IN THE STATE OF IOWA by

Among edueatClr~1;her~'ts a d elementary coun~elo:r'siol~. ·'Conseq they eXist, are inconl:llstentand a£blt1::ary~Som sfe that the classroom teaeher sHould be tespons1.ble'forcotlp.selingres{)ons{;,;,.·'·· bilities, while others.recommend that a professionally trained coun:-selor be on every elementary sChool staiL. The disparity of views led the writer to initiate this investi-gation. Consequently, the goal is to,examine:the role of practiCing elementary school counselors in Iowa as perceived by elementary school principals and the counselors themselves..... A mail survey was used to gather information related to the elementary counselor ' srole. Ninety-eight elementary counselors and 97 elementary principals in Iowa were surveyed. The survey instru-ment consisted of an Information Sheet as well as an Opinionnaire. The data were tabulated to show how principals and counselors compare in their perceptions of elementary counselors ' roles. The data yielded few differences in perception between principals and counselors. Often, where differences did occur, they were within groups. However, there were areas of principal-counselor disagreement-community involvement, the importance of testing programs, the counselor's role in dealing with individual problems. A Disser tat io