The impact of school counseling on student educational outcomes in high schools: What can we learn about effectiveness from statewide evaluations of school coun- seling practice in Nebraska and Utah? Results

Across the two states, school counseling was shown to be related to a range of important student outcomes including increased Math proficiency levels, increased Reading proficiency levels, lower suspension rates, lower disciplinary rates, increased attendance rates, higher graduation rates, higher Perkins program completion rates, greater percentages of students taking the ACT and higher average ACT scores. These results show clearly that after schools are equated for differences in student outcomes due to demographic factors, school counseling adds value to the education of students and enhances their engagement and performance.