Got an e-mail today from Counselor's Room. Not sure how I got on their mailing list, but then it's one of those things--I could have filled out something two years ago and only now do I get a random e-mail from them or their related companies. Anyways, the e-mail was actually about one of their products, Plan Smart, which is a product a school counseling department can purchase for their building or district. The product offers 33 surveys (and they claim more is on the way) that are written exclusively for school counselors to evaluate various aspects of school counseling program and its delivery.
The surveys can assess the needs of students and teachers, as well as get feedback from them about the current aspects of the school counseling program. With the giant push towards data driven programming and accountability, it's no wonder there are products out there that will make it easier for counselors to evaluate the effectiveness of their current practices and will also help with development of new curricula and interventions.
Speaking of accountability--research based school counseling programs are the goal of current counselors and administrators. While exploring Plan Smart materials, I came across University of Massachusetts' Center for School Counseling Outcomes Research and Evaluation and of course, they have a wonderful resource page for school counselors filled with research papers, evaluations, data-driven practices, and accountability measures. Lots to look at and think about. Sites like these, I feel are useful to have when one has a specific goal and objective in mind already, otherwise the amount of material available can be more disorienting than not, at least to me. So it'll be linked to my resources tab, and I feel I will be accessing it in the near future for research-based inspiration and ideas.
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