In 1965-66, 2,500 counselors were working in elementary schools but more than 88,000 would have been required to meet the recommended counselor-pupil ratio of 1:300. It is estimated that by 1969-70 about 90,000 counselors will be needed at an approximate cost of $774 million to meet the recommended counselor-pupil ratio.

Actual Status and Projected Needs for Elementary School Counselors

in Terms of Numbers and Expenditures

While counselors at all educational levels usually devote most of their time to the fuller development of all children and their normal and relatively minor problems, other pupil personnel specialists should be available to help children with serious physical and psychological problems that interfere with learning and total living. Severe handicaps limit the educational opportunities of about 15 percent of the pupil population and surpass the ability of families, particularly in low-income groups, to obtain the necessary professional help for children. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that in an age of automation, vocational opportunities will be increasingly limited for persons who lack fundamental educational skills. Consequently, it is imperative that all children who begin life with handicaps or develop them through faulty home or school experiences should receive concentrated professional assistance to overcome the handicaps. The alternative is public financial support for such persons throughout their lives by social agencies, or custodial care in institutions.

While pupil personnel programs are emerging at the local level in areas where money is available, it is important that leadership be provided at the State, regional, and national levels. Some States have already moved in this direction by naming directors of pupil personnel service and adding some professional staff members in areas other than guidance and counseling.

As local school systems in increasingly large numbers recognize the necessity of more services for children, and add personnel, it is conceivable that Federal funds might be focused on a broader program to help State departments of education and local schools organize and improve their emerging services.

APPENDIX A

STATISTICAL DATA

TABLE 1.-PROPORTION OF NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT FUNDS EXPENDED FOR TITLE V

1 See chart 1 in "Commitment to Youth" (a report on 5 years of progress in guidance, counseling, and testing) for a graphic presentation.

Of the $1.7 billion in Federal aid used under the National Defense Education Act in the first 7 years of operation, 8.2 percent was allotted to title V, including 5.9 percent for guidance, counseling, and testing under part A, and 2.3 percent for guidance and counseling institutes under part B.

TABLE 2.-TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR STATE-APPROVED TITLE V-A PROGRAMS BY SOURCE (FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL), 1958-59 THROUGH 1965-66

State-approved guidance, counseling, and testing programs during the first 8 years under the National Defense Education Act cost $1,127,750,720. Of this amount $50,460,689, or 4.5 percent, was derived from State funds; $121,740,183, or 10.8 percent, from title V-A funds; and $955,549,848, or 84.7 percent, from local funds.

TABLE 3-INCREASE IN FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT COUNSELORS AND GUIDANCE SUPERVISORS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, 1958-59 THROUGH 1965-66

1 The National Defense Education Act was amended in 1964 to include elementary schools, junior colleges, and technical institutes. The latter date are not available at this time.

* Approximate.

The numbers of full-time equivalent counselors in public schools are shown above. "Full-time equivalent" refers to the amount of time devoted by two or more counselors to service equal to that of one full-time counselor. In 1958-59, there were 12,000 full-time equivalent counselors in secondary schools. By 1965–66, the number had grown to 34,500 representing an 8-year growth of 188 percent.

TABLE 4.-NUMBER OF STATE-APPROVED, LOCAL TITLE V-A GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS, BY AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP, 1959-60, 1962-63, AND 1965-66

1 School year 1965-66 was the 1st full school year that title V-A had been extended to elementary schools.

The data in this table has been affected by a trend to consolidate schools, especially secondary ones. However, the data do indicate that both rural and urban schools have participated in the expanded and improved guidance programs under title V-A.

TABLE 5.-NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING TITLE V-B COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE INSTITUTES 1959-60 THROUGH 1966-67

The counseling and guidance training institutes conducted under title V-B of NDEA have aided considerably in preparing more and better educated guidance and counseling personnel. During the 8 years that the program has existed, 13,071, counselors received training at short-term summer institutes and 6,328 at regularsession, full-academic-year institutes. As table 11 shows, the trend has been to increase the emphasis on a full acdaemic year of graduate professional education in counseling and guidance through regular-session institutes.

TABLE 6.-NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT TESTED AT LEAST ONCE IN 1958-59, 1962-63, AND 1965-66

1 School year 1965-66 was the 1st full school year that title V-A had been extended to elementary schools.

The number of secondary students tested increased from 46 percent in 1958-59 to 68 percent in 1962–63 and declined to 67 percent in 1965–66.

TABLE 7.-RATIO OF FULL-TIME-EQUIVALENT STATE GUIDANCE SUPERVISORS TO PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY STUDENTS AND FULL-TIME-EQUIVALENT LOCAL SCHOOL GUIDANCE PERSONNEL, 1958–59, 1962-63, and 1964-651

1 The collection of FTE State guidance personnel data was discontinued in 1964-65.

1:190,900
1:134

1:159,300

1:135

The amount and adequacy of State supervision of guidance, counseling, and testing programs are determined to some extent by the ratios of State guidance supervisors to students and to guidance personnel. The ratio of State guidance supervisors to both public elementary and secondary school students in 1958 was 1 to 437,000. This ratio decreased to 1 to 159,300 in 1965. The State supervisorlocal guidance personnel ratio was reduced from 1:154 in 1958 to 1:135 in 1965. TABLE 8.-NUMBER AND PERCENT OF INCREASE IN PUBLIC AND NONPUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS, 1958-59, 1962-63, and 1965-66

Total secondary enrollments increased from 11,666,000 in 1958-59 to 17,028,000 in 1965-66 and the elementary enrollments increased from 27,815,000 to 31,716,000. The total public school enrollment (K-12) increased from 34,081,000 in 1958-59 to 42,144,000 in 1965-66 while the nonpublic enrollment increased from 5,400,000 in 1958-59 to 6,600,000 in 1965-66.