The state of Kansas doesn’t require elementary schools to have a School Counselor on staff and therefore doesn’t budget for one.
However, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mental Health Surveillance Among Children —United States, 2005–2011 shares some staggering statistical data of the percentage of children experiencing mental health challenges:
Children aged 3-17 years currently had:
- ADHD (6.8%)
- Behavioral or conduct problems (3.5%)
- Anxiety (3.0%)
- Depression (2.1%)
- Autism spectrum disorders (1.1%)
When you apply this data to Prairie, of the 419 students enrolled:
- 22% struggle with ADHD
- 10% struggle with Behavioral or conduct problems
- 8% struggle with Anxiety
- 6% struggle with Depression
- 4% struggle with Autism Spectrum disorders
Having a certified School Counselor on staff means there is dedicated personnel providing support to these students. This benefits other students in the class by “freeing up the teacher” to focus more on the whole class rather than spending extra time with 1-2 students.
Additional benefits of having a School Counselor:
- Elementary students who participate in school counseling curriculum and group interventions that focus on cognitive, social and self-management skills score higher on math and reading scores on state tests.
- Counseling interventions about stress reduction techniques can reduce test anxiety and improve student self-concept, appropriate coping strategies and test scores.
- Group counseling has positive effects on academic achievement with underachieving elementary school students.
- School Counseling decreases classroom disturbances by supporting teachers in the classroom and enabling teachers to provide quality instruction.
Research cited here.