High School Counselor Week

FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program wind-down could widen homework gap
K-12 Dive – January 25, 2024
Unless Congress allocates more funding, the federal program helping connect nearly 23 million low-income families to internet services will cease. A key benefit is that the program allows more children to do their homework outside of school. Without the aid, it’s likely that the homework gap — the divide between students who can and cannot access internet at home — will worsen.

Hate crimes more than double at schools, FBI reports
K-12 Dive – January 30, 2024
Hate crimes more than doubled at elementary and secondary schools from 2018 to 2022, and by that last year, schools had become the third most known common locsation for hate crimes, according to FBI data released Monday. The U.S. Education Department has opened over 35 Title VI investigations into public schools since the latest conflict began in October 2023.

Millions of college students in limbo after FAFSA application information is delayed until March
NBC News – January 30, 2024
‘On the very day that schools were expecting FAFSA applicant information, they were instead notified by the U.S. Department of Education that they shouldn’t expect to receive that data until March, at the earliest…’ The delay is the result of Education Department’s previously reported inflation-calculation mistake. In its statement announcing the latest delay, the department also acknowledged that students can’t currently make corrections to their forms and wouldn’t be able to do so until the first half of March.

Making the Most of Spring Break: A Guide to Campus Visits for Families
Post – January 31, 2024
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer

NCES data sheds light on post-pandemic shifts for SROs, mental health resources
K-12 Dive – January 24, 2024
The findings, based on a nationally representative survey of about 4,800 public elementary and secondary schools, show a decrease from 2019-20 to 2021-22 in the percentage of schools reporting SROs on school grounds and offering mental health treatment to students. At the same time, schools have actually increased their social-emotional learning efforts Schools cited some of the same limitations to providing mental health support as in previous years, with inadequate access to licensed mental health professionals and insufficient funds topping the list. It’s also possible that new local policies requiring parents to actively opt in for their children for universal mental health screenings or student wellness activities may have led to fewer students taking part or being identified as needing additional support. But despite improved ratios of school counselors to students, schools remain understaffed in this area, said Jill Cook, executive director of ASCA. Critical school counseling interventions ‘are happening in schools today, but we need more school counselors and more access.’

Students Cite Mental Health Concerns and Anxieties As Possible Deterrents for College
Diverse Issues in Higher Education – January 30, 2024
Worries and anxieties may not just affect the college experience but also prevent a sizable portion of students from going to college altogether, according to a new survey from education company EAB. which involved surveying more than 6,000 high schoolers about mental health and college participation. More than a quarter of respondents applying or thinking about applying to college answered that mental health issues are one reason why they may choose to delay going to college or choose not to enroll at all. Other concerns that the respondents voiced included worries over how much stress college will cause, social worries over possibly not fitting in, and complications due to family responsibilities. A very notable half of students (54%) also cited affordability as a potential hurdle to them going to college. One EAB representative noted: ‘I don’t think that we were quite expecting this volume of students, of nearly 60% of high school students surveyed [reporting] feeling anxious most days. That was higher than what we anticipated.’ Respondents suggested that schools implement supports such as mental health sick days, simplified leave policies, programs for social connection, and counselor diversity.

‘Fundamentally against their safety’: the social media insiders fearing for their kids
The Guardian – January 18, 2024
Parents working for tech companies have a first-hand look at how the industry works – and the threats it poses to child safety. ‘The foundation of what drives this industry is fundamentally against the safety of our children,’ said one now former TikTok employee and parent of a four-year-old. The worker, who left the company in the months after this interview, asked not to be named for fear of retaliation from his employer. ‘When it comes to child safety, it’s always an afterthought.

