2011

Researchers have established the utility of culturally responsive school counselors in the facilitation of academic and personal success among Latino students (Beals, Beals, & Cordova de Sartori 1999; Casas & Vasquez, 1996). Cultural differences, when not addressed responsively, can inhibit student achievement. For example, students who function from a collectivist perspective at home can find it difficult if not impossible to achieve in a school environment that espouses individual and competitive values (Gay, 2000). Current theory and research indicate that children will benefit from interventions designed to increase parental involvement and decrease cultural disparities between schools and the homes of students. The need for interventions has been exacerbated by the increasing diversification of the student demography and the disparate academic outcomes among minority student populations. Specifically, Latino students have continued to display lower levels of academic achievement and higher drop-out rates than other student groups (Aud, Fox, KewalRamani, & NCES, 2010). These educational disparities have correlates in later development as well. Research indicates that Latinos continue to be underrepresented in a variety of professional domains, such as academia and law (Yowell, 2002). Instead, Hispanics/Latinos are employed primarily in service and labor sectors (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007).