High School Counselor Week
Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country
.May 15, 2025
What’s needed to strengthen career and college pathway commitments?
K-12 Dive – May 12, 2025
Leaders from education, business, government and politics say career exposure in K-12 and higher ed is needed to meet workplace demands. The momentum for providing all students access to meaningful career and college pathways is growing, but hurdles such as funding, teacher training, reluctance to change and other factors stand in the way, said speakers at the National Pathways Summit on Thursday. Experiential learning about careers is what students, families and educators want. Industry leaders also want to employ workers with job skills and essential abilities like problem solving, collaboration and resilience. And these skills and abilities are not just desirable, but critical to the health of the economy.
Personal finance becomes the newest ‘adulting’ lesson for high schoolers
MSN – May 11, 2025
A growing number of high school students are taking classes to learn how to handle their financial future. Classes typically cover basics like cash-flow management, taxes, insurance, paying for college and the importance of investing early. Topics might also include financing a car or mortgage, how credit scores work, or how to open a small business or work in the gig economy. Early studies show that students who have taken such courses earn more grants and scholarships for college, rely less on credit cards, and are less likely to use alternative financial services such as payday loans.
How proposed changes to higher education accreditation could impact campus diversity efforts
The Conversation – May 8, 2025
President Donald Trump on April 23, 2025, signed an executive order that aims to change the higher education accreditation process. It asks accrediting agencies to root out “discriminatory ideology” and roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on college campuses. We asked Jimmy Aguilar, who studies higher education at the University of Southern California, to explain what accreditation is, why it matters and how the Trump order seeks to change it.
Your baby is about to graduate… what does this mean for you and for them?Post – May 7, 2025
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer
How to organise a careers fair from scratch
Times Higher Eduation – May 1, 2025
As a future pathways counsellor, one of my responsibilities is to help my students explore various career paths. However, I realised that there was a limit to how well I could describe what it’s like to work in business or as a doctor. I can show students the university curriculum of the study pathway, suggest TED talks to watch or books to read, and even organise sessions for alumni to speak to them. However, I cannot offer insights from lived experience. Guest or alumni talks address this gap but are naturally limited in their scope. That’s when I realised the benefits of a careers fair. A fair would bring together representatives from various industries, who would be able to offer diverse, first-hand insights, all in the span of a couple of hours. However, these couple of hours usually take months to organise. Last month, I hosted the second careers fair at my school and wanted to share some of the lessons I learned about planning a smooth and effective event.
How to Prevent Summer Melt
Appily – April 29, 2025
“Summer melt” describes the outcome of recent high school graduates who fully intend to enroll in college, but ultimately don’t matriculate in the fall for a myriad of reasons. First-generation and lower-income students are especially impacted by this phenomenon, so continued support from college prep and advising programs during the summer months is invaluable. But even if you only work with students 10 months of the year, there are a few ways you can combat summer melt and ease students’ transition to successfully starting college. If this sounds like a lot of work for your already overworked staff, remember that you don’t have to combat summer melt alone. Here are a few ways to get started, plus some resources and tools that can help.
Mental Health Awareness Month: Elevating teen voices and the parents who listen
AFRO News – May 13, 2025
Teen mental health has been in the national attention as more emotionally aware parents take a thoughtful approach to support. Though teens may be young, their emotional struggles–if ignored–can lead to severe consequences. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, teacher Brittany Williams and her 13-year-old daughter share their experiences of navigating daily mental health challenges and recognizing warning signs, along with input from experts and links to mental health information and resources.
When to Seek Mental Health Support for Your Child or Teen
Psychology Today – May 13, 2025
Whether your child has a diagnosed disability or you’re still in the process of figuring things out, knowing when to reach out for help can be the key to preventing long-term struggles for both your child and yourself. Below are some important signs that it might be time to seek therapy for your child, coaching for yourself, or both.
Still On The College Waitlist? Here’s What To Expect
Forbes – May 14, 2025
With applications reaching record-breaking numbers, more schools are utilizing waitlists to ensure that they have a full freshman class enrolling in the fall. Here’s what students on the waitlist need to understand moving forward.
Consider Taking Community College Classes While at a 4-Year University
U.S. News & World Report – May 13, 2025
University and community college might seem like an either-or choice. However, it’s possible to be enrolled in both simultaneously, experts say. In fact, many four-year university students leverage community college to meet their academic goals. Here’s what to know about co-enrollment.
Dual Enrollment Numbers Are Rising. Colleges Want Them to Keep Growing.
