LEGISLATION
H.R. 1361/S. 538 "The Increased Student Achievement through Increased Student Support Act"
·Cosponsors: 37 in the House, including Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-10th NY), Linda Sanchez (D-39th CA), and Jared Polis (D-2nd CO); and 12 in the Senate, including Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
·Introduced in both chambers March 5, 2009
H.R. 2597 "Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools Act"
·Cosponsors: 30, including Reps. Phil Hare (D-17th IL), Carol Shea-Porter (D-1st NH), and David Loebsack (D-2nd IA)
·Introduced May 21, 2009
H.R. 3800 "Reducing Barriers to Learning Act"
·Cosponsors: 10, including Reps. David Loebsack (D-2nd IA), Carol Shea-Porter (D-1st NH), and Bruce Braley (D-1st IA)
·Introduced October 13, 2009
"Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act"
·Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-39th CA) expected to introduce
LATEST INFORMATION
Members of Congress have introduced several key bills that would advance the counseling profession within schools. Lawmakers will likely attempt to insert their bills into the renewed, or reauthorized, version of the main federal law on K-12 education, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB), when it is taken up by Congress in 2010. ACA is working to increase support for these bills by asking House members to sign on as cosponsors.
The Increased Student Achievement through Increased Student Support Act would increase the number and availability of school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists in qualified urban and rural low-income districts by authorizing the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to award five-year competitive grants to eligible partnerships between universities and school districts. The grants would help provide a pipeline of trained school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists for high-need rural and urban schools. As an incentive to encourage such work, graduate students participating in the grant program would receive tuition credits and loan forgiveness.
The Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act would allow states to use ESEA/NCLB Title I funds for school-wide, coordinated, early intervention services, such as positive behavior interventions and supports for all students in a school. Such services create a school climate that is highly conducive to learning, reduces discipline referrals, and improves academic outcomes. The bill also includes, among other provisions, the ACA recommendation to establish an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services within ED, to administer and coordinate school support services, such as counseling.
The Reducing Barriers to Learning Act would establish an Office of Specialized Instructional Support within ED, and authorize grants to state departments of education to develop support programs and personnel dedicated to helping all students achieve. The legislation would also clarify in all education laws the conflicting terminology, definitions and roles of "specialized instructional support personnel," including professional school counselors.
The Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act, expected to be introduced shortly, would create a $12 million demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled, low-income schools to help reduce dropout rates.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Urge your Representative to cosponsor one – or all – of these bills. You can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be transferred to your Congressperson's office. To find your lawmaker’s name using your zip code, or to generate an e-mail urging her/him to cosponsor, go to http://capwiz.com/counseling/home/.
BACKGROUND
The federal government's primary law on K-12 education, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), was last renewed, or reauthorized, as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Major federal laws are typically scheduled for thorough debate and revision—in legislative language, “reauthorization”—every five years. ESEA/NCLB has been due for reauthorization since 2007, but other congressional priorities have delayed reauthorization until 2010 at the earliest. The pending reauthorization provides advocates with a rare opportunity to influence federal education policy for years to come.
In 2001, ESEA/NCLB authorized programs that support guidance counseling, mental health services, violence prevention activities, academic advisement, school counselors' professional development, and more. Today, there are over 100,000 highly trained professional school counselors working in America's public schools. Professional school counselors advocate for and care for students, and are important members of the educational team. They consult and collaborate with teachers, administrators and families to help all students be successful academically, vocationally and personally.
However, the continued, serious shortage of qualified school counselors in America has undermined efforts to make schools safe, improve academic achievement, and ensure bright futures for all our children. School counselors are stretched thin, and children often do not get the help they need. In 1998, the average U.S. public school student-to-counselor ratio was 561:1. In 2007, the average student-to-counselor ratio was still 476:1. ACA, the American School Health Association (ASHA), and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommend a maximum student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1.
ACA strongly supports the main purpose of ESEA/NCLB: to afford all children an equal opportunity to receive a quality education and, in doing so, to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers. ACA believes that highly qualified teachers are critical to student achievement; but if children are not physically and mentally prepared to learn, the best classroom instruction will not produce the desired results. That is why we need more professional school counselors.
Thus, ACA and other education advocates continue to educate Congress about the need for more professional school counselors, and the high-quality, comprehensive programs and services school counselors provide, helping to improve school safety, school climate, and, ultimately, students’ well-being and academic achievement.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Dominic W. Holt, MSW, MFA
American Counseling Association
5999 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
800.347.6647 x242
703.823.6828 TDD
dholt@counseling.org