Survey Finds That South Carolina School Counselors Have Limited Time to Provide State Required Services
February 4, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – February 4, 2009 – The South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act of 2005 (EEDA) states that “guidance counselors and career specialists shall limit their activities to guidance and counseling…may not perform administrative tasks” (Section 59-59-120). In the almost four years since
this law went into effect, South Carolina school counselors in many situations do not have the necessary time to comply with the state’s legislation. In order
to shed more light on the reality of this situation, the South Carolina School Counselor Association conducted a survey during the Fall Semester of 2008.
All South Carolina school counselors were invited to participate in this survey. Results are as follows.
Summary of Results
Analysis of the data collected by this survey indicate areas of concern and need as they relate to compliance with state legislated guidelines for school
counselors. These include:
Barriers Due to Unrelated Administrative Tasks
• 70% of school counselors are spending over 10% of their time with “unrelated administrative tasks”
• 44% of school counselors are spending over 20% of their time with “unrelated administrative tasks”
• 26% of school counselors are spending over 30% of their time with “unrelated administrative tasks”
Limited Time for Student Counseling and Parent Support
• 50% of school counselors are spending less than 20% of their time providing counseling services for students and consultation services for parents/guardians
• Only 21% of school counselors are spending more than 30% of their time providing these services
Limited Time for Student Academic and Career Planning
• Almost one third (32%) of school counselors are spending 10% or less of their time providing academic and career planning for students
• Only 22% of school counselors are spending more than 30% of their time providing these services
Questions related to this survey or for a complete copy of the survey findings, contact Dr. Ron Miles, South Carolina School Counselor Association’s Chair for Membership Support, at [email protected]
