High School Counselor Week
Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country
January 25, 2024
Students do better and schools are more stable when teachers get mental health support
The Conversation – January 18, 2024
When it comes to mental health at school, typically the focus is on helping students, especially as they emerge from the pandemic with heightened levels of anxiety, stress and emotional need. But as school officials seek to put resources toward student well-being, another school population is possibly being overlooked: teachers.
American Youth Say They Will Show Up to Vote
Tufts Now (Tufts University) – January 5, 2024
A new survey finds 57% of young people are extremely likely to cast ballots in the 2024 election. Here are the places it may make all the difference
Federal Data Shows a Drop in Campus Cops — For Now
The 74 – January 19, 2024
As the Department of Justice issues a scathing report condemning ‘critical failures’ in the Uvalde police response, new federal data show police presence in schools dwindled after Black Lives Matter protests. Between May 2020 and June 2022, more than 50 school districts nationwide ended their school resource officer programs or cut their budgets following widespread BLM protests and concerns that campus policing has detrimental effects on students — and Black youth in particular. The downward trend may be short-lived, and advocates for police-free schools recognize the headwinds they face.
Making the Most of Scheduling SeasonPost – January 24, 2024
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.
FAQs on the New Digital SAT
Post – January 17, 2024
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer
How Students in Seattle Got More School Counselors—Paid for by the City’s Wealthiest Corporations
The Nation – January 19, 2024
Local politicians said it couldn’t be done. The Seattle Times said it shouldn’t be done. The students stuck to their demands and proved them wrong. Natalya McConnell—a high school senior and a cofounder of the Seattle Student Union—shares how students made a bold demand, and pressured the politicians by mobilizing students and counselors throughout the district. “We showed them that we were not going to give up and, in the end, we won.”
The Education Department says it will fix its $1.8 billion FAFSA mistake
NPR – January 23, 2024
Families have a lot of questions right now about how much financial help they’ll get for college. Financial aid offices can’t yet answer, because this year’s FAFSA is months behind schedule. And to make things really complicated, it includes a mistake that would make some applicants appear to have more income than they really do, meaning they would get less aid than they should. The ED’s FAFSA math, for deciding how much aid a student should get, is wrong. On Tuesday, an ED spokesperson finally confirmed that the department will fix this mistake in time for the 2024-2025 award year, though they could not provide details on how or how quickly. For the first time, the department also gave a sense of just how much federal student aid students could lose out on if it’s not fixed: $1.8 billion dollars. With no further details, college financial aid offices are worried, and financial aid timelines are still in the air.
A ‘Brief But Spectacular’ take on Dreamers pursuing higher education
PBS News Hour – January 22, 2024
Karen Vallejos is the executive director of the Dream Project, dedicated to supporting students whose immigration status may pose challenges to their academic aspirations. As a former undocumented student herself, Vallejos saw the barriers in place that prevent immigrant students from realizing their dreams. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on Dreamers pursuing higher education. (transcript included)
Advice for Parents and Caregivers on Teens and Mental Health
Tufts Now (Tufts University) – January 18, 2024
From anxiety and depression to stress and social media, many teens are struggling. Tufts experts share tips for how to help through prevention and treatment
Experts on Kids & Social Media Weigh the Pros and Cons of ‘Growing Up in Public’
The 74 – January 17, 2024
In a 74 Interview, Carla Engelbrecht (a longtime children’s media developer) and Devorah Heitner (an author and speaker who specializes in helping parents and educators understand how digital technology, especially social media and interactive gaming, shape kids’ realities) urge parents to eschew online surveillance of their children and instead lead with curiosity.
Young students deciding on colleges weigh state politics in their decisions
NBC News – January 22, 2024
This spring, high school seniors across the country will weigh school rankings, academic specialties and campus life as they decide where to commit to the next chapter of their life. For some, there will be another factor to consider: state politics. A wide range of political concerns affects college choices. Reproductive rights, gun laws and LGBTQ+ rights are also top concerns. In a poll taken last spring, a quarter of high school students across the political spectrum ruled out institutions solely due to the political policies in a state.
Connecticut Lawmakers May Consider Legacy Admissions Ban
Diverse Issues in Higher Education – January 24, 2024
Connecticut could become the first state in the country to ban legacy admissions, reports CT Insider. Legacy admissions gives priority to students whose family members once attended. But key legislators are likely to introduce a bill to do away with the practice they deem fundamentally unfair.
