New York City School Counselors Speak Up: The Impact of State Policy on School Counseling Practice

• In Event: Examining the Changing Paradigms of School Counseling: Utilizing Current Research to Enhance Collaboration and Equity

Abstract

Purpose
This study identifies the degree to which school counselors have acquired the knowledge and skills to meet the expectations of the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED; 2017) amended regulations school counseling regulations. The research captures the changes that NYC school counselors have experienced and assesses their needs to implement the regulations with fidelity.

Perspectives and Frameworks
NYSED amended policy for the first time in 40 years impacting school counselor practice, preparation, and credentialing. School districts are required to implement a comprehensive program providing every student with a school counseling experience supporting academic and social-emotional development, and career and college readiness. This study explores the perceptions of NYC public school counselors prior to the amended changes and compares results three years later.

Methods
A mixed-methods approach compared participants perspectives with their point of view three years later, inclusive of the 2022-2023 school year. Categories included: school counselor priorities, perceptions, and building expectations.

Data Sources
Participant recruitment utilized the current list of NYC public school counselors. School counselors were invited to voluntarily participate by an email invitation and provided with the link to access the survey. Despite multiple electronic reminders only 599 surveys were returned. All partially completed surveys were eliminated with a final N of 527, with a final response rate was 17.5%. It must be noted that the N varies from item-to-item as some school counselors chose to not respond to every item. Open ended questions resulted in 498 school counselors providing comments. Data were examined by using descriptive and inferential statistics

Results
The results of the T-tests and ANOVAs for every item showed significant variance in current practice as compared to before the regulatory changes. The changes represent a substantial difference in mean scores between groups. Statistical analyses showed that this difference is very likely too large to be coincidental. In particular, significance is revealed in the mean scores of school counselors grouped by the following characteristics: caseload, years of experience in the position, and grade/school level served.

Scholarly Significance
The path from policy change at the state level to successful implementation at the school district or school building level is uneven and filled with detours and redirection. Hess (2017-2018) calls policy “a blunt tool,” and adds, “Policy tends to stumble when it comes to more complex questions—when how things are done matters more than whether they’re done” (para. 10). New initiatives can mishap for a variety of reasons including a lack of coordination between district office and schools, complex social relationships, political factors at the local level, and concerns about new role definitions, responsibilities, and relationships (Daly et. al, 2015; Firestone 2015; Honig, et. al, 2010; Lunenberg, 2010; Sergiovanni, et al. 2009).
Policy may effect change (Carey et al., 2015), but focused efforts are essential to achieve the goals of improving services for all students. NYC school counselors experienced three years of focused professional development with initial data revealing ongoing attention to addressing regulatory change demonstrated that positive change could occur.

Author

• Carol A. Dahir, New York Institute of Technology