Learning: The Power of Group Work in Facilitating Student Achievement

Abstract

This paper focused on the American School Counseling Association National Standards requiring school counselors to serve all students. Focusing their activities, around three major areas, to help schools achieve their educational mission of student success. These three areas are academic achievement, personal/ social, and career development. In addition, it recommended implementing school counselors to student ratios at the ASCA recommended level or less. It presented a graduate student thesis study on the efficacy of non-directive group counseling with middle and high school students. It illustrated the changes in academic grades, the pre and post results from the Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report assessment, which measured therapeutic change. Also including, a qualitative reporting of a personal experience questionnaire of the sixty students, grades sixth through tenth. It attributed the outcomes to the social and interpersonal skills gained through group therapy, which brought improvements in student academics, behavior, and social skills and relationships (Romasz, Kantor, and Elias, 2004). It proposed that these benefits positively affect all students’ growth and development, and these effects are not limited to students who exhibit “at risk” behavior. This review attempted to provide justification for the implementation of a developmentally comprehensive group-counseling program, consisting of three group models, psycho-educational, counseling, and psychotherapy, as the most efficient and effective way to reach the goal of student success (Delucia-Waack, 2000; Shechtman, 2002; Shechtman, Freidman, Kashti, & Sharabany, 2002).