An evaluation of the school counseling program at Stillwater Area Schools in Stillwater, Minnesota

Abstract

School counselors can be more responsive and effective when the needs of the population they serve have been clearly identified. This research focused on the secondary (7-12) guidance and counseling program of Stillwater Area Schools, including two junior high schools and one senior high school. The major purposes of this study were to determine what stakeholders perceive as their needs of the counseling program, to ascertain if stakeholders perceive that their needs are being met effectively, and to identify goals in partnership with stakeholders' needs and desired outcomes for the future. Four groups were surveyed: students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Each group was asked to evaluate current counseling services and complete a needs-assessment inventory. Results of the evaluation were favorable overall. There were indicators of discrepancies between schools in varying areas and trends of perceived higher and lower performance in others. The research data generated from this study is intended as a tool for the Stillwater counseling staff to use in setting goals for program improvement and charting future direction for school counseling in the Stillwater Area Schools.