40 Schools, One Vision: Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation Aligns Comprehensive School Counseling at Scale
The Background
The Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) is the third-largest district in Indiana, serving 22,000 students across 40 schools with a team of 56 school counselors.
In 2017, EVSC was awarded the Lilly Comprehensive School Counseling Initiative Grant. This funding launched a transformative partnership with Hatching Results to address programming gaps and intentionally align with the ASCA National Model®.
The Challenge
Prior to 2017, EVSC identified several critical systemic gaps that hindered student support:
Inconsistent Service Delivery: Direct and indirect services varied significantly between buildings.
Lack of Standardization: The district lacked a unified core school counseling curriculum.
Role Ambiguity: There was limited role clarity for school counseling staff, often leading to non-school counseling duties.
Data Gaps: The corporation lacked a data-driven framework to measure the impact of school counseling on student achievement.
The Solution
To bridge these gaps, EVSC established two primary strategic priorities:
Capacity Building: Increasing district- and building-level capacity to support the comprehensive needs of students and families.
Framework Alignment: Establishing a unified system to measure effectiveness through data-informed decision-making.
Through intensive training, coaching, and consultation, EVSC school counselors built shared systems and a common professional language. This shift ensured every school moved toward a comprehensive program aligned with district-wide academic goals.
Impact and Results
This strategic alignment has led to measurable gains in student engagement and college readiness. Key outcomes include:
Standardized K–12 Curriculum: Developed a robust curriculum featuring 15 evidence-based lessons per grade level; 100% of EVSC school counselors are actively delivering these lessons.
Dedicated Leadership: Established a Director of School Counseling role to ensure goals are data-driven and embedded in School Improvement Plans (SIPs).
Professional Support Systems: Implemented a multi-tiered support structure, including monthly K–12 and level-specific PLCs, tiered coaching, and mentoring for new school counselors, with strategic alignment to behavior support systems.
RAMP® Recognition
The following EVSC schools hold the national Recognized ASCA Model Program® (RAMP) designation:
Active RAMP Designated Schools
Oak Hill Elementary School (RAMP School of Distinction, 2022)
Cynthia Heights Elementary School (Awarded, 2022)
Lodge Community School (Awarded, 2022)
Cedar Hall Elementary School (Awarded, 2021)
North Junior High School (Awarded, 2021)
Carrying the Torch to Student Success (Indiana)
A comprehensive school counseling initiative with RAMP reciprocity – schools that complete Gold Level programming qualify for RAMP recognition:
Gold 2024 / RAMP 2025: Glenwood
Gold 2025 / Applied for RAMP 2025: Vogel
Silver 2025: Helfrich Park
Year 1 (2025–2026): Caze, Dexter, Stringtown
Year 2 (RAMP renewal): Lodge
Additional Recognition (2025 and Early 2026)
In 2025 and early 2026, EVSC received several national and state honors, including:
National Blue Ribbon School (2024–2025): Oak Hill Elementary School was designated a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for academic excellence (one of only 16 schools in Indiana).
AP School Honor Roll (2025): North High School was named to the 2025 AP School Honor Roll (Bronze), recognizing its commitment to AP access and college readiness.
Building a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
EVSC also created a school counselor “grow your own” cohort model in partnership with Indiana State University and Marian University. This model has been exceptionally successful, with many graduates hired as EVSC school counselors. By focusing on comprehensive school counseling, the program equips candidates to step into the role ready to design and implement data-driven programs supporting students’ academic, college/career, and social-emotional development. This partnership has created a sustainable pipeline of licensed professionals aligned to EVSC’s mission and community needs.
Key Takeaway
"By transitioning from a “random acts of guidance” model to a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program, EVSC has ensured that school counselors are integral to the academic, social-emotional and college/career success of every student."
