INTRODUCTION
This paper will review some of the issues in school counseling outcome
research and how these issues relate to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Legislation. Some basic information related to the NCLB mandates will be
reviewed in terms of how they impact the school counseling profession and
counselor accountability. Types of research will be described and a distinction will
be made between research and evaluation. Additionally, this paper will include a
discussion of evidence-based practice and an explanation of how all of these topics
are relevant to school counselors and school counseling programs at this time.
This will include a brief history of the school counseling movement from the
mental health model to Comprehensive Developmental Guidance, and then to the
American School Counseling Association's (ASCA) National Model and datadriven
decision-making.
This paper will also include a summary of the comprehensive program
evaluations that have occurred in the field of school counseling and a review of the
literature about school counseling outcome research. This review of outcome
research will encompass studies completed within the past 20 years, including
reference to the inclusive reviews of studies that have been completed during this
time frame. A short section will also be included to provide readers with some
information on current Centers that exits across the nation which were created to
help address some of the problems that will be discussed.