Home > Guidance Glimpse > Nov 2008
Guidance in Oklahoma Technology Centers
What is Guidance?
Guidance is an integral part of each technology center's total career and technology education program. The guidance program is designed to address the needs of all students by helping them to acquire competencies in personal/social development, career development and academic development. The technology center's guidance program is unique in that it serves both high school and adult students.
Components of Guidance
Comprehensive guidance programs consist of subject matter and related techniques and methods organized for the academic, career, and personal/social development of individual students. Comprehensive guidance program content is designed to assist students and their parents in making informed educational choices which lead to more educational and career options. Comprehensive guidance programs particularly emphasize concepts of academic and career awareness, exploration, and planning; education and career decision making skills; and, knowledge and understanding of local, state, and national educational, occupational, and labor market opportunities, needs, and trends.
Why Needed?
A multitude of challenges are facing our students today. A cursory look through the news highlights the need for our state to address more concentrated assistance to our youth population.
| Challenges | Oklahoma's National Ranking |
|---|---|
| Teenage Pregnancies | 21st |
| Dropout rate | 22nd |
| Divorce | 45th |
| Suicide | 46th |
| Individual Health Concerns | 47th |
Guidance and Counseling Impact
Comprehensive guidance and counseling programs are effective in helping students, along with parents' response to these and similar challenges. Quality guidance and counseling services have a substantial impact on student and school success.
Students of all ages who receive quality guidance and counseling services:
- Experience higher academic achievement
- Participate in rigorous academics (advanced math and science) and more career and technology courses
- Develop and use career plans
- Make informed education and life choices
- Feel better prepared for the future
- Are less likely to drop-out of school
- Provides a greater impact on student success than other indicators
Quality Guidance and Counseling Services supports your technology center's central educational goals by:
- Increasing awareness of academic and technical work requirements
- Promoting career and technical education options
- Decreasing classroom disturbances
- Creating a safe and positive school climate
- Reducing discipline and behavioral problems
- Connecting family to education process
- Promoting student high expectations
- Helping students address social and developmental issues
Support Needed
School guidance and counseling is an integral component of each student's success. Counselors serve as an advocate and liaison for students and their total well being. Suggestions to become actively involved:
- Learn about your local technology center's guidance program.
- Serve on a careertech advisory committees
- Serve as a mentor/advisor for careertech students.
For more information, contact your technology center counselor or Kelly Arrington, Guidance Coordinator, ODCTE, 1500 West 7th Avenue, Stillwater, OK 74074 Phone: 405.743.5159
State Sources:
Divorce Magazine, US Divorce Statistics. Retrieved December 4, 2007, Web site: http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS2.shtml
Guttmacher Institute, (2006). US Teenage Pregnancy Satistics National and State Trends. Retrieved December 4, 2007, Web site: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf
Jones, Brent (2007). Depression and suicide rates state by state. Retrieved December 4, 2007, Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-1-28-depression-suicide-numbers_N.htm
State Department of Education (2007). Oklahoma PK-12 Education Highlights. Retrieved February 22, 2008, Web site: http://www.sde.state.ok.us/pub/NatRank.htm
United Health Foundation (2007). American's Health Rankings. Retrieved December 4, 2007, Web site: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2007/results.html
Counseling Sources:
American Counseling Association (2006). Effectiveness of School Counseling.
Association for Career and Technical Education, Guidance Division (2003 ). The Role of the Guidance Profession in a Shifting Education System.
California Department of Education (2007). Research on School Counseling Effectiveness. Retrieved February 11, 2008, Web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/Is/cg/rh/counseffective.asp...
Riley, Camilla. Unpublished work (2004).
(Developed by OkACTE Guidance Officers - 2008)