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Student‐to‐School Counselor Ratios: A Meta‐Analytic Review of the Evidence
Author(s) -
Kearney Caitlin,
Akos Patrick,
Domina Thurston,
Young Zachariah
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/jcad.12394
Subject(s) - extant taxon , meta analysis , psychology , variety (cybernetics) , counselor education , association (psychology) , medical education , applied psychology , clinical psychology , higher education , medicine , psychotherapist , statistics , evolutionary biology , political science , law , biology , mathematics
Recent school counselor research has focused on the association between student‐to‐school counselor ratios and student‐level outcomes. The American School Counselor Association endorses a 250:1 ratio, despite little research evidence to support this recommendation. This study investigates the relationship between counselor ratios and a variety of student‐level outcomes through a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Using an inclusive search approach and a random‐effects model, we find that increased ratios (more students per counselor) lead to a small, negative effect on student‐level outcomes. Significant biases in the research designs of the extant studies limit our interpretations. We discuss implications for future research and considerations for practitioners.