Teens Are Taking Wegovy, and Experts Wonder What That Means for Mental Health
Teen Vogue – January 25, 2024
Whenever a new drug is approved for young people, it comes with many concerns — is it safe? What are the long term effects? — and semaglutide has been no different. Experts worry both about the long term impact of being overweight, and of taking drugs that we haven’t seen the effects of after years, never mind decades, of use. But since the new drug in question is for weight loss, some experts have raised different concerns: with use during a critical and fragile developmental time, how are these drugs and the weight loss associated with them impacting young people’s mental health? In a culture steeped in ‘doublespeak’ that often conflates weight and health, it’s a question Doreen Marshall, PhD, CEO of the National Eating Disorder Association, says is one worth asking. ‘There’s a concern that what might be underlying the pursuit of [weight loss] is not necessarily connected to health,’ Dr. Marshall tells Teen Vogue, ‘putting [young people] at risk of, or even reinforcing, an eating disorder.’

Building Critical Skills Through Business High School Summer Camps
Forbes – January 30, 2024
As new technological advances are introduced, business summer programs give high school students hands-on exposure to different business experiences. Gaining a solid foundation of business concepts early on can also help improve students’ financial literacy. By attending summer programs, participants can master basic economic principles, including the value of money and how to create a budget, helping the students make smart financial decisions.

Competitive (And Free) Summer Programs For High School Students
Forbes – January 29, 2024
No matter what students decide to do, the summer break can be an excellent time to explore interests, enhance skills or gain experiences that could shape their academic and professional futures. By attending competitive summer programs, students can jumpstart their hands-on experiences and growth as a student.

Maryland Bill Proposes That Colleges and Universities Guarantee Admission
The 74 – January 29, 2024
Maryland will consider joining a number of states that guarantee admission to certain first-year students at one of the state’s four-year public colleges and universities. The bill is in response to the Supreme Court 2023 ruling overturning affirmative action.

Penn’s legacy admissions under investigation by Education Department
Higher Ed Dive – January 23, 2024
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether the University of Pennsylvania’s legacy admissions policies constitute racial discrimination under federal law. Last month, a private complaint was filed against the university’s admissions practices that give preference to alumni relatives. Both this probe and a similar one at Harvard center on whether the universities’ legacy preferences violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race discrimination in federally funded institutions.

Colleges won’t receive FAFSA applicant info until March, Education Department says
Higher Ed Dive – January 28, 2024
The delay further truncates the timeline for institutions to make financial aid offers, and experts have worried that holdups may harm students.

Latest FAFSA delay makes it ‘unconscionable’ for colleges to ask students to commit by May 1
Morningstar – January 28, 2024
The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday that it would be transmitting families’ financial-aid data to colleges in the first half of March. The information is crucial to colleges’ ability to determine how much aid students will receive. Previously, the agency had said the data would be available to schools in the last week of January. Even under that late-January timeline, college counselors and others were concerned students and families would be rushed into making their college decisions.

How Blurring the Lines Between High School, College and Careers Can Set More Teens Up for Success
The 74 – January 27, 2024
I’ve always believed that education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for life success. A quality education leads to greater personal earnings, better health outcomes, a stronger economy, and lower community crime rates, among many other benefits. For example, bachelor’s and associate degree holders take home median weekly earnings of $1,334 and $963, respectively, compared to $809 for their peers with only a high school degree. But as the global economy rapidly evolves, we must rethink the way we educate students and our workforce. A fragmented approach—where high schools, postsecondary institutions, and employers all work in their own silos— shortchanges everyone.

How many people actually need a four-year diploma?
Higher Ed Dive – January 30, 2024
In general, it is clear that having a college degree results in higher earnings, better retirement options and lower chances of unemployment. Does that mean the entire population should go to college and obtain a degree? And how many jobs actually need a degree?

Indiana’s New Career Scholarships Create Training Choice, Cut Student Costs
The 74 – January 25, 2024
New career scholarships let high school students pick public or private career training, and can cover transportation, uniform and equipment costs. The $5,000 scholarships pay for career training and extra expenses like the tool belts, hammers, squares, and eye guards — which used to be out-of-pocket costs for students. Like Education Savings Accounts, which act like vouchers by giving money to families to use at schools they choose, the Career Scholarship Accounts give students state tax dollars to spend on job training from private training sites or from local public vocational schools.