College & Career Pathways

Counselors in middle and high schools play an essential role: counselors help students with their emotional and behavioral development, they manage curricular and graduation plans, and prepare students for life after high school, be it for college or career. After funding reductions from the Texas legislature in the spring of 2011, many school districts across Texas reduced the number of counselors available to students, increasing the number of students the remaining counselors serve by an average of 24 students. In 2013, the implementation of graduation and curricular changes mandated by House Bill 5 (HB5) increased the responsibilities of middle and high school counselors. The purpose of this report is to begin to understand how specific changes in Texas education policy have influenced counseling in the state by considering these issues.