High School Counselor Week

US higher ed faces mounting attacks on academic freedom, report warns
Higher Ed Dive – September 18, 2026
Over the last academic year, federal and state politicians repeatedly sought to pressure colleges into “ideological compliance,” Scholars at Risk found.

More high school grads are going to college—and staying
University Business – September 17, 2026
Mew research delivers slim but welcome news for college leaders about students’ enrollment habits. The share of recent high school graduates who enrolled in college and returned for a second year increased, according to the National Student Clearinghouse’s 2026 High School Benchmarks report. This is especially true for students graduating from high-poverty schools. College persistence among this group increased 1.7 percentage points between the 2022 and 2023 graduating classes, up to 76%.

Billion Dollar Blitz: College sports’ big business is bankrolled by taxpayers and students
KOTA (SD) – August 24, 2026
Across America, big-time college athletics is a $12 billion industry, in most cases, living beyond its means. Ticket sales, TV deals, sponsorships and other revenue sources don’t bring in enough money to cover the bills. So, universities are filling sometimes massive gaps from their general funds and charging students millions of dollars in mandatory fees to support athletics. Last year, public universities that are members of the Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, collectively took in more than $2.1 billion from students and their general funds to pay for sports, InvestigateTV found.

CDC’s teen behavior report focuses on nutrition, downplays sex and drug use
NBC News – September 21, 2026
The CDC on Monday published the results of its latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which queried high school students nationwide in 2025. The survey offers the most robust snapshot of teen health in the U.S., including their mental health, social media and substance use, physical activity, sleep behaviors and dietary habits. While many trends show improvement overall, they often vary by demographic group. The survey includes a link to the YRBS Explorer, which allows public users to view and visualize all data, as well as links to download the full datasets and documentation.

Amid Shortage of Counselors, Students Need Stronger Networks, Not More Chatbots
The 74 – September 14, 2026
Turning to tech is rational when human resources are scarce. But swapping chatbots for overworked counselors masks a more fundamental problem: For decades, schools have tried to make a one-to-many advising model work. AI could be a tool to help schools create something different: a many-to-one model in which each young person is surrounded by a strong network of teachers, alumni, family, mentors, employers, coaches and counselors working together to help students make progress. It isn’t just a nice idea — it’s already taking shape with AI tools specifically designed to foster, rather than shortcut, connection. States and districts should demand that advising technology help students identify, strengthen and expand the human networks around them and measure whether those networks actually grow.

Could a warning label stop teens from doom-scrolling? New study says maybe
WMTV (WI) – September 23, 2026
You might be worried about your teen being hooked on social media and now some health officials are asking if a warning label could help.

Fewer Credits, Same Value? The Rise of Reduced-Credit Bachelor’s Degrees
EdTrust – September 21, 2026
Since many students are reconsidering the traditional four-year degree, some colleges and universities are proposing shortened bachelor’s degree programs. Is this a good thing?

High Schooler Builds the College Prep Platform He Wanted
Government Technology – September 21, 2026
Frustrated with scattered, costly resources for college preparation, a 16-year-old high school student in Virginia saw an opportunity to create something better. Creator Shriyan Avadhanula said it wasn’t that he couldn’t find information about college; he found plenty of it. What frustrated him was how that information was presented in a disjointed way, and how students like him were trying to use it.His own free platform, Scholark, is now used by thousands, and includes both AP test preparation and college admissions resources.

I Ranked The College Rankings. The Best One Isn’t Really A Ranking
Forbes – September 14, 2026
U.S. News has its rankings. Forbes has ours. The Wall Street Journal has one. Money rates colleges. Washington Monthly ranks them. LinkedIn and others have joined the business. Then there’s higher-education writer Jeff Selingo’s list, which essentially says: here are 75 colleges worth a look that you might otherwise overlook. Traditional college rankings often misrepresent institutional quality by prioritizing selectivity and pre-enrollment student achievements, rather than a college’s actual impact. The most effective college guide helps students find a place for individual growth, suggesting the best ranking might be one that refuses to rank at all.

‘We’ve simplified it’: Education Department rolls out FAFSA form earlier than ever before
ABC News – September 23, 2026
The form went live on Wednesday, September 23rd. The major changes include clearer, less complicated language that removes “confusing jargon,” and a family friendly form that allows students to invite a contributor via text or email, according to the department. “Instead of it taking hours or even days to fill out, it takes 15 minutes on average,” said Nicholas Kent, ED Under Secretary for Higher Education.

How Texas Is Trying to Make College Costs More Transparent
EdTrust – September 22, 2026
By law, colleges must publish a full cost of attendance, covering tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses. But there’s no uniform method for how they calculate. Texas is setting state standards

When students attend these colleges, taxpayers often pay. Here’s why
NPR – September 16, 2026
Five-hundred colleges and universities in the U.S. now share one alarming distinction: At least 40% of recent students who borrowed federal loans aren’t paying them back. With rising public fear over student debt — as well as skepticism about the value of higher education — this data shines a hot light on hundreds of mostly for-profit schools where something is clearly not working.

Here’s what happens when colleges make the SAT optional
Chalkbeat – September 22, 2026
Debating the value of the SAT is something of an American pastime. It can be hard to separate fact from rhetoric in this debate, so I wanted to take a careful look at the evidence to answer two key questions: Do admissions tests tend to help or harm lower-income students? And has de-emphasizing tests resulted in more students struggling in college?