1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act . 2. Demonstration project for additional secondary school counselors Part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 4 Demonstration project for additional secondary school counselors 1441. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) Nationally, only 70 percent of students graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma. (2) Every school day, 7,000 American high school students become dropouts. (3) High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at three times the rate of their peers from high-income families. (4) Only about 55 percent of African American students and 52 percent of Hispanic students graduate on time from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 78 percent of white students. (5) The dropout rate for students with disabilities is approximately twice that of general education students. (6) High school is the final transition into adulthood and the world of work as students begin defining their independence and forging their own pathways. As our next generation of leaders, our youth, are deciding their futures, they are faced with many challenges, including peer pressure and bullying, high-stakes testing, the challenges of college admissions, the scholarship and financial aid application process, and entrance into an ever more competitive job market. Students need guidance and skills to help them navigate these complex decisions, which have serious and life changing consequences. (7) School counseling programs are essential for students to achieve optimal personal growth, acquire positive social skills and values, set appropriate career goals, and realize full academic potential to become productive, contributing members of the world community. (8) Professional secondary school counselors are highly qualified educators with a mental health perspective who understand and