. The role of the school counseling profession has changed dramatically in the past 10 years and the call for using data has transformed school counseling programs and practices (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2005; House & Martin, 1998). The transformation of school counselors has been driven by the recognition that the achievement gap, identified as the impetus for education reform, has not been reduced and that school counselors play a critical role in reducing barriers to student success (Education Trust, 1997; Haycock, 2001; Holcomb-McCoy, 2007; House & Martin, 1998). The ASCA National Model[R] (2005) has provided the framework that guides current practices and program development and calls for increased school counselor accountability. One of the key factors in the transformation of school counseling movement is the recognition that school counselors are key members of the school counseling leadership team and can be central to the school's mission to identify and reduce barriers to achievement. In order for school counselors to effectively play this role, they need to understand why there is an urgency to collect and use data (Dahir & Stone, 2009; Holcomb-McCoy, 2007) and they need to know how to collect and use data. Counseling leadership--counselor educators and researchers--has responded by creating useful frameworks for understanding the purposes of collecting data, and how to make sense of the data one collects (Brigman, 2006; Carey & Dimmitt, 2006; Dimmitt, Carey, & Hatch, 2007; Gilchrist, 2007; Holcomb-McCoy, 2007; Kaffenberger & Young, 2007; Poynton & Carey, 2006; Rowell, 2005, 2006; Stone & Dahir, 2007). School counselor education programs have responded by incorporating the use of data and accountability strategies into current training, however, not all practicing school counselors have had access to this training or access to available resources (Paisley & Hayes, 2003; Rowell, 2005). While Professional School Counseling is the flagship publication showcasing school counselor research and best practices, the reality is that most of the contributions to the journal have come from university-based researchers and counselor educators who are helping to craft what it means to be a transformed school counselor delivering a comprehensive evidence-based school counseling program that uses data to drive decision making and program development. At the same time, there has been a call for more rigorous research that clearly demonstrates school counselors' contribution to closing the achievement gap and increasing student achievement (Brigman, Webb, & Campbell, 2007; Dahir, 2009; Dahir & Stone, 2009; Dimmitt, Carey, & Hatch, 2007; Poynton & Carey, 2006; Rowell, 2006). Another reality is that until recently, school counselors have not been trained to use accountability strategies and have not taken the time to collect data that will help them understand how students are being served by their programs and what role they can play in reducing the achievement gap. Given the requirements of No Child Left Behind (U.S. Department of Education, 2002), it is no longer a choice--school counselors must demonstrate that they not only know how to collect data but are regularly using data to make decisions about best practices and connecting their programs to student achievement (Dahir & Stone, 2009; Dollarhide & Lemberger, 2006). …