High School Counselor Week

The surprising barrier to college enrollment growth
Fast Company – November 11, 2026
For years, colleges have asked how to attract more students. Perhaps the more important question now is whether their operations can support the students they’re working so hard to recruit. Because the next era of enrollment growth won’t be defined solely by who generates the most interest. It will be shaped by who can turn that interest into enrollment without overwhelming the people and systems behind it.

School closures are accelerating in US, but more financial pain lies ahead
KTVB-7 (ID) – November 9, 2026
As U.S. birth rates continue a multi decade slide and state and federal education funding dries up, an increasing number of cash-strapped school districts around the country have resorted to closing campuses to save money. At the same time, new research shows student enrollment has fallen much faster than schools are closing, suggesting more painful financial choices lie ahead.

The College Applicants Who Won’t Share Their Race
The Chronicle of Higher Education – November 9, 2026
In the early data on colleges’ fall enrollment, there’s a number that stands out: 14 percent. That’s the rise since 2025 in students selecting “race unknown” on their college applications — and in doing so, declining to share their racial identity as part of the admissions process. It’s a decision that doesn’t serve any strategic advantage — most admissions officers can’t see a student’s race on college applications, anyway — but it has higher-ed researchers concerned about what’s going on, and what it might mean.

New WorkKeys Resource: Turn Scores Into Career Action
ACT – November 10, 2026
Students often receive results and immediately ask: “What do these scores mean for me?” The ACT WorkKeys Skills-Based Career Navigation Toolkit has been updated and is designed to help answer that question by connecting workplace skills with career exploration and next steps. The new Career Navigation Canvas gives counselors a simple, practical way to help students turn their results into meaningful career conversations and next steps. The free Canvas provides a simple, four-step process counselors can use during individual advising, career-readiness lessons, CTE programs, or conversations about internships, apprenticeships, postsecondary education, and employment.

The College Admissions Conversations That Can Change A Student’s Chances
Forbes – November 9, 2026
Strong professional relationships between school counselors and college admissions officers can provide vital context for student applications. However, significant resource disparities prevent many public school counselors from building these networks. A strong relationship between a school counselor and an admissions officer can put important context in front of decision-makers…but not every counselor has the time or access to build one. The answer can’t be to ask every counselor to build a professional network on top of an already crushing job. Colleges have a responsibility to make themselves reachable. A student’s chances shouldn’t depend on whom their counselor knows. But every student merits the benefit of what a knowledgeable counselor can say.

Colleges Are Getting Creative to Help Students With Kids
Reasons To Be Cheerful – November 9, 2026
Students at rural colleges are more likely to be parents, but less likely to have on-campus childcare. So colleges are getting creative.

Write a Common App Activities List (2026-27): Examples & Free Template
Collegewise – November 3, 2026
At Collegewise, we’ve read thousands of activity lists over 27 years, and here’s what surprises most families: the entries that stand out are rarely the most impressive activities. They’re the most specific ones. The specificity (which we will discuss further) is what can take a mundane activity and turn it into something that stands out. This guide gives you everything you need to get it right: what changed in the 2026-2027 cycle, a simple formula for writing 150-character descriptions, real before-and-after rewrites, and a free template for families to use.

What are Admissions Videos and Should I Make One?
Bright Horizons – October 27, 2026
As you work on your college applications, you may notice the option to upload a short introductory video of yourself. But should you? The short answer: it depends! Many students wonder what colleges and universities gain from applicants submitting videos. Well, we have some answers for you.

Rethinking How Schools Prevent and Respond to Bullying
Wheelock College – November 10, 2026
Bullying can have lasting consequences students, affecting their mental health, well-being, and sense of safety. As schools work to address bullying, how can they respond so that students and families feel supported? Two faculty members from Wheelock’s Counseling Psychology program and a guest attorney join us to examine how schools can better protect students and support positive outcomes for them, their families, and communities.

Largest Scholarships, Ranked by Value
The College Investor – November 10, 2026
These are the biggest awards in our directory, ranked by what each one can pay over its full term. A renewable scholarship worth $10,000 a year for four years counts as $40,000 here, so a multiyear award ranks ahead of a larger one-time check. Money above tuition and required fees can count as taxable scholarship income, so big awards are worth a look at the tax rules.

New Parent PLUS loan limits could make paying for college harder for families
CBS News – November 8, 2026
New limits on federal Parent PLUS loans could make it harder for some families to pay for their children’s college education. Changes to the federal Parent PLUS Loan program took effect July 1, capping how much parents can borrow at $20,000 per year and $65,000 per student in total. As a result, many families may need to explore other ways to cover college costs, including institutional or private loans, scholarships and grants.

The un-college revolution: Students are seeking bigger paychecks in trade school, and a new $7,395 workforce training grant could accelerate the shift
AOL News – November 10, 2026
With the high cost of tuition and a challenging job market, some students are starting to ask a bigger question: Is a traditional four-year college degree still worth the price? For many high school seniors, the answer isn’t automatic anymore. Instead of heading straight to a university, a growing number are exploring alternatives in what’s often called the “un-college” movement, focusing instead on career paths offered by community colleges or trade schools.

What employers should do to build a pipeline of talented Gen Z workers
Morningstar – November 9, 2026
Employers are direct beneficiaries of CTE, and they can do more to support and engage with these programs at both the federal and state levels.

Viewpoint: Planning for College? Think Like a Chief Risk Officer
Delaware Business Times – November 9, 2026
For many families across Delaware, one school year is underway while planning for the next has just begun. And for those with high school seniors, that means college applications, financial aid forms, and money decisions are stacking up. Lately I’ve been thinking about what my family’s college journey has taught me. Funny enough, it keeps bringing me back to my time as a Chief Risk Officer. The stakes are different, of course. But the discipline is familiar: define the outcome, test the assumptions, understand the trade-offs, plan for different scenarios, and make the most informed decision you can.