(Critical) Hope as an Arrow: A Mixed Methods Study on Student-to-School Counselor Ratios and Student Outcomes in High-Poverty School Districts

Author

• Hien PhamFollow

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Transformative Action in Education

First Advisor

Dr. Rachelle Kisst Hackett

First Committee Member

Dr. Rachelle Kisst Hackett

Second Committee Member

Dr. Anne Zeman

Third Committee Member

Dr. Larrah Feliciano

Abstract

School counselors serve on the front line of student support in K-12 public school settings. However, not all school districts are adequately resourced nor require school counselors as essential members of the school team. Review of extant literature found that school counselors’ service delivery is affected by issues related to role clarity, program evaluation and existing policy. A lack of understanding of school counselors’ work and inconsistent training in program evaluation hinders the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program, with high student-to-school counselor ratios remaining the status quo. In California, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) legislation holds local educational agencies (LEAs) or school districts accountable in naming priority goals and allocating funding to improve specified student achievement outcomes. Investment in school counseling services is limited to understanding how services benefit student achievement and holds implications for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The Critical Hope as Praxis conceptual framework guides the inquiry and how school districts leverage school counselors to ameliorate resource inequities. Whether the strength of the relationship between a school district’s funded student-to-school counselor ratio and how high school student achievement outcomes vary between high-poverty and low-poverty school districts is examined in the first phase of this mixed methods study. Regression analysis focused on positive cases where observed values of student outcomes are better than predicted based on caseload ratios (i.e., cases with large positive residuals) to identify three school districts for mini case study analysis to better understand contextual factors contributing to the phenomenon. Findings suggested that lower student-to-school counselor ratios were associated with a higher college and career readiness outcome, particularly in high-poverty school districts. How school counseling services were delineated within the district LCAPs and contextual features contributing to districts’ positive student outcomes were sought in the qualitative phase of the study. Following LCAP document analysis and rounds of reflexive thematic analysis of both LCAPs and key informant interview transcripts, salient themes on school counseling services were delineated within district LCAPs and contextual features surfaced. Qualitative findings highlighted school counselors’ roles as direct service providers, leaders in program implementation and school system navigation, as well as partners in equity and community engagement. Implications from this study underscore the need to strengthen training, practice, and policy to support school counseling equity. Future research should continue to examine how student-to-school counselor ratios and comprehensive school counseling programs in the California context contribute to positive student outcomes.

Pages

204

Recommended Citation

Pham, Hien (2026). (Critical) Hope as an Arrow: A Mixed Methods Study on Student-to-School Counselor Ratios and Student Outcomes in High-Poverty School Districts. University of the Pacific, Dissertation. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/4333