[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 360, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 360) designating the week of February 
     6 through February 10, 2006, as ``National School Counseling 
     Week.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I am pleased to submit this 
resolution designating the week of February 2, 2006 as ``National 
School Counseling Week,'' on behalf of my colleagues, Senator Biden, 
Senator Dorgan, Senator Johnson, and Senator Dodd. This resolution 
honors and celebrates the important work of school counselors, which 
the Senate has recognized since 1965 through the inclusion of school 
counseling in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
  Across the country, there are approximately 95,000 school counselors, 
including 2,100 in Washington State. School counselors are critical 
components of a successful school and contribute significantly to the 
growth and success of students. In fact, school counselors were 
instrumental in helping students, teachers, and parents deal with the 
trauma of terrorism on September 11, 2001, and its aftermath. However, 
despite their important service, counselors are expected to serve, on 
average, 485 students each, and are overwhelmed. The American School 
Counseling Association, the American Medical Association, and the 
American Psychological Association recommend the ratio of students to 
school counselors be 250 students to 1 school counselor.
  I want to share just a few examples of how school counselors 
throughout America are helping students.
  In a middle school in southern California, school counselors realized 
that 257 students were in danger of not passing on to the next grade. 
They discovered that only 15 percent of the students understood the 
promotion and retention requirements. The school counselors presented a 
series of individual and small-group lessons on promotion and retention 
criteria. After the lessons, 100 percent of the students understood the 
requirements. As a result, 72 of the 257 students, about 28 percent, 
avoided retention that year.
  In a high school in Racine, WI, a math teacher realized that 100 of 
his students failed algebra in the first quarter of the year. He asked 
a school counselor for help. Together, they discovered some of the 
reasons why students were failing. They initiated several programs, 
such as peer tutoring and homework assistance. As a result, 93 of the 
100 students passed algebra by the end of the year and were able to 
move on to the next level of math.
  A school district in Kentucky realized that the retention rate among 
ninth grade students was unacceptably high. School counselors, teachers 
and administrators worked together to develop and implement strategies 
targeted at helping ninth graders move to tenth grade. As a result, 
retention rates improved in 16 of the 17 high schools in the county in 
just 1 year. One school saw the retention rate improve more than 25 
percent.
  This resolution, though, is merely the beginning of what we need to 
be doing to support school counselors. We need to reduce the ratio of 
students to counselors to, at the most, 250 to 1. We need to help 
schools maintain their funding so that school counselors are not cut 
from school budgets. And we need to support our school counselors so 
that they can continue to be integral in the fabric of our schools and 
help our students achieve success in high school and beyond.
  School counselors design and implement comprehensive developmental 
school counseling programs that are integral to the success of every 
student. They help students improve academic achievement, develop 
personally and socially and prepare for successful careers that will 
enable them to be contributing members of society. National School 
Counseling Week focuses public attention on the unique contribution of 
professional school counselors and highlights the tremendous impact 
that school counselors have in helping students achieve success in 
school and beyond.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be 
printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 360) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 360

       Whereas the American School Counselor Association has 
     declared the week of February 6 through February 10, 2006, as 
     ``National School Counseling Week'';
       Whereas the Senate has recognized the importance of school 
     counseling through the inclusion of elementary and secondary 
     school counseling programs in the reauthorization of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;
       Whereas school counselors have long advocated that the 
     education system of the United States must leave no child 
     behind and must provide opportunities for every student;
       Whereas personal and social growth results in increased 
     academic achievement;
       Whereas school counselors help develop well-rounded 
     students by guiding them through their academic, personal, 
     social, and career development;
       Whereas school counselors have been instrumental in helping 
     students, teachers, and parents deal with the trauma that was 
     inflicted upon them by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma;
       Whereas students face myriad challenges every day, 
     including peer pressure, depression, and school violence;
       Whereas school counselors are usually the only 
     professionals in a school building who are trained in both 
     education and mental health matters;
       Whereas the roles and responsibilities of school counselors 
     are often misunderstood, and the school counselor position is 
     often among the first to be eliminated in order to meet 
     budgetary constraints;
       Whereas the national average ratio of students to school 
     counselors of 478-to-1 is more than double the 250-to-1 ratio 
     recommended by the American School Counselor Association, the 
     American Counseling Association, the American Medical 
     Association, the American Psychological Association, and 
     other organizations; and
       Whereas the celebration of National School Counseling Week 
     would increase awareness of the important and necessary role 
     school counselors play in the lives of students in the United 
     States:
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of February 6 through February 10, 
     2006, as ``National School Counseling Week''; and
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     the week with appropriate ceremonies and activities that 
     promote awareness of the role school counselors perform in 
     the school and the community at large in preparing students 
     for fulfilling lives as contributing members of society.

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