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The online environment provides a unique opportunity for students from wide-ranging locations to participate in academic activities to develop collegial abilities or vocational skills. The training process for working in the counseling field consists of graduate level learning pertaining to mental health issues, self-exploration, ethical and moral development, and reviewing contemporary research topics affecting diverse populations of people. Perhaps most importantly, it also involves developing the skill to be able to translate knowledge into a new counselor's skills and dispositional presentation. Since online courses are typically delivered in synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid formats, it is reasonable to reflect on the differences experienced by students in skills-based courses and consider possible impacts the varied online learning environments could have on their development towards becoming counseling professionals. This reflection seeks to blend research and publication findings for counselor education in skills courses through the experiences of faculty and students exposed to varied learning environments utilizing the online format.

This study used quantitative measures to explore child abuse reporting trends for early career school counselors and to examine factors influencing their decisions to report suspected child abuse. Thematic coding was used to analyze recommendations for additional training needs regarding child abuse reporting and for the challenges school counselors faced regarding mandated reporting. Participants completed online surveys to assess their experiences. Factors found to influence school counselors' decisions to report suspected child abuse included school counselors' self-efficacy levels, academic setting, and students' participation in the schools' free or reduced lunch program. Qualitative results were also reviewed.

First-generation college students represent a significant portion of individuals seeking higher education in the United States; yet this population does not perform as well academically as continuing generation peers. Significant research exists exploring barriers preventing college attainment for this population; however, there is limited research recommending targeted interventions in formative years to prepare first-generation students for college life. School counselors play a critical role in helping to bridge this gap by focusing on social-emotional learning.

First generation college students have more difficulty preparing for and succeeding in post-secondary institutions. Informed by the literature review and relevant research the school counselor presents a small group design for high school students in their junior year. This small group plan for first generation college students addresses issues of access, goal setting, career exploration, the college admissions process, and the financial aid application process. Systemic considerations are also discussed.

Group counseling interventions can be complex to assess and research. Over the years, The "Journal for Specialists in Group Work" ("JSGW") has highlighted many of these challenges and offered valued approaches to designing projects that promote the efficacy and meaningfulness of group work in various settings. Similarly, school counseling literature has increasingly called for more research specific to the work of school counselors and highlighted the value of establishing practitioner-researcher partnerships to design and implement studies with fidelity. The following article considers these recommendations and offers a rationale for using Consensual Qualitative Research, a modern approach to qualitative inquiry, to help practitioners and researchers collaborate in the design and implementation of group work research in the schools.

This consensual qualitative research (CQR) study explored the group leadership supervisory experiences of (n = 10) school counseling internship students. Findings suggest the importance of fostering group leader advocacy skills and the need to assess students' group leadership supervisory experiences during fieldwork placement. Implications for counselor educators and supervisors are discussed.

The following manuscript discusses existing disparities in educational access for students in rural, urban, and suburban areas. The paper aims to explore how policies, programs and practices can support fair and equitable outcomes for all students. Thorough review of current literature highlights disparities in educational equity. Case in point, students attending school systems in urban areas experience notable inaccessibility to quality resources, directly impacting student achievement scores (Banks & Maixner, 2016; Fabionar, 2020; Nygreen, 2013). While scholars suggest public education is available to all, one must also consider the quality and accessibility to students, regardless of their socioeconomic status or ethnicity. Student academic success is not solely contingent upon school attendance but is also impacted by access to quality education, support, and relationships outside the school building (Contreras, 2011). The manuscript provides best practice recommendations for addressing educational disparities and closing achievement and attainment gaps. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research to enhance educational access for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]