Emma Caitlin Owen

Annotated Bibliography
R. Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103
May 4, 2015
Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2010-2011. Digital image.Schoolcounselor.org. American
School Counselor Association, 2010. Web. 2015.
This graph shows the state-by-state ratios of counselors to students in the United States. Its
importance lies in the fact that it reveals that only three states, New Hampshire, Vermont, and
Wyoming, meet the ratio of 250 students for every one counselor; the student to counselor ratio
is a huge problem in Americas public education system.

Pratt, Timothy. "The High School Guidance Counselor Shortage."Time.com. The Hechinger
Report, 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
The disproportional student-to-counselor ratios cause high school students in impoverished areas
to not be informed about how to apply to college and financial aid. This contributes to a cycle of
poverty in which private school students, who usually have more money, are much more likely to
receive a higher education, leaving lower-class citizens behind.
Rosales, John. With New Roles, School Counselors Are More Indispensable Than Ever.
NeaToday.org. National Education Association, 1 Feb. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
With the increasing number of students that each school counselor has to serve, counselors are
finding it difficult to balance all of their responsibilities. Many schools cannot afford to hire the
desired number of counselors, and some end up serving eight hundred students or more.
Counselors not only inform students about opportunities following graduation, they also help
them cope with life-changing circumstances and personal problems.
The Role of the Professional School Counselor. Schoolcounselor.org. American School
Counselor Association, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015
This source details the regular responsibilities of a school counselor in the K-12 environment in
the form of a role statement. Seeing as how this comes from the American School Counselor
Association, this is the defining source on what a school counselor should be.
Bidwell, Allie. Lack of Funds Leave School Counselors Struggling to Find Balance.
USNews.com. US News, 16 Sept. 2013. Web.
This article profiles a high school counselor, Eric Blanco, in the state of California (the state with
the highest student to counselor ratio in the nation) who claims that his endless responsibilities as
a counselor are often hard to balance. He says that he often has to turn his attention to whatever
might me the most urgent at the time, and that students whose cases arent as pressing do not

always receive the attention that they need. Blanco says that this creates a cycle in which
students do not approach him when they need help, because they fear he will not have the time to
help them. Counselors are one of the first positions to be eradicated from the school system when
a diminishing budget required the system to make cuts.
Bardwell, Robert. A Plea for More School Counselors. TheChoice.Blogs.NYTimes.com. N.p.,
25 Oct. 2010. Web. 03 May 2015.
The American education system is falling behind in comparison with other countries, with many
eighth graders not reading at their grade level and a great number of students not pursuing higher
education once they graduate high school, if they graduate at all. Because of this, President
Barack Obama has stated that he would like all graduating high school students to make
preparations for furthering their education; however, the number of school counselors in the
country has not been increased
OShaughnessy, Lynn. Whats Wrong With High School Counselors? Web log post.
TheCollegeSolution.com. The College Solution, 28 July 2011. Web. 03 May 2015.
This article suggests that public high school counselors are not the best source of knowledge for
students to go to when seeking help in applying for college. Because of the lack of funding for
counselors in public schools, there is usually only one counselor available for all students and
private school students are given better resources through their increased funding. The author
argues that public school counselors are trained more to handle problems with mental health and
mental illness than they are to provide resources for the college search.