During the mid-part of the last decade, when the population growth rate was at its highest, the Phoenix area experienced rapid development and urban sprawl. The result has been an intensification of the Urban Heat Island effect. In this edition of Decades, author Sally Wittlinger discusses this uncomfortable consequence of urbanization.

In a desert city such as Phoenix, summertime heat is a way of life, but how much does the built environment contribute to the intensity of the heat on a summer night? In urbanized Phoenix, nights don’t cool down as much as in the surrounding rural areas and on more and more summer nights, the official Phoenix temperature fails to drop below 90 degrees. Climate plays a huge role in the comfort and quality of life of residents, with numerous implications for tourism, energy demand, water use, and the vulnerability of low-income families.

Since spring 1996, regional School To Work (STW) partnerships throughout the state have been involved in a variety of activities designed to help create a comprehensive statewide system of school-to-work opportunities for Arizona students. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 suggests that one element of a statewide system is career counseling for all students. As part of a multi-faceted evaluation of the state’s STW initiative coordinated by Morrison Institute for Public Policy on behalf of the Arizona Department of Commerce, School To Work Division (ADC-STW), Arizona public school counselors and their roles and responsibilities are being studied. The hypothesis is that if career guidance is emphasized in the schools (in accordance with 1994 Act), then one might see a shift in counselors’ roles over time to reflect more time spent on counseling activities related to career guidance. Baseline measures of counselor’s time use were established in 1996. This briefing paper provides first year trend data on Arizona school counselors and their use of time.

This briefing paper provides 3-year trend data on Arizona school counselors' use of time. They hypothesis is that if career guidance were to be emphasized in the schools in accordance with the School-To-Work Act, a shift in counselors' roles could be expected to reflect more time spend on career guidance. An overview of the survey is provided including methodology and respondent characteristics. Data for each year includes counselors' allocation of time to counseling students, working with teachers and guidance curriculum, responding to crises, providing system support, and non-guidance activities. Although the pattern of time use has remained stable over three years, non-guidance and system support time have decreased in favor of guidance activities. Changes are small. Percentage of time spent in student counseling is further analyzed by issues. Counselor awareness of the School-To-Work initiative and their job satisfaction has increased. However, no significant changes in counselors' roles or duties were found in spite of considerable professional development efforts at state and local levels. These results are compared with the Comprehensive Competency-Based Guidance model, and sound practice in school counseling is discussed. Policy questions are raised.

One component of a multi-faceted evaluation of the state's STW initiative is the evaluation of public awareness and opinions of STW as a concept and a vehicle for education reform. In spring 1996, a statewide public poll of parents, businesses and educators was conducted to establish baseline measures of public attitudes toward STW prior to widespread implementation in the schools. In fall 1996, Arizona public school counselors were surveyed as an additional constituent group. This paper highlights findings from the state's baseline study of counselors' opinions toward STW -- especially as compared with the opinions of other constituent groups.

As part of a multi-faceted evaluation of the state's STW initiative, a survey was conducted to establish baseline measures of counselors' time use and attitudes toward STW prior to its widespread implementation in Arizona schools. This paper discusses counselors' roles and responsibilities--that is, how they currently spend their time. The study will be replicated annually, with the hypothesis that if STW has the impact intended, then one should see marked increases in the time spent counseling students on work/career issues.