High School Counselor Week

Focusing on Struggling Students Best for Improving School Safety, Parents Say
U.S. News & World Report – November 19, 2025
Metal detectors and active shooter drills have become hallmarks of school safety, but many parents think educators should focus on children’s mental health, a new poll reports. Nearly 60% of parents of elementary and middle schoolers say teacher training to identify and support students with emotional or behavioral problems would make schools safer. By comparison, only 35% think onsite police officers are effective. They prioritize responding to student’s emotional and social needs as effective strategies, with their other highest priorities being more school counselors (48%), a confidential reporting system in schools (45%) and for schools to expand friendship and inclusion efforts (42%)

Education Department transfers work to other agencies amid move to dismantle it
NBC 4 Washington DC – November 18, 2025
Here’s what we know about the Department of Education’s plans to move some grant programs to other federal agencies as part of the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the department.

Accreditation of Colleges, Once Low Key, Has Gotten Political
the74 – November 17, 2025
The accreditation process, often bureaucratic, cumbersome and time consuming, is critical to the survival of institutions of higher education. Colleges and their individual departments must undergo outside reviews — usually every few years — to prove that they meet certain educational and financial standards. If a school is not accredited, its students cannot receive federal aid such as Pell grants and student loans. Some accreditation agencies acknowledge the process needs to evolve. But critics say the Trump administration is reshaping accreditation for political reasons, and risks undermining the legitimacy of the degrees colleges and universities award to students.

How school counselors reduced chronic absenteeism and suspensions at a California school district
EdSource – November 14, 2025
The Livingston Union School District improved chronic absenteeism, suspensions and student well-being by investing in school counselors, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. The study examines how the small, five-campus K-8 school district implemented comprehensive school counseling — a system of integrated academic and mental health support for students and families — to outpace California on key metrics of post-pandemic recovery. LUSD also lowered suspension rates from 3.4% to 2.8% between 2022 and 2023, while in the same time frame, suspension rates in the rest of the state jumped from 3.1% to 3.5%

The curious disconnect between the data and the vibes of higher education
Chalkbeat – November 11, 2025
Some high school students are questioning the value of a college diploma. In turn, there’s been a veritable firehose of news stories about a generational pivot away from college due to some combination of ruinous costs, close-minded campus cultures, and appealing alternatives. But whatever the problems of higher education, the narrative has raced far ahead of the reality. Much of this mistaken story stems from a simple confusion: conflating enrollment in two-year and four-year colleges. While it’s true that fewer people are in community colleges, the number of students seeking bachelor’s degrees hasn’t changed much. Let’s unpack the disconnect between the data and the vibes.

Parental Guidance: How to Get Stuck Seniors to Finish Their Applications
U.S. News & World Report – November 13, 2025
In the novel “Treasure Island,” the main characters’ ship gets stuck on a windless ocean, forcing the crew to use rowboats to pull the heavy vessel closer to their destination. The Atlantic region that deprives sailing ships of momentum is known as the doldrums. There’s a chance your child is in a metaphorical version of this. They may not want to dig into regular decision applications. You may not want to hover over them, managing the process and keeping them on track for the next batch of deadlines. It’s a recipe for potential trouble. So here are some ways to get them in gear.

Community colleges face new challenges as Trump battles with higher education
PBS News Hour – November 18, 2025
The Trump administration’s battles over higher education have mostly focused on elite and some public universities. But the president’s policies are also creating challenges for some community colleges, and could undermine those schools’ plans to build more economic opportunities and jobs. Paul Solman reports for our series, Rethinking College.

Here’s When You Can Expect Early Admissions Results—And What You Should Be Doing In The Meantime
Forbes – November 19, 2025
With the November 1st deadline for early applications in the rearview mirror, many students find themselves in one of the most stressful stages of the process: awaiting their admissions results. But there are plenty of productive action steps that students can—and should—take as they await their early application results. Rather than wringing your hands and stressing about admissions decisions, here’s what you can do this November:

Colleges ease the dreaded admissions process as the supply of applicants declines
The Hechinger Report – November 18, 2025
As colleges worry about applicant declines, students are getting fee waivers, one-click applications—and higher acceptance rates.

Early College Programs: What to Know
U.S. News & World Report – November 8, 2025
For high school students eager to get a head start on college, early college programs offer an opportunity to earn a diploma and sometimes an associate degree at the same time. More than 1,000 high school early college programs have taken off across the U.S. since several foundations collaborated to create the Early College High School Initiative in 2002. Before signing up for a program, students and their families should know what’s required.

Here’s a way to graduate from college with little to no student debt
CNBC – November 17, 2025
For the most part, college costs keep rising, along with the amount students have to borrow to help cover the tab. But more than half of students earning bachelor’s degrees from public four-year universities graduate with zero student debt, according to newly released data from the College Board.

How Accurate Are College Cost Estimates? Hint: Not Very
The College Investor – November 15, 2025
According to a new report there are significant discrepancies between colleges’ published cost of attendance (COA) budgets and the actual expenses students face. A college’s COA, is supposed to measure total annual college costs for a student to attend the college, including both direct and indirect costs. However, colleges routinely underestimate numerous allowances, and omit others that students have to know to ask for. Too many allowances are averages, not actual costs. Worse, many colleges do not disclose how they calculate non-tuition costs… nor do they proactively inform students about the process for requesting an adjustment based on actual expenses.