Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1984

Thesis Director

Paul D. Overton

Abstract

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Cutbacks in school funding have caused reductions in staff beyond those resulting from declining enrollments. One way to accomodate reduced funding is to change full-time counselors to part-time counselors by adding teaching or supervisory responsibilities. This research examines the impact of such policies on members of the Okaw Valley Chapter of the Illinois Association for Counseling and Development (IACD). This Chapter is geographically situated in an eight-county region of west central Illinois. It encompasses the counties of Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Marion, Jefferson, Hamilton, Washington, and Clinton.

PROCEDURE

A survey was mailed to each of the elementary and secondary counselors who hold membership in the Okaw Valley Chapter of IACD. No attempt was made to survey community college members or career guidance center members in the Okaw Valley Chapter. The central issue of this research was to survey only the elementary and secondary school counselors. Within this association, there are no private school counselors, so consideration was only given to public school counselors.

CONCLUSIONS

There were two conclusions drawn from this research. The first conclusion is that a very real economic crisis faces education today. The result has been that some administrators have attempted to impose short-term solutions to solve this problem. One commonly accepted solution is for counselors to be given non-counseling responsibilities within the school. The second conclusion is that smaller rural schools have ben more quickly and directly affected by austerity meaures than have larger schools.

RECOMMENDATIONS

There were also two recommendations formulated on the basis of this research. The first recommendation is that counseling services should be available to all elementary and secondary students. Fiscal pressures should not be allowed to force the removal of counselors from local school districts. The second recommendation is that counselors in small rural districts need to recognize the demands that will be placed upon them. These counselors need to understand that their duties in these schools will also include teaching and supervisory responsibilities. It may logically become the responsibility of counselor educators to prepare new counselors for the unique responsibilities they will face as they pursue this career.

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