EdSurge – May 9, 2025
Dual enrollment courses are considered some of the best ways to prepare students for the rigor and content in college-level curricula. Research shows that it can also be difficult to access these courses, though, especially for students of color and those from lower income areas. Often state policies require students to take complicated exams or pay to take the classes. Some areas may not have enough qualified teachers to offer them. To make dual enrollment work, K-12 schools, higher education institutions and state governments must work together to improve access to the courses and ensure that all students can take advantage of them.
Time’s Running Out to Fill Out the FAFSA: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Wait
CNET – May 8, 2025
Financial aid has been having a tough time lately. But despite the turmoil, you should still submit the FAFSA. And you have less than two months to submit your application if you need help paying for college this year. This guide can help you get it done before the June 30th deadline.
More Credits, Less Aid: A Formula for Making College Unaffordable
EdTrust – May 8, 2025
A new House proposal would redefine what it means to be a “full-time student” for the purposes of Pell Grant eligibility — and in doing so, quietly cut financial aid for more than a million students from low-income backgrounds. Buried in the FY25 budget reconciliation bill is a provision that would tie full Pell Grant eligibility to completing at least 30 credit hours per year. That’s 15 credits per term —up from the long-standing 12-credit full-time standard per term used by nearly every college, state agency, and scholarship program. This redefinition of full-time status would mean that not just future students but current students now considered full-time would be affected. At most four-year colleges, about 1 in 4 undergraduates rely on Pell. At community colleges, it’s often more than half. Many of those students attend part-time — and under this proposal, would lose access to the full Pell Grant. Ironically, this move also undercuts recent bipartisan efforts to expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term and workforce programs — many of which don’t meet current full-time credit thresholds.
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5 Tips to Handle the Transition From High School to College
Siena College Admissions Blog – May 14, 2025
If you’re a high school senior, chances are your head’s spinning a little right now. Finals are looming, graduation’s around the corner, the goodbyes are starting to hit, and college is suddenly very real. You’re definitely not alone. This chapter of life is full of anticipation, but it’s also full of change. With change comes stress, uncertainty, and sometimes overwhelm. So let’s talk about how you can take care of your mental health right now while navigating all of it.
How to Navigate the College Search Without a Counselor
University of Richmond Admission Blog – April 30, 2025
“Ask your college counselor! They’re an awesome resource in the college process.” I’m guilty of using this statement all the time. And it’s true. But I need to remind myself that for every student who has a college counseling office at their school, there are likely twice as many who do not have access to a dedicated college counselor. If you find yourself in this camp, you’re not alone. The good news: there are so many free and reputable resources out there to help. Here are a few of our favorites!
Peer-led program helps teens address mental health challenges
Spectrum Local News – May 12, 2025
There’s a peer-led mental health program happening in schools across the country that’s focused on helping kids deal with some pretty big feelings well before a crisis happens. Sources of Strength teaches young people to look to each other to help build better connections in school. It is a national bullying, suicide prevention and substance misuse program that is not only in high schools, but is also available at some LGBTQ centers, youth detention centers and faith-based groups.
Teens who want to quit vaping have another medication option
Science News – May 8, 2025
A recent clinical trial suggests that a drug used to stop smoking can help. In the last four weeks of a 12-week trial, 51% of 88 teens and young adults taking the drug varenicline, paired with counseling and text messaging support, abstained from vaping completely. That’s compared with only 14% of the 87 participants taking a placebo drug.
More women are landing construction jobs. Trump’s war on DEI could change that
The Hechinger Report – May 14, 2025
Despite making up 47% of the workforce in the U.S., women constitute less than 5% of workers in skilled construction trades — a cluster of careers that typically offer high pay without requiring a college degree. The few women who land apprenticeships in a skilled trade often face bullying, harassment and low-level work opportunities. In recent years, nonprofit groups offering “preapprenticeships” and other programs dhave made some progress in changing the culture of construction worksites and improving access for women, nearly doubling the share of women in skilled trades from less than 3 percent to about 5 percent in the past decade. Now, advocates say those efforts are under threat.
America’s Investment in Education Is Lagging — and the Workforce Pays the Price
The 74 – May 12, 2025
For much of the 20th century, the United States set the global standard for higher education, driving economic expansion. Today, that reality is slipping away. The U.S. now ranks 20th globally in post-high school attainment among 25- to 34-year-olds. Countries such as South Korea, Canada and Japan have surged ahead by prioritizing education and workforce development through sustained public investment, affordability initiatives and alignment with labor market needs. Other nations have updated education systems to match evolving industries and strengthened workforce training programs. In contrast, instead of strengthening the system that once made America an economic powerhouse, the U.S. is retreating, and the consequences are dire.