In this chapter was presented a comparative description of the programs of guidance in certain Virginia schools according to the following groupings: (a) large, medium-sized, and small schools; (b) urban and rural; and (c) Negro and white schools. Guidance in the large and medium-sized schools appeared, in general, to excel that in the small schools in both number and scope of services offered. Similarly, guidance services in urban situations seemed superior in organization and offerings to those in rural locations. Little significant difference was noted between guidance programs of white and Negro schools except in instances in which lack of facilities appeared to hamper the programs in schools for Negroes. / M.S.

School counselors are in a position to receive referrals concerning children's reactions to changing family structures and to help a stepchild adjust to stepfamily living. This study assessed the need for training and education of Virginia middle school counselors regarding their knowledge about counseling stepchildren. This was done by measuring their level of knowledge through the development and use of the instrument, Knowledge and Skills for Counseling Stepchildren: A Self Assessment (KSCS). The focus of this study was the development and refinement of the KSCS. The purpose of the instrument was to assess the training needs of middle school counselors' knowledge about counseling stepchildren. The development of the KSCS took place through conducting item analyses on two pilot studies. Results of the study established a profile of middle school counselors past preparation, current strengths and deficiencies, and the need for training in the area of counseling stepchildren. The majority of counselors had done no prior reading or taken any coursework on the counseling of stepchildren. Test scores on the KSCS were negatively skewed, reflecting a low level of knowledge and identifying a need for training and education in this area. The majority of counselors came from schools where enrollment was 501 to 1,000 and 30% of their caseloads were stepchildren. Counselors from schools where enrollment was 0 to 500 and over 1,000 had caseloads where stepchildren also represented one-third of the students counseled, indicating a consistently high population of stepchildren. The majority of counselors offered no psychological or educational counseling program specifically for stepchildren. Six counselors offered a program specifically for stepchildren and 15 offered time-limited groups for children with separated or divorced parents that addressed issues pertinent to stepfamily living. Recommendations include revisions to the KSCS and required coursework on the counseling of stepchildren for state certification of school counselors. / Ed. D.

With serious skill shortages in the field of marketing expected during this time period, the increase in marketing opportunities will reinforce the importance of marketing education (U. S. Department of Labor, 1989). "Marketing education programs must be structured to match the diversity of marketing dealing with the principles, concepts, attitudes, and skills necessary to prepare students to work in retail, service, and other business environments." (National Marketing Education Curriculum Framework, 1987, p. 7). The attitudes counselors have toward marketing education can have a major impact on course enrollment and students' planning of schedules including a combination of both academic and vocational courses (Washburn & McEwen, 1989). To date no evidence was found in the literature that shows what high school counselors think about the overall marketing education program. The purpose of this study was to determine selected Virginia's secondary school counselors' perceptions towards Virginia's Marketing Education program. A mail survey was developed and distributed to 186 schools offering a Marketing Education program in Virginia. When completing Section 1 of the survey instrument, participants supplied information concerning selected demographic variables. Data obtained from Section 1 were used to determine if differences existed between these selected demographic variables and Virginia's secondary school counselors' attitudes toward Virginia's Marketing Education program. When completing Section 2, participants used a 5-item Likert-type scale to indicate their attitudes toward Virginia's Marketing Education program. When completing Section 3--Virginia's secondary school counselors' knowledge of Virginia's Marketing Education program--participants selected true, false, or don't know to indicate their knowledge of Virginia's Marketing Education program. Two hundred and eighty-five counselors in 62% of the schools offering a Marketing Education program in Virginia participated in the study. Research question 1 found that most of the counselors responding have a positive attitude toward Virginia's Marketing Education programs. Research question 2, seeking information on what secondary school counselors know about Marketing Education found that even though their attitudes may be positive, they are not knowledgeable about the Marketing Education program. Research question 3 concerning selected demographic variables in relation to counselors' attitudes toward and knowledge of Marketing Education found that very small differences exist between the selected demographic variables and Virginia's secondary school counselors' attitudes toward and knowledge of Virginia's Marketing Education program. Conclusions and discussion, considerations for the study, recommendations, and suggestions for future research were described. / Ed. D.