Abstract
European countries are striving to increase secondary school completion rates as part of their labor market planning. Denmark has taken an approach that places youth education guidance counselors at the center of their efforts. Based on interviews with 25 counselors and 10 other education leaders, this article explores the role and practice of these Danish counselors in regard to meeting state education goals. While the counselors strongly support the country’s high educational goal, they have concerns about its attainability, its across-the-board application, and coercive, or ‘individual-blaming’ elements of its implementation. Countries wishing to adopt this model should consider the fit between counseling philosophy and policy so as to avoid role conflict.
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Notes
Danish completion rates are based on projections from current data. The completion rate for 2009, for example, was a projection for students completing compulsory school (9th grade) in 2009. The projection for 2011 was 92 % (Henricksen, Tine Høtbjerg 2012)
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Acknowledgment
The research for this article was made possible through support from the Danish Institute of Study Abroad as well as through the Leaves Program and the Luce Fund at the College of Wooster. Many thanks also to the counselors who shared their time and knowledge and to the anonymous reviewer who gave crucial feedback on earlier drafts.
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Nurse, A.M. Setting the Bar High: Danish Youth Education Counselors and National School-Completion Goals. Int J Adv Counselling 36, 287–304 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9207-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9207-2