High School Counselor Week

Board shake-ups, threats to tenure and money: How conservatives are reshaping colleges
USA Today – January 15, 2023
Since 2021, lawmakers in dozens of states have introduced legislation restricting lessons on race and systemic discrimination – often described as critical race theory – as well as on sexuality and gender identity. For the most part, the bills have centered on K-12 schools. Increasingly, though, the legislation has focused on higher education. Thirty-nine percent of bills in 2022 targeted higher ed, compared with 30% in 2021, according to an analysis last year by PEN America, a free speech and literacy organization.

5 higher education lawsuits to watch in 2023
Higher Ed Dive – January 9, 2023
Rulings are expected in several high-profile cases, including those that could determine the fate of race-conscious admissions and the DACA program.

College students who have jobs are much less likely to graduate than their privileged peers, shocking study finds
Fortune – January 11, 2023
Students who work while enrolled in college are about 20% less likely to complete their degrees than similar peers who don’t work, a large and meaningful decrease in predicted graduation rates. This is mainly because students who work large amounts – over 15 hours a week – take fewer college credits per semester. With so many students trying to juggle work and school, colleges and policymakers could take more steps to support working students and help them meet their needs, such as extending access to financial aid for longer periods…

The College Planning Calendar – for high school freshmen and sophomores
Post – January 18, 2023
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer

What Are Some Healthy Ways for Adolescents to Engage with Social Media? Tips for Engaging with Intentionality
NC State University – January 17, 2023
High school students—who Adria Dunbar, an assistant professor of counselor education in the NC State College of Education, works with as part of her research on issues related to social media—report they can spend up to three hours at a time on any given day on social media. With more schools moving to a 1:1 technology model, constant interruptions and notifications from social media can keep teens in a ‘fight or flight’ mode as they feel a need to instantly respond to each alert. This state of hyper awareness can be damaging to teens’ well being in a number of ways, including experiencing lack of sleep, catering to an invisible audience and feeling a constant sense of obligation to others. Teens’ social media use needs to be occasionally disrupted, said Dunbar, whose research focuses on innovation in counseling and the impact of social media use on teens’ mental health.

Female high school graduates lag behind males in college readiness, concludes a national survey
University Business – January 13, 2023
The report gathered information from 500 graduated students from the classes of 2019 to 2022 and asked them questions about their exposure to college readiness resources in high school and how confident they were in taking the next step. The results imply that female students were consistently underprepared compared to their male counterparts. A possible reason why women feel limited in their career choices and are underinformed has to do with lingering stereotypes about what industries males and females are ‘expected’ to enter after high school.

Meet the Helpers: How a bilingual school counselor in Adams 14 helps students and families
Chalkbeat – January 11, 2023
As more schools see a need to focus on student mental health, districts are hiring new mental health professionals to help. But what do these various positions involve, how do they work together, and how can they help students? Chalkbeat talked to a bilingual school counselor in Adams 14 to learn more about how school counselors work with students and how being bilingual contributes to the job.

Deciding What to Do With Your Life & Career in High School: Stop The Absurdity & 6 Tips
Just Keep Carving Paths – January 13, 2023
By taking pause to consider alternatives, parents can support their children in making well informed decisions during their final years of high school. The future is bright, but it can be even brighter if we offer our students a little more time and guidance in deciding their next steps beyond high school.

2023 Top College Admission Resources
Forbes – January 15, 2023
Where do we start? There is certainly no shortage of noise about admission and it can lead to information overload and/or straight-out falsities. As a new group of students enters into the admission cycle, I conducted an informal poll of my colleagues in high schools and colleges to crowdsource the most recommended resources. I collected the books, websites, blogs, and podcasts most often cited and culled the list to help focus your search. Again, this was an unscientific poll, but all great resources with which to start.

Road to College: Decisions in hand? Next steps to enroll in college
Los Altos Town Crier (CA) – January 10, 2023
For high school seniors, this time of year can be very exciting. Students are expecting to hear the results of their early applications between now and the end of January. With decisions in hand, how can students go about making sure they make the enrollment choice that is the best for them, and what steps should they take to submit their enrollment successfully?

Early Decision Continues to Attract Students
Inside Higher Ed – January 17, 2023
At colleges that are highly competitive, programs in which students apply early are very popular. Some critics say that’s part of the problem.

‘So many pathways’: Military recruiters tout broader opportunities to get a college education—even through part-time military service
Yahoo! News – January 13, 2023
There are more military scholarships — and unique ways to obtain them through military service — than ever before. But hundreds aren’t being utilized across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Some programs don’t even require volunteers to take basic training — including the Minuteman Campaign — or serve on overseas deployments. But informing high school students about the programs has become increasingly difficult, one recruiter said, adding he himself paid $90 to get his degree in business administration.

Frank, the college loan start-up JPMorgan is suing for fraud, was warned by the FTC for misleading students about Covid relief money
Business Insider – January 13, 2023
The warning letter is at least the second time Frank and its founder, Charlie Javice, have faced accusations of misrepresentation prior to the JPMorgan acquisition. These incidents now appear as potentially more serious red flags about operations at the company, after JPMorgan accused the startup in a lawsuit last month of inventing millions of fake customers to boost its value. Frank also settled with the federal government in 2018 over accusations that the startup was misrepresenting its ties to the Department of Education.

ACT Tips And Tricks: Your Guide To Taking The ACT
Forbes – January 13, 2023
With ample preparation and a few helpful tricks, taking a standardized college admission test like the American College Test (ACT) can be a painless process. In recent years, many universities have dropped standardized test scores from their admissions requirements, but voluntarily submitting strong scores can still give you an advantage. Pay close attention to these top ACT tips (and a few tricks) to help you excel on exam day.