Does having a school counselor matter?: A dissertation investigating school counseling in Minnesota

Abstract

Minnesota has one of the highest student-to-school counselor ratios in the nation. Not only are there racial and economic gaps in student achievement, but there are also racial and economic disparities in access to a licensed school counselor. This dissertation utilizes hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine if not only the student-to-school counselor ratio supports overall student success, but also which students benefit the most from having a school counselor. Six HLM analyses controlled for student, school, and district level factors to test if having a school counselor as well as the student-to-school counselor ratio were related to standardized test scores for students with a discipline history, who qualified for free or reduced price lunch, or who received state assistance in their lifetime. Regression analyses were completed to observe which school level factors predict whether or not a school has a school counselor as well as which predict small student-to-school counselor ratios. Overall, school counseling variables alone did not account for a significant amount of variance in standardized test scores when controlling for student, school, and district factors. Having a school counselor predicted lower standardized test scores for students who had a discipline record, were eligible for free or reduced price lunch, and/or who received state assistance compared to students with those same risk factors and no school counselor. Schools with greater enrollment and discipline rates and fewer students of color were more likely to have a school counselor. A discussion of the results describes implications for future research, school policy, and school counseling practice.