School Counselors Create Value for Campus Stakeholders

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how counselors and principals perceived that counselors provided value to their campus stakeholders in a suburban Phoenix high school district. The research was conducted utilizing the qualitative method in a case study format. The research questions were: (a) What do counselors do in their everyday duties that contribute to the school's graduation rates, as perceived by the counselors themselves and their principals?; (b) What do counselors do in their daily duties that help students achieve their academic high school and post high school goals, as perceived by the counselors themselves and their principals?; (c) What is the difference between job descriptions and actual everyday counselor duties, as perceived by the counselors themselves and their principals?; and (d) How does the counselor's work contribute value to all stakeholders, as perceived by the counselors themselves and their principals? The population of interest consisted of Arizona counselors and principals. The target population was counselors and principals in a suburban Phoenix high school district. The researcher interviewed the counselors and principals to determine what duties counselors performed that both the counselors and principals felt brought value to their campus stakeholders. This research was important in preserving the field of counseling in Arizona. This research demonstrated that counselors and principals perceive that counselors do provide value to their campus' stakeholders in this suburban Phoenix high school district. The researcher also demonstrated that the counselors' job description only differed slightly from their actual duties.