School Counseling for the Twenty-First Century

The foundation for the fourth edition ofSchool Counseling for the Twenty-First Centurywas built for us in the late 1960s and early 1970s when--as a high school counselor (Stan Baker) in Janesville, Wisconsin, and as an elementary school counselor (Ed Gerler) in Millville, Pennsylvania--we experienced the daily challenges of working with students, teachers, and parents. Racial upheaval and the Vietnam War created the headlines of that era and changed the lives of us all. Affective Education and Career Education were among the tasks mandated for school counselors of that time. Memories linger of carrying a large video camera, with cords dragging along the floor of a barn, to record a career education lesson on the work of a dairy farmer. Technology has evolved, but cultural, racial, and international tensions continue in our twenty-first century world. School counselors have new mandates and new technologies to apply, but face many of the same challenges that existed when we began our work in Janesville and Millville. Educators across the world need to prepare a diverse citizenry to function cooperatively in a high-tech, competitive, global economy and to be well-adjusted enough to cope with its changes and challenges. The fourth edition ofSchool Counseling for the Twenty-First Centurytakes advantage of ever-changing computer and Internet technology to prepare school counselors for helping students meet the (new and old) academic, social, psychological, and economic challenges of a complex, diverse world. This new edition of our book features online lessons that help professors and graduate students to reflect on the content of each chapter. The online lessons also encourage professors, graduate students, and practitioners to generate ideas for an emerging School Counseling Activities Network (SCAN)--www.scan2lst.com--an Internet site devoted to the invention of online materials and strategies for helping young people meet some of the challenges they face. In association with the book and online lessons, SCAN is designed to bring the graduate school classroom and the practice of school counseling into closer harmony. The content ofSchool Counseling for the Twenty-First Centuryhas evolved in the following ways. A new opening chapter introduces readers to the school counseling profession. The introduction in chapter 1 highlights three current initiatives that may influence the school counseling profession: the American School Counselor Association's National Model for School Counseling Programs, the Education Trust's National School Counselor Training Initiative, and the School-Community Collaboration Model. The remainder of the book presents competencies for school counselors within the context of these initiatives, with a new emphasis on competencies in advocacy, leadership, and collaboration. Chapter 2 explores a balanced approach to school counseling, whic4s the book's theme. Chapter 3 examines the legal and ethical responsibilities of school counselors. Chapters 4 through 13 focus on important competencies for school counselors in the following areas: prevention, individual and group counseling, consulting, referral and coordination, disseminating information, helping students make transitions, assessment, advocacy, leadership, and accountability. The final chapter helps counselors reflect on their futures as professional counselors in schools. Each chapter begins with a vignette--bringing the work of school counselors to life--to motivate serious study of subject matter important to counseling in schools. Equally compelling are the many counseling examples and activities, presented in the text and in the online assignments, that make conceptual material understandable and relevant to school counseling practice. Our schools need excellent counseling programs. The school counseling profession is challenged to define and enunciBaker, Stanley B. is the author of 'School Counseling for the Twenty-First Century', published 2003 under ISBN 9780130494856 and ISBN 0130494852.