Pennsylvania School Counselors

Pennsylvania is attracting the interest of some of the best and brightest educators around. With new ideas and big plans from Governor Edward Rendell, Pennsylvania school counselors and all educators are poised to gain in a variety of areas.

In the '05-'06 school year, Pennsylvania ranked 12th in the nation for average teacher salary at $54,027. School counselors will often make $5,000 to $10,000 more than teachers each year. With aggressive new reforms and changes in the way finances are distributed, these salaries should increase steadily over the next few years.

The following is a quote by Governor Rendell from a February 5th, 2008 press release regarding the "new approach to help districts invest adequate resources to boost student achievement":

“Pennsylvania’s progress in increasing student achievement over the past five years has made us a national leader,” Governor Rendell said. “We must now accelerate our progress in order to fulfill our commitment over the next six years of success for every student. Our ambitious, but essential, goal requires a renewed commitment to investing in the programs that are proven to help students learn.”

Pennsylvania school counselors will be called upon more frequently to offer their expertise in student psychology when new curriculum and educational programs are being produced. More increased demand and necessity for producing effective curriculum and programs will create a much more secure career environment for counselors.

Finally, still the most important draw for most school counselors is their ability to work one on one with students who are most in need of assistance. The Pennsylvania school counseling career is highly rewarding and is turning into a smarter career choice with each new year.

Contact schools offering school counseling or mental health counseling programs and learn how you can begin a career as a Pennsylvania School Counselor.

Whether you are from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, or anywhere else across the state, you will find school counseling a highly rewarding and respected career.

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**Some states require completion of a state-approved School Counselor preparation program from a regionally accredited institution in order to be licensed as a school counselor. Capella University is regionally accredited and their School Counseling specialization is state-approved by the Arizona Department of Education. We recommend that you follow up with your state Department of Education (DOE) to determine whether Capella's Arizona- approved School Counseling specialization meets your state's licensure requirements.