Unlock College Success: How Strategic Summers Shape Future Leaders
Forbes – January 24, 2024
Drawing from my experience, I understand the profound impact that a well-chosen summer program can have on a student’s development and college applications. While there’s no direct correlation between participation in these programs and university admission, the benefits are undeniable. These programs offer more than just academic enrichment; they foster lifelong friendships and provide crucial insights into a student’s academic and career interests. However, students and families should keep their focus on opportunities that offer substantive learning and growth opportunities, rather than expensive ‘pay to play’ programs.
Five elite universities pay $104.5 million to settle price-fixing suit
UPI – January 24, 2024
Five elite U.S. universities agreed to pay a total of $104.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing them of price-fixing. Duke and Columbia universities each agreed to pay $24 million, Yale and Emory will pay $18.5 million each and Brown University agreed to pay $19.5 million, according to court filings on Tuesday. The suit, filed in January 2022, named schools that belonged to the 568 Presidents Group alleging 17 elite universities colluded as ‘a price-fixing cartel’ to fix the size of financial aid practices. The suit added that the burden of the universities’ overcharges affected more than 200,000 students who were overcharged for more than 20 years.
When will FAFSA be processed? As ED fixes formula mistake, applicants may see more delays
USA Today – January 24, 2024
After fixing the new FAFSA form, the Education Department freed up another $1.8 billion in federal student aid. Colleges are still unsure what effect it will have. Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said in a statement, ‘Adjusting these inflationary numbers is the right thing to do, and should have been done from the beginning. Unfortunately, because the Department is making these updates so late in the financial aid processing cycle, students will now pay the price in the form of additional delays in financial aid offers and compressed decision-making timelines.’
Career and technical education faces obstacles to meet demand
K-12 Dive – January 19, 2024
Career and technical education programs have helped boost graduation rates, skills training and school engagement. Wider access has been hampered, however, by lack of funds, teacher shortages and outdated stigmas, said lawmakers and panelists during a House subcommittee hearing Thursday.
Lack of career counseling hinders workforce development, study finds
Tulsa World (OK) – January 21, 2024
A shortage of school academic guidance counselors is one of the reasons Oklahoma has been unable to meet employers’ workforce needs, a report released last week says. Citing an OK Department of Education survey, the report says 46% of school districts said access to counseling is the biggest obstacle to implementing a 2018 state law mandating Individual Career Assessment Plans for all graduating high school students.
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Public schools have gotten safer. But there are new threats to student well-being.
USA Today – January 17, 2024
Public schools have fluctuated in their positions on students’ cell phone usage for as long as the devices have been around. But there’s broad consensus among schools serving the youngest kids that nonacademic use of cell phones should be prohibited. That’s according to the latest nationally representative federal data on school safety and security measures, collected in 2022 and published Wednesday. The dat suggests such bans are seen as necessary to stymie not only classroom distractions but also safety issues.
More North Carolina teens will be trained in mental health first aid
WRAL (NC) – January 24, 2024
A North Carolina program that provides ’mental health first aid’ training is expanding to 10th through 12th graders this year. For years, the state Department of Health and Human Services has provided training to hundreds of adults who work at schools or youth programs. The Youth Mental Health First Aid program teaches adults to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in 12- through 18-year-olds and refer kids to resources. The new Teen Mental Health First Aid initiative teaches young people how to support their friends during a mental health challenge and get a trusted or trained adult involved, as well.
How The Digital SAT Could Change Standardized Testing In College Admissions
Forbes – January 18, 2024
In March, the College Board will launch the new digital SAT, a pivotal change. It will be taken on a computer or tablet, has been shortened to two hours from three, and is adaptive so the questions posed in the latter part of the test will vary depending on how well students perform earlier. Will a digital SAT make a difference? Or, more generally, do people still care about the SAT? The answer, according to some experts, is: Yes, a certain type of student cares. In fact, those experts say that after a period of seemingly diminishing value of the SAT, there’s been a renewed interest in the standardized test.
Opinion: Standardized tests can be great predictors of college success and should not be seen as a cause of inequity
The Hechinger Report – January 23, 2024
Tests are not the single source of inequity, their elimination is not the cure and likability is not the criterion upon which the future of American education should rest. And if these tests supposedly no longer matter, why are privileged students using them as a competitive advantage—while underrepresented students opt out? We now have evidence that standardized tests in fact may help students from low-income families and underrepresented minority groups get into and persist in college. Instead of blaming tests, let’s help all students get better practice and instruction
Student Opinion: Should Colleges Consider Standardized Tests in Admissions?
The New York Times – January 23, 2024
Many colleges have stopped requiring the SAT and ACT. Is that a mistake? We’re asking students to read this article— which includes excerpts from a new book that discusses whether test-optional policies have helped or instead actually hurt students—then share opinions in the comments.