High School Counselor Week

Public school enrollment in the U.S. slipping as alternatives gain support
NBC News – April 21, 2024
More and more, parents are opting America’s children out of public school. The share of children ages 5 to 17 enrolled in public schools fell by almost 4 percentage points from 2012 to 2022, an NBC News analysis of Census Bureau data found, even as the overall population grew. During the same period, the share of 5 to 17 year-olds enrolled in private schools increased by 2 percentage points, and charter schools saw a similar increase. At the same time that states are pushing school choice programs, public schools — already dealing with declining enrollment — have faced budget cuts, teacher shortages, and laws and fights over what is taught in the classroom.

Rep. Bobby Scott requests hearing on segregation prior to Brown v. Board 70th anniversary
K-12 Dive – April 23, 2024
The congressman says resistance to the landmark Supreme Court ruling has ‘slowed the efforts to eradicate decades of legal segregation.’

There’s Already a Solution to the STEM Crisis: It’s in High Schools
The 74 – April 17, 2024
Some solutions include creating a sense of joy and belonging in the classroom and making the high school schedule less rigid.

Do’s and Don’ts of the Wait-List
Post – April 24, 2024
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer

Bereaved students like me are more likely to struggle in school. Here’s what we need to thrive.
Chalkbeat – April 28, 2024
Two years later, my grief journey is still not over. It will never be over, but I have gleaned some important lessons from it. Perhaps the most meaningful lesson is how important empathy and compassion is within the school community. On too many occasions grieving students are met with indifference or misguided attempts to ‘inspire’ them to persevere in the name of their lost loved one. Educators insinuate that the student is somehow disappointing the deceased if they take the time to process their grief. But when your mental health isn’t good, you most likely won’t perform as well academically. This is not an essay about personal loss. It’s a call to action for educators and schools to recognize the impact of home life on student performance and make changes.

Teen mental health is in crisis in the US, and schools are ill-equipped to help
Stacker – April 23, 2024
American teenagers are growing more anxious, depressed, and lonely—and many have limited or no access to the help and resources they so desperately need. To address this drastic decline in student well-being, recent policy initiatives to expand mental health services in schools and increase accessibility to teens are on the table. Despite these promising initiatives, mental health services in schools are strained. All told, only about half of K-12 public schools report they can effectively provide mental health services for all students in need. Roughly two-thirds of public schools that offer mental health services have on-site licensed mental health professionals, while around half rely on external professionals.

Authoritarian Parenting Can Make It Harder for a Child to Succeed—Here’s Why
Parents – April 15, 2024
A study says parents are trying to take control of their child’s academic pursuits. Experts explain why that can cause issues.

New Mexico paid intern program paves professional path for high school students
NBC News – April 11, 2024
X3, a unique program in New Mexico run by the non-profit Future Focused Education, helps high school students pave a professional path with experiences through paid internships. NBC News’ Kate Snow speaks to a few interns and their mentors on how they believe the skills learned at their internships can’t be taught through a textbook.

More public colleges admit high schoolers even before they’ve applied
Stateline – April 24, 2024
Direct admissions programs are likely to grow in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing race-based admissions.

If AI takes over more work of college graduates, where does that leave higher ed?
Higher Ed Dive – April 18, 2024
While instructors and administrators weigh if and how to incorporate artificial intelligence into coursework, the emerging technologies pose broader existential questions about the role of higher education.

Iowa Board of Regents report recommends keeping Classic Learning Test out of college admissions
Iowa City Press-Citizen – April 19, 2024
A draft report to the Iowa Board of Regents recommends excluding from state universities’ admissions formula a standardized test used mostly by home-schooled or private school students. The team and Iowa State University experts on statistics and psychometrics researched the test’s background and how it compares to the traditional standardized tests. The group found students taking it weren’t representative of students wishing to attend a state university. They also found a lack of evidence connecting the test to student outcomes and its use for course placements.

Are race-conscious scholarships on their way out?
The Conversation – April 22, 2024
Are scholarships that use race as part of their criteria a thing of the past? The short answer is ‘no.’ But based on a review of the 2023 Supreme Court decision and other precedent, such programs will have to pass a tough judicial test. Even then, race can’t be the only factor.

Sticker prices increasingly fail to capture college costs, research finds
Higher Ed Dive – April 17, 2024
Sticker prices are an easy metric to track but they’re only paid by a small share of students — and even that share has been declining. They obscure the true cost of higher education and hinder researchers’ grasp of what students pay. ‘Understanding how much lower- and middle-income students pay is particularly important if we are seeking to improve college access,’ said one expert…

Financial Aid Reform Was His Legacy. Now, Lamar Alexander Calls it ‘a Big Mess’
The 74 – April 21, 2024
Lamar Alexander — former governor of Tennessee, U.S. education secretary and Republican leader of the Senate education committee — thought the FAFSA Simplification Act would be his legacy.
He was so bound up with the quest to streamline the process that he became known for unfurling the 108-question paper form at press conferences. ‘What people forget,’ he pointed out, ‘is you have to fill this out every year, and it’s easy to make a mistake. That means it’s easy to lose your scholarship.’ In a brief interview, Alexander discussed how he would have handled the botched rollout differently…

9 Gen Z work trends that aren’t new but hit different now
Fast Company – April 18, 2024
I’m a Gen Zer who will be officially stepping into the workforce a year from now, so I’m curious about learning how the working world functions. I’ll admit I’ve gone down countless rabbit holes on TikTok to hear more about office life and the trends that surround it. What surprised me the most was that these work-related trends are really not new. Here are some trends and values they are reviving in the workplace.

Many in Gen Z ditch colleges for trade schools. Meet the ‘toolbelt generation’
NPR – April 22, 2024
A growing number of young people have chosen to swap college for vocational schools that offer paid, on-the-job training. The high cost of college isn’t the only factor driving many young people toward skilled trades. With the use of artificial intelligence on the rise, many Gen Zers see manual labor as less vulnerable to the emerging technology than white-collar alternatives. They also say vocational schools are a straight path to well-paying jobs. Increasing salaries and new technologies in fields such as welding, plumbing and machine tooling are giving trade professions a face-lift, making them more appealing to the younger crowd.

NU, Google to Offer Career Certificates to Students, Alumni and All Nebraskans
The 74 – April 18, 2024
Interim NU President Chris Kabourek announced Tuesday that the university will soon offer Google Career Certificates in a variety of fields. The goal of the partnership is to provide opportunity, not make money. Google experts teach the programs, which are vetted by leading employers. Students learn at their own pace over three to six months of part-time study in multiple courses. Advanced certifications are also available, tailored for learners with multiple years of experience or as a next step after completing an entry-level certificate.