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First School Counselor
Jesse Davis is considered to be a pioneer of school counseling. He was the first to systematically implement guidance throughout the Michigan public school system. He is also one of the founders of the National Vocational Guidance Association. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ863872 Photo credit: findagrave.com -
National Vocational Guidance Association formed
The National Vocational Guidance Association was formed in 1913 as an answer the the Industrial Revolution. After three national conferences, the organization was formed to "help individuals and communities shift from agrarian to industrial society" (Feller, 2013). https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/69304/_self/CC_layout_details/true -
Passage of George-Deen Vocational Law of 1936
With the passage of the George-Deen Vocational Law, this law provided federal funding to improve vocational education in public schools. This law helped provide on the job training and allowed graduates to attain better jobs after graduation. Along with the passage of this law, the country saw a spike in workers that would guide students on what they should do after graduation. This began the career of the modern day school counselor. This act also funded teacher education. 49 Stat. 1488 -
Creation of American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
The American School Counselor Association supports school counselors by (now) providing professional development, research, and publications. The American School Counselor Association created the standards of ethics and competencies to follow for school counselors (ASCA, n.d.) -
National Defense Education Act
Signed into law by President Eisenhower, this law provided funding to improve schools and promote post-secondary education. Spurred on by the launch of Sputnik-1, the United States wanted to improve the education of its citizens and promote education specifically in science and technology (Glass, 2018). https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Defense-Education-Act
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/02/this-day-in-politics-sept-2-1958-801912 -
Carl Rogers Influence
Carl Rogers impacted the field of counseling by stating that individuals have the tendency to "self-actualize" (McLeod, 2014). Roger's believed that humans needed to "grow" and develop positive relationships in order to fulfill their own destiny. McLeod, S. (2014) Carl Rogers. Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html Photo Credit: https://www.verywellmind.com/carl-rogers-biography-1902-1987-2795542 -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Under Title VI, this act provided protection from discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin to programs that receive federal funding. The impact on school counseling after this act was passed was that counselors needed to expand services to more students to remove or address barriers felt by students. Reference: https://www.justice.gov/crt/fcs/TitleVI -
New Initiatives for School Counselors
In June of 1993, a bill was introduced titled, "Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Act". This act was to limit the number of students to counselor ratio and "enhance the quality of counseling services for students" (p. 3). https://www.congress.gov/103/bills/s1142/BILLS-103s1142is.pdf Photo from: San Diego County Office of Education sdcoe.net -
Texas Education Code Defines Bullying
Bullying was defined in Sec. 37.0832 of the Texas Education Code. This definition serves as the basis for modern day school counselors to aid students in the fight against bullying and harassment. School districts can now provide discipline and counseling services to students who are victims of bullying. Reference: https://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/texas/index.html
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/StatutesByDate.aspx?code=ED&level=SE&value=37.0832&date=7/18/2015 Photo Credit: paisd.org -
David's Law Explained to Students
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David's Law
With the passage of David's Law, SB 179, Texas has increased awareness of bullying and cyberbullying. This law reformed TEC 37.0832 to include cyberbullying and to ensure that school districts create mental health initiatives for students. School counseling as a profession since this passage of law has changed and has become more focused on mental health issues of students. Photo Credit: David's Legacy Foundation
davidslegacy.org/davids-story -
Reflection
Two historical elements that have impacted the curriculum of school counselors significantly over the last 150 years would be the passage of the National Defense Act and David's Law. In the National Defense Act, school counselors were now tasked with advancing the American student not only to go to college but with working with students to learn a trade. With David's Law, school counselors have been geared to address the whole child, mental health included. This push was not seen prior.
