Investments in school counseling can improve school climate and academic and behavioral outcomes, according to a recently released study from the University of California, Los Angeles Center for the Transformation of Schools and reported on by K-12 Dive.
Livingston Union School District in California’s Central Valley was the focus of the study. LUSD serves a rural, predominantly Hispanic and socioeconomically challenged student population.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district had a 4.9% chronic absenteeism rate, which spiked to 18.3% in 2023 before falling to 14.2% in spring 2024, and a 1.9% suspension rate, which rose to 3.4% in 2022 before falling to 2.8% in 2023.
The district has been recognized as a “bright spot” by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, AttendanceWorks, and the University of California, Davis.
A student-centered, data-driven model based on an American School Counseling Association (ASCA) framework is credited for the success at the four-school, transitional kindergarten to 8th grade district.
School counselor roles have become “over-expanded” to the point they can’t effectively serve students, says Adriana Jaramillo Castillo, a research analyst at the UCLA who suggests that Livingston USD’s ASCA-based model is one that other districts should consider replicating.
Among the keys to improving attendance:
- The student-to-counselor ratio was reduced from above 400:1 — the national average — to more like 200:1 or 250:1. This provides more personal interactions between counselors and students,” Castillo says.
- The time counselors spend on administrative tasks was also reduced. ASCA recommended at least 80% of counselors’ time should provide services to students.
- Counselors are “in the classroom leading instruction, in small groups in our office based on what our data says is needed, and with crisis counseling support as needed,” says Alma Lopez, the school counselor coordinator. “We have a pretty highly structured program.”
The counseling department meets before the school year to plan its rounds. Counselors visit each classroom six times per school year: twice to talk about academic achievement and the importance of attending school; twice to cover college and career readiness, sometimes with university partners; and twice to discuss social and emotional topics, Lopez says.
- “There’s a high emphasis on that mental health space, understanding that school counselors are part of the mental health team at schools along with psychologists and social workers,” she says. “It is preventative in nature, and proactive.”
- School counselors play an integral role in academics and student well-being, particularly in districts with disadvantaged demographics, Castillo says.
- Stability in leadership of the district, starting with Superintendent Andres Zamora, has been a positive influence, as well as doubling down on the commitment to the counseling program.
Livingston Union was recognized as a bright spot because of the success it has achieved and its expansive knowledge of using data-driven and evidence-based practices.
“Over time, they made great strides. COVID happened, they took a few steps back, and now they’re turning to where they were,” says Joseph Bishop co-founded the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. “They have unapologetically focused on school counseling. And it’s not only that school counseling matters; they’ve rethought placement of school counselors.”
“It’s a small enough community that you can get things done, but they don’t have a lot of resources,” Bishop says. Many parents work in the region’s fields and factories. “They’re trying to expose students to new possibilities and see themselves as having a productive life. They’re not accepting how things have been. They’re pushing to do more.”
K-12 Dive
