High School Counselor Week

New rules are limiting how teachers can teach Black History Month
Axios – February 1, 2022
Schools and universities are marking Black History Month starting today, but this is the first time it will be celebrated under new restrictions on diversity education imposed by some states. The constraints — under the guise of banning the teaching of critical race theory — limit what some state-supported institutions can discuss about the nation’s racial past.

Ransomware attacks on K-12 schools have increased during the pandemic
KTLA Los Angeles – January 31, 2022
Cyberattacks like the one that canceled classes for two days in Albuquerque’s biggest school district have become a growing threat to U.S. schools, with several high-profile incidents reported since last year. And the coronavirus pandemic has compounded their effects: More money has been demanded, and more schools have had to shut down as they scramble to recover data or even manually wipe all laptops.

More than half of teachers are looking for the exits, a poll says
NPR – February 1, 2022
Teachers are picking up slack for absent colleagues. They’re covering for unfilled positions. And 55% of them say they will leave teaching sooner than they had originally planned, according to a poll of its members by the nation’s largest teachers union.

Why You Should Celebrate National School Counseling Week
Post – February 2, 2022
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D. 

February is a month for planning ahead
Tribune News Service – February 2, 2022
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

National School Counseling Week
American School Counselor Association – February 1, 2022
National School Counseling Week 2022 is Feb. 7-11, 2022 and this year’s theme is School Counseling: Better Together. Check out the lineup of events for the week which includes numerous webinars of use to counselors, and download promotional and other materials

School shootings: What we know about them, and what we can do to prevent them
Brookings Institution – January 26, 2022
What are the problems that appear to underlie school shootings? How can we better respond to students that are in need? If a student does pose a threat and has the means to carry it out, how can members of the school community act to stop it? Getting a better grasp of school shootings, as challenging as it might be, is a clear priority for…

Why More Schools Are Adding Mental Health Breaks to the Calendar
EdSurge – February 2, 2022
These districts cited staffing shortages in their reasons for closing, but also pointed to burnout among parents, teachers and students. The resulting closures serve to highlight the strain the pandemic has placed on schools, and how districts are dealing with calls to put more emphasis on mental health supports and social-emotional learning.

Online quiz can help parents assess if their teen has a substance use problem
Kaiser Permanente Research Division – February 1, 2022
Parents are sometimes shocked to learn that their teenager has a drinking or drug problem. But an analysis by Kaiser suggests there may be clues in a child’s medical history, and they’ve used that research and input from parents to develop a free online tool that anyone can use to predict the risk of a child’s substance use problem. The online quiz is on the website of the Partnership to End Addiction, the non-profit organization that…

Amid a national mental health crisis for kids, here’s how parents can help
American Heart Association News – February 2, 2022
School closures. Family strains. Isolated and quarantined friends. Even when young people haven’t directly experienced COVID-19, the pandemic has strained their mental health. Often severely. All of it may leave parents asking some important questions.

Truth, Lies, and… College Admissions
TAPinto (NJ) – January 30, 2022
If the name Mackenzie Fierceton rings a bell, you probably read an article about her titled something like ‘Student Loses Rhodes Scholarship After Lying…’ But, as the saying goes: ‘The plot thickens.’ I’m going to do a post that uses her story to discuss some aspects of the college application process that are typically not talked about.

College Admission Trifecta Hopes To Build Back Better
Forbes – January 27, 2022
Today, Scoir announced a partnership with the higher education CRM platform, Slate by Technolutions and the Coalition for College, a membership organization “committed to making college a reality for all high school students through its set of free, online college planning tools that helps them learn about, prepare for, and apply to college.” Starting this summer, this college admission trifecta hopes to transform the application process while creating more access and equity in college enrollment.

Kaplan Survey: The Percentage of College Admissions Officers Who Say Applicants’ Social Media Content is ‘Fair Game’ Ticks Up
BusinessWire – February 1, 2022
A near record percentage of admissions officers think that applicants’ social media postings are ‘fair game’ to help determine who gets in. However, ‘…a far lower percentage of admissions officers are actually visiting applicants’ social media profiles, compared to the past few years. We believe that given COVID-related issues…’

College financial aid has something to offer everyone
WSAW-TV (WI) – February 2, 2022
Now is the perfect time for new and existing college students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the starting point for anyone looking for financial aid to help with tuition, books and fees.

College Isn’t For Everyone
Education Next – February 1, 2022
Almost everyone now admits that college, as traditionally defined, is not going to be for everyone. Yet those of us in and around K–12 education continue to behave as if virtually every student is expected to go off to a four-year university…Let many 16- and 17-year-olds spend time mostly in workplace apprenticeships, not traditional high school classrooms.

11 Alternatives to College Education
Career Sidekick – February 2, 2022
Below, I’m going to share multiple low-cost alternatives to college education that can lead to great career opportunities. There’s never been a better time to find career success without a bachelor’s degree. Here’s how:

High school students prepare for college, careers with CTE courses
Federal Way Mirror (WA) – January 31, 2022
The CTE pathways include a sequence of two or more specialized CTE courses aligned to the district’s strategic plan, High School and Beyond Plan learning benchmarks, and current industry demands, according to the district.