High School Counselor Week

Vaccine skepticism crisis spills over as students return to school
USA Today – August 25, 2025
Becca Harkleroad, executive director of the Texas School Nurses Organization assumed mandated childhood vaccinations were just part of back-to-school. “It never occurred to me until I was a school nurse that immunizations could be such a controversial topic,” she said. As nonmedical exemptions rise across the country, vaccine rates among kindergarteners are steadily decreasing. In the 2019-2020 school year, only three states reported that less than 90% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. Last year, that figure rose to 16 states. In these states, health experts say lawmakers have made it easier for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children, which has fueled exemption rates. The decline in vaccination rates is also partly due to vaccine misinformation on social media and mixed messages about vaccine recommendations from federal health officials. On Aug. 19, the American Academy of Pediatrics broke with federal guidance and released its own vaccine recommendation…

Department of Education rolls out latest step to expand school choice nationwide
Fox News – August 21, 2025
The Trump administration is rolling out what will be the fourth legal pathway for bolstering school choice nationwide as the U.S. Department of Education aims to hand back powers to the states – before ultimately dismantling itself. The department on Thursday issued what is referred to as a “Dear Colleague Letter to State and Local Education Agencies,” providing additional guidance to help state and local school districts better serve students who attend private schools but who are still eligible for federally funded academic support. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), eligible private school students are entitled to Title I-A funded equitable services. Since its passage in 1965, private school students and teachers have been eligible to participate in federal education programs sponsored under the law. The department said lawmakers determined that ESEA programs benefit children – as opposed to schools – and if a child is eligible, he or she may receive program services. Though Title I-A funds don’t go to private schools, their students and teachers may still receive services provided or facilitated through the local educational agency (LEA).

The Application Lie: Why Students Are Faking It; What Can We Do?
International Education Chronicles – August 20, 2025
The application lie is a symptom of a much larger problem in a society that prioritizes a polished, perfect narrative over integrity and genuine character. It’s a phenomenon that has been gaining quiet momentum, fueled by a perfect storm of social media, parental pressure, and a misguided belief that admissions committees are looking for a specific, often fabricated, type of candidate. Students are not just exaggerating their accomplishments, but they are creating entirely new personas. It’s time we re-evaluate what we value and, in doing so, give students the space and the courage to be their true, authentic selves.

An Introduction to College Counseling at International Schools
ACCIS AdmitAll Blog – June 18, 2025
I’d like to provide a personal view on some of the rewards and challenges of working as a college counselor outside the US. I have just concluded my eighth year as a college counselor in Asia, and the experience has been a boon for my professional and personal development. While I miss my stateside independent school colleagues dearly, I wouldn’t change my decision to make the leap those years ago, and that’s partially due to ongoing support that ACCIS has provided while I’ve been abroad. In case you’d like to make a similar transition, you might consider the following:

A Parent’s Guide to Researching Safe Colleges and Supportive College Communities
College Money Tips – August 26, 2025
Helping your child find the right college fit is a great opportunity for the whole family. However, choosing the right community for your offspring’s higher education is crucial. Unsupportive or dangerous surroundings lead to stress and distraction, which produce subpar results. An ideal, student-friendly college community can craft a path toward success, and that includes the safety and support of a college town. This guide will help you find student-friendly college communities that prioritize safety and offer nurturing support.

The College Planner: Timelines and tools for success for your teen
Northeast Ohio Parent – August 9, 2025
The end of the high school finish line is within sight, but what lies ahead are college visits, SAT prep, interviews, applications and essay drafts. The key to finishing this race strong is to be specific and deliberate every step of the way. Every student is different, with unique needs, talents and goals, and the college application process is the first time many teens experience this sort of decision-making. There’s no point in the process where you can use a one-size-fits-all approach. Here are some tips for finding the best individualized approach.

