Caring and Counseling—Shared Tasks in Advisement Schools

Abstract

Advisement programs, a part of the total guidance service provided by many secondary schools, involve the entire teaching staff and provide personalized guidance services to all secondary students (7–12) in the following areas: program planning, self‐assessment, school offerings awareness, parent relations and conferences, feedback evaluation, decision‐making skills, career planning and preparation, and school and community issues. Advisement enhances counseling and offers counselors the opportunity to practice their specialized skills more fully. The Ferguson‐Florissant advisement program, described in this article, emphasizes positive change in students' attitudes toward themselves and school.

Guidance and Guidance Systems in Secondary Schools: The Teacher's Views

“…In this system, 40% of a teacher's time is unscheduled, allowing for meetings with students and their parents and for maintaining cumulative records. Jenkins (1977), Clay (1977), Goldberg (1977), and Johnson and Salmon (1979) all describe similar teacher centered counseling systems that are characterized by the idea that every student should develop a solid relationship with at least one adult professional in the school for the purpose of personalizing guidance and learning.…”

“…The discrepancy between theory and practice is revealed by research and is evident in the vast amount of criticism in the literature. This criticism originates from all sources: teachers, students, parents, citizens, administrators, advisory councils, and so on (see, among others: Bradley, 1978;Holland, 1974;Johnson & Salmon, 1979;National Advisory Council on Vocational Education, 1972;Prediger, Roth, & Noeth, 1974;Slocum & Hilverda, 1970).…”