High School Counselor Week
Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country
November 17, 2022
Hidden toll: Thousands of schools fail to count homeless students
Chalkbeat – November 15, 2022
Federal law promises homeless children an equal shot at education. Many fall through the cracks.
Biden Administration Urges Schools to Expand Apprenticeships and Career Learning
Education Week – November 14, 2022
K-12 schools can play a vital role in developing a well-trained, successful, and inclusive workforce through apprenticeship and work-based learning programs, first lady Jill Biden told said in a speech Monday. Biden’s speech followed the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement of its new ‘Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success’ initiative Monday. The initiative aims to increase and expand access to high-quality workforce training programs by partnering with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor and developing new guidance and best practices for schools.
Black students don’t need your ‘tough love.’ They need compassion.
Chalkbeat – November 14, 2022
It isn’t only the low expectations, stereotypes, and adultification of Black youth that undermines their physical, emotional, and academic well-being. A vast empathy divide also threatens their lives.
A Gratitude Tale of Two StudentsPost – November 16, 2022
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.
The Thanksgiving transition… what happens when they’re homesick?
Post – November 16, 2022
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer
As Teen Loneliness Rates Soar, Schools May Be Making It Worse, Scientists Say
Newsweek – November 18, 2022
The trouble with America’s teenagers began well before the pandemic. Public health measures made all that even worse, as teenagers in communities around the nation grew more isolated than ever. The city of Tacoma, WA, appears to be bucking these trends even though more than half of its residents live below the poverty line and its school system, with an enrollment of 30,000, has a history of low high school graduation rates. On a statewide test that measures depression and anxiety among 10th graders, scores actually improved between 2018 and 2021. Now, communities across the nation are looking to Tacoma as a model of how to help their own teenagers…
Trust and Authentic Engagement Part 1: ‘A Restorative Approach to Student-Counselor Trust’
The Lincoln Center – November 1, 2022
Current realities that school counselors face make it extremely difficult for them to build sufficient rapport and trust with students, making the goal of authentic engagement seem unattainable. Fundamental recommendations to build a baseline of rapport can be helpful, but how can school counselors move deeper to meaningfully connect with students while navigating the demands of competing expectations of students and their families? In Part 1 of our 2-part ‘Trust and Engagement’ series, we will introduce strategies to help school counselors restore student trust where it would not evolve naturally
As college admission landscape changes, priority shifts to essays
CBS Minnesota – November 9, 2022
This time of year is the start of the college admissions adventure. Applications are increasing again while the process continues to change. One area of greater priority in recent years is the college admissions essay.
5 Tips For Navigating College Admissions
Psychology Today – November 14, 2022
Here’s how to help your your child navigate this difficult process in a structured way.
A guide to parental controls on social media
CNN – November 13, 2022
A little over a year ago, social media companies were put on notice for how they protect, or fail to protect, their youngest users. In a series of congressional hearings, executives from Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram faced tough questions over how their platforms can lead younger users to harmful content, damage mental health and body image (particularly among teenage girls), and lacked sufficient parental controls and safeguards to protect teens. The four social networks have since introduced more tools and parental control options aimed at better protecting younger users, but some lawmakers, social media experts and psychologists say the new solutions are still limited, and more needs to be done.
A Guide to the College Application Process
The Teen Mag – November 9, 2022
College application season has officially started, and seniors are rushing to complete the many steps required to get into the schools of their choice.
College rankings are under fire. Is there a better way to rate the value of a degree?
CBS News – November 14, 2022
A growing chorus of critics is questioning how the media and other groups rank the nation’s colleges, arguing that such lists help neither students nor their families and may obscure better ways of judging the quality of higher education.
Moving Forward on FAFSA Simplification
Inside Higher Ed – November 11, 2022
Colleges and universities have to update their cost of attendance calculations now that the Education Department has said it is carrying out that change and others for the 2023–24 academic year.
Why so many colleges have been resetting their tuition
Higher Ed Dive – November 8, 2022
Colby-Sawyer College is reducing its prices by 60% so tuition more accurately reflects what students pay. Other institutions are doing the same. ‘Higher education has been on this trajectory of high-price, high-discount, and it’s incredibly confusing for families and prospective students.’
How Rethinking Industry-Recognized Credentials Can Help Boost Student Success
The 74 – November 15, 2022
Are high schoolers looking to dip their toe in the water, learn about a field or pursue a career? Credentials hierarchy can help them decide. many students who earn industry-recognized credentials don’t end up employed in the industry most closely aligned to them, or major in related fields. But students who earn IRCs are considerably higher achieving than their peers.
Skilled trade programs are having a moment
Marketplace – November 8, 2022
Across the country, college enrollment dropped significantly during the pandemic, and that decline has, for the most part, continued. But skilled trade programs saw growth in the spring. The programs are not focused on history or calculus, but rather on training students for specific jobs. In a tight labor market, some students want to get in and out of higher education as quickly as possible, which makes trade programs attractive.
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Early Decision vs. Early Action: What’s the difference?
University of Nevada Reno – October 25, 2022
In college admissions, these are two key terms you may hear and it’s important that you know what they are, what they aren’t, and what they mean for you. So what’s the difference between them? The short answer is: it depends on the school, so we recommend you approach each school you’re interested in and ask them. The long answer is: generally speaking…
What do colleges want?
Georgia Tech Admission Blog – November 15, 2022
Along with my staff, we have written extensively in the past about ‘what colleges are looking for.’ We’ve covered GPA, rigor of curriculum, activities and involvement, essays, more about essays, plenty of ink spilled and callouses grown writing about writing, teacher recs, interviews, etc. And all of that is accurate, helpful, and worth checking out. But what do colleges really want? Regardless of their size, geographic location, or athletic conference, they want the same thing– Choices and Options…and that desire explains a lot about your college admission experience.
Study finds ‘huge’ increase in children going to the emergency room with suicidal thoughts
CNN – November 14, 2022
The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, used data from hospitals in Illinois. The researchers looked at the number of children ages 5 to 19 who sought help for suicide in emergency departments between January 2016 and June 2021.
HHS Releases New National Guidelines for Improving Youth Mental Health Crisis Care
SAMHSA – November 10, 2022
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has released a new report, National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, which describes the urgent need to improve behavioral health crisis response services for children, youth, and families and provides guidance on how communities can address the existing gaps in care for youth.
Opinion: Why high school students don’t need the SAT anymore
AFRO News – November 15, 2022
While the change in testing policy seems new to some, this movement is more than 50 years old. Almost half of all bachelor degree granting colleges had adopted test-optional or free policies before the pandemic. For those traditionally disadvantaged by testing, minimizing the role of tests in admissions gives a sense of relief.
Over 1,830 colleges are test-optional for fall 2023 admissions
Higher Ed Dive – November 15, 2022
At least 1,835 four-year colleges across the U.S. aren’t requiring first-year applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions for fall 2023, a signal of the staying power of test-optional policies. Of those institutions, 85 are test-free, meaning they refuse to review entrance exam scores whatsoever.