How scammers are siphoning college financial aid with stolen student identities
PBS News – August 24, 2025
According to recent reports, sophisticated criminal networks are using identity theft to disguise themselves as students at U.S. colleges. They flood colleges with applications in order to siphon off tens of millions of dollars in financial aid, taking up seats that real students need. Ali Rogin speaks with Fortune editor Amanda Gerut to learn more about this growing scam.

Successful college applicants share these traits
My Central Jersey – August 24, 2025
The famous saying “don’t reinvent the wheel” can also be applied to college applications. Students thinking ahead to the college admissions process in their future would do well to take note of their predecessors who successfully navigated this terrain. There are commonalities among students who apply, and gain acceptance, to their top choice schools.

What Colleges Secretly Look For In Students
The College Investor – August 16, 2025
Colleges have a “type” of student they are secretly looking for when deciding on admissions. While schools emphasize the importance of an applicant’s academic performance, extracurricular involvement, and personal essay, more covert factors are taken into account that are not discussed publicly. Here are seven less obvious yet significant factors that could play a role in your admissions decision.

Too Many Students Think They’re Ineligible for Financial Aid
Inside Higher Ed – August 4, 2025
Roughly 55 percent of this year’s high school graduating class applied for federal financial aid, a significant comeback after the glitchy rollout of a new version of the form last year. But even with that progress, this year, like every year, many students didn’t submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A new data analysis from the National College Attainment Network turned up several reasons, such as fear of debt, lack of time, lack of information, or simply not needing aid. But the most prevalent answer, for 49% of respondents, was that they didn’t believe they qualified for the aid. The question explored in the new analysis is who these students are—high-income students correctly assuming they’re not eligible for federal financial aid or low-income students who might be missing out?

Picture ‘life after college’ before you decide how to pay for it
Bankrate – August 26, 2025
About 6 in 10 families (59 percent) say they make a financial plan, according to Sallie Mae’s annual “How America Pays for College” report. But the plan often fails to account for value or return on investment (ROI), leaving many students with burdensome education debt. “Having frank conversations…not only on how much we can pay for college, but then also ‘What does life look like after college?” can help families make the most informed decision. Here are some factors to consider and some ways to increase your ROI — before you enroll and borrow.

Financial Aid Advisers Raise Questions About Identity Verification Efforts
Inside Higher Ed – August 27, 2025
In an electronic announcement published Aug. 12, Federal Student Aid officials said they would be checking the identities of an additional 300,000 aid applicants, on top of the 125,000 students already flagged in June. Some college advisers said they were alarmed by the sheer scale of the requests—especially given what they describe as a very tight timeline. Many financial aid advisers are worried that this latest effort to bolster identity verification in the student aid system could have unintended consequences. Instead of simply catching fraudulent grant applicants and borrowers, some fear that the verification process and the delays it can cause could also prevent real, eligible students from accessing public benefits. The largest unknown seems to be what the consequences of an incomplete or overdue identity verification will be.

Workforce Pell: Will the Big Beautiful Bill provision pave the way for faster career tracks?
Bankrate – August 24, 2025
The BBB’s new version of the Pell Grant, dubbed the “Workforce Pell Grant,” will be available July 1, 2026. It will provide gift aid that doesn’t need to be repaid for students enrolled in accredited short-duration skills-training programs, mostly at technical and community colleges. Historically, you needed to be pursuing an undergraduate course of study, and would receive less in Pell Grant funding if you were attending school part-time or for short periods. But not everyone is sure that Workforce Pell will truly move the needle.

Career and Technical Education Programs for High Schoolers
U.S. News & World Report – August 20, 2025
In an era of rapid technological change and industry demand for skilled workers, CTE programs have become a national priority, student programs are being reimagined and interest is surging. Gone are the days of vocational ed classes aimed at a narrow subset of students. Today’s CTE classes introduce high schoolers to a wide range of fields, from landscape design and data science to health sciences and business. Well-designed CTE experiences offer training through work-based or internship-like experiences that in turn strengthen classroom engagement by connecting classroom concepts to the real world. Here are some examples of what states and schools offer: