New Challenges for School Psychology: Guidance Counselling

and educational approach called Effective School Improvement (ESI) is coming forth whose objective is the increase in the quality of education by improving the efficacy of the Centres (Muñoz-Repiso & Murillo, 2003; Thrupp, 1999). This increase in quality, following Negro (2006), has as its closest references “the movement of school efficacy”, which pays special attention to the atmosphere, school culture, leaderships and degree of participation, and “the movement for the improvement of school”, which highlights as key elements collective change, coordination and planning. In this sense, an effective school (Mortimore, 1991), would be one that “promotes progress in every student regarding all aspects related to their performance and development over and above what is expected given their initial conditions and previous performance, assuring that every student achieves the greatest success possible and continues to do so every year”(p. 19). This implies, according to Murphy (1992), setting out principles of equity (a school for all), of added value (absolute achievement is not valued but instead personal progress is valued), of comprehensive development (not only the conative level is valued but also the affectivemotivational) and of continuity (the exact effect is not valued but instead the achievement maintained throughout time). All these principles configure the ESI paradigm that, in practice, and according to Stoll and Fink (1996) and Stoll, Wikeley and Reezigt (2000) will promote a sustained change oriented towards united educational planning with the involvement of the whole school community, the participation of all agents in decision making, academic and professional development, the adaptation of the organizational structures to the learning style of each student and the promotion of creativity. Such a substantial change needs a Guidance Model that would try to guarantee the integral education of students through the personalization of the educational process essentially in what refers to the adaptation of teachinglearning processes and the transition between stages and levels, with counselling and support of specialists. To give expression to this model requires, on one hand, the implementation of a group of actions oriented towards the development of adequate means for the promotion of an education of quality, and on the other hand, a continuous process (integrating the actions carried out at tutorials and specialist counselling) which maximizes the adjustment of the educational project to the characteristics and needs of each and every student. Thus, every Education Centre must elaborate Tutorial Action and NEW CHALLENGES FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: GUIDANCE COUNSELLING