Berkeley High School, Monday morning. The chatter of students, talking over assignments and weekend activities, fills the air. It is a clear, crisp October day, sunny but not warm. Amy, a bright, energetic sophomore is on her way to the computer lab--but first, she has to stop at the childcare center and drop off her eight-month-old son. The school-run childcare center is for students only: This semester fourteen children are enrolled.
Down the street, at Vista Technical Education Center, Jerry is waiting for his interview with a representative from the local software company. The Center's job placement coordinator collaborates with human resource personnel from area industry to arrange job opportunities for students who are completing their vocational education program. Jerry feels very confident because the Vista career guidance and counseling program helps all students transition from school to work or further education.
Cindy is a junior at Regan Health Careers Academy, nestled at the foot of the Berkeley hills. As she hurries across campus to her 9:00 a.m. class, she makes a mental note to go back later to the Student Services office and see what kind of community service jobs are listed on the job bulletin board. Cindy must complete 30 more community service hours before graduation and hopes she can spend that time in the local hospital to learn more about physical therapy, her career goal..
All three of these students rely on student services to help enhance the availability and quality of their educational experiences. Although reformers have stressed the need to improve teaching, curriculum, and assessment as a means to improve education, scant attention has been given the services students need to enhance their chances of succeeding. Personnel at the NCRVE Office of Student Services has reviewed the full range of student services available in secondary schools and are developing an effective, collaborative delivery system that ensures all students receive the necessary services. This article describes the surprising information (or lack of information) found in the literature, provides a list of the full range of services, and presents some preliminary concepts on effectively delivering services to students.
In January 1995, the National Center for Research in Vocational Education reorganized it's Office of Special Populations to become the Office of Student Services (see explanation at the end of article). The new offices' work began by conducting a literature search to identify (1) the full range of student services represented in secondary schools and (2) the best models for effectively delivering these services.
Surprisingly, the literature review failed to uncover a single listing of all student services one might expect to find in a secondary institution. Furthermore, the literature search revealed no comprehensive student services delivery models. Yes, the literature is replete with information about student services but most references center on models for delivering services to students enrolled in special education, or services for other students considered to be at risk, or models for career development and guidance and counseling services.
Furthermore, even the "student services" terminology is problematic. Several terms are associated with and/or used interchangeably with student services. For example, student affairs, student personnel, student development, and support services are associated with student services in the literature. In addition, the terms support services and supplemental services are both used in recent legislation. While supplemental services is defined (Carl D. Perkins Vocational and applied Technology Education Act, Sec. 521(38)) as "...curriculum modification, equipment modification, classroom modification, supportive personnel, and instructional aids and services," support services are not specifically defined. The Act indicates support services pertain to services such as counseling, special transportation needs, English-language instruction, mentoring, child care, and special aids. In the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and in day-to-day practice, the terms are used interchangeably.
The Office of Student Services depicts three stages of attendance:
Students require some services during all three levels and others at different stages of enrollment. Of course, each student's needs will be unique. The OSS listing includes basic services that should be available during all three stages. Some of these services, such as counseling, food services, transportation services, safety and security services, and medical/nursing services, are often taken for granted by students and parents. Other basic or fundamental services include child care assistance, psychological services, social work/social services, and special accommodations.
During the pre-enrollment stage, students need certain services that can help them benefit from their environment. Orientation to their new school is very helpful. Appropriate assessment should take place as well as career awareness and exploration activities. Students will benefit from career/educational counseling prior to entering a high school program.
During enrollment, most students will continue to need educational/career counseling including career exploration and awareness, career/transition planning (including financial aid), and additional assessment. Some students will need tutoring, most will benefit from a mentor, and almost all can use academic advisement. Job referral and job placement services help ensure students smooth transition to work.
While traditionally, early school leavers and graduates have minor contact with the former institution, many students would still profit from job referral, job placement, and counseling. There seems to be a growing trend for former students in the post-enrollment stage to return frequently to their previous school or college to serve on advisory councils, act as mentors to current students, offer jobs to students, and to provide other assistance.
Ideally, student services are centrally located or found in areas with good access. Commitment and collaboration from among the different student services professionals are essential to organizing and implementing a comprehensive student services system. To date, the delivery system that shows the most potential for becoming an inclusive delivery model is the student services team (SST) approach. The SST consists of professionals who specialize in providing counseling, job placement, consulting, assessment, and other related services to ensure the career, educational, social, emotional, intellectual, and healthy development of all students. Typically, a student services team consists of the school counselor, social worker, psychologist, nurse, and other related professionals (Schmidt, 1993, p. 35), as well as special education resource teachers, Chapter I teachers, special populations coordinators, assessment specialists, para-professionals, and rehabilitation counselors (Tennessee State Department of Education, no date).
Other school services personnel who can be included in the team are transition specialists, school-to-work coordinators, multicultural services professionals, tutors, academic advisors, job coaches, and recruitment representatives. Although representatives from food services, child care, and transportation may not need to participate on the student services team at all time, they may need to be involved periodically. Local service providers should also be represented. Inclusion of employment, health and social services, welfare, and other community services will further strengthen the team.
Members of a unified team collaborate with one another to make the various components work as one. They strive toward one goal - to prepare every student for success in further education and/or work. The various functions of each unit complement each other and duplication of services is avoided. As schools aim for comprehensive student services programs, leadership from administrators and involvement of faculty, parents, and the community are essential.
School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (1994, May).
Schmidt, J. J. (1993). Counseling in schools: Essential services and comprehensive programs. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Tennessee State Department of Education. (no date). Support services team: Duties and responsibilities. Unpublished manuscript.
In January of 1995, the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) expanded its dissemination and training function to include the Office of Student Services. To accomplish this goal, the former Office of Special Populations has been reorganized to include a broader focus on student services that facilitate the transition of secondary and postsecondary students from school to work. It is the mission of the Office of Student Services to work nationally to promote the full range of quality programs and services that assist all students (secondary and postsecondary) including members of special populations to successfully transition from school to work. The reorganized office is housed at the Center's University of Illinois site.
Rationale: The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) of 1994 supports providing all students equal access to the full range of program components, including recruitment and enrollment activities. The Act also places emphasis on improved career guidance and counseling services and the necessity of students selecting a career major by the 11th grade. These and other services must be improved to strengthen the transition process. For example, child care and transportation services allow single parents, teen parents, and displaced homemakers to take advantage of vocational technical education; job placement services support good matches of students and employers; follow-up services improve programs; and student assessment helps students understand their strengths.
While promoting access and equity of vocational-technical education programs for students who are members of special populations remains a National Center priority (and is a requirement under the 1990 Perkins mandate for the National Center), we recognize the need to improve the broad range of student services which facilitate the school-to-work transition of all students. The Office of Student Transition Services will further this goal in 1995-1997 through the following objectives:
The Office of Student Services is under the leadership of Dr. Carolyn Maddy-Bernstein, director, and Dr. Zipura Burac Matias, associate director. For more information, contact the Office of Student Services, 345 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, telephone (217) 333-0807, FAX (217) 244-5632. You may also contact the Office of Student Services through the following e-mail addresses: maddy2@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu or zburac@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu.