A Randomized Control Trial of Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of School Counselor Impact

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if 5th grade teachers’ perceptions of the school counselor’s impact (SCI) would differ from those of classroom teachers who did not collaborate with a school counselor to deliver the Student Success Skills (SSS) classroom program. Teachers (N = 234) from two large school districts in Florida participated in a randomized control trial. The teachers completed the SCI scale of the Teacher My Class Inventory-Short Form at three data collection points. Results from a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences for treatment group teachers’ (n = 112) scores on the SCI scale from pretest to posttest and post-posttest as well as when compared to the control group teachers’ perceptions (n = 112). Implications for school counselors suggest that collaborating with educators when planning and delivering classroom programs can improve teachers’ perceptions about their impact. Recommendations for future research are discussed.