School Counselors and Principals: Different Perceptions of Relationship, Leadership, and Training.

Abstract

This study examined school counselors’ and principals’ perceptions of their relationship and the effectiveness of their respective professional preparation programs. An exploratory factor analysis (n = 615) revealed three salient factors: relationship quality, campus leadership and training satisfaction. Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed statistically significant differences in all three factors across the four groups (elementary counselors and principals, and secondary counselors and principals). Mann Whitney U post hoc tests indicated more statistically significant differences among secondary counselors and principals than elementary. Implications for school counselors and improvements in preparation programs for counselors and principals are included.