High School Counselor Week

How school discipline — and student misbehavior — has changed during the pandemic
EdSource – November 17, 2020
Student misbehavior hasn’t vanished during distance learning, but schools are finding that imposing discipline in a virtual environment is a complicated and often murky process, and that current laws don’t neatly apply to online behavior.

Teens in Covid Isolation: ‘I Felt Like I Was Suffocating’
The New York Times – November 12, 2020
Remote learning, lockdowns and pandemic uncertainty have increased anxiety and depression among adolescents, and heightened concerns about their mental health.

Here’s how one school is trying to help new immigrants get to college during the pandemic
Chalkbeat – November 17, 2020
After moving from Yemen to the Bronx three years ago, Ahmed Edhah had his heart set on leaving the city for college, hoping to move from the two-bedroom apartment he shared with his mother, brother, grandmother, and uncle to a more pastoral setting. The pandemic nearly sidelined him, revealing the steep uphill climb for many first-time college-hopefuls whose families have been significantly affected by the virus…

A Different Thanksgiving, Sort Of
Post – November 18, 2020
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D.

Transferring – Good Reasons to Do It
Tribune News Service – November 18, 2020
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

Impero Creates Cloud-Based Platform to Support Schools during Hybrid Learning
eSchool News – November 18, 2020
Student safety leader Impero today launched a cloud-based platform, built on state-of-the-art technology, that provides teachers, school counselors and administrators with classroom management and student safety solutions, all in one place, to support hybrid learning.

More school counselors needed to boost students’ future
Boston Herald (MA) – November 13, 2020
A new consensus report from the National Academies recommends ‘universal, holistic, multicomponent programs’ as critical for supporting children’s health. This is a problem because few people understand what multicomponent programs are. School counselors understand, but they are understaffed in schools across America.

School counselors worry for senior students as deadlines for college applications loom
Ventura County Star (CA) – November 13, 2020
So far, Roberts said she has noticed a decline in requests for letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors and overall submitted applications. Many colleges’ early decision and early action application deadlines passed at the beginning of the month.

Serving students’ critical social and emotional needs to assure success
EdNC – November 16, 2020
As we move forward, it is critical to understand that addressing the whole child, including social and emotional learning and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), is not optional or a nice to have, but instead an important foundation for successfully educating our students.

4 Tips for Applying to College During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Good Housekeeping – November 17, 2020
The good news is, colleges are going to be far more flexible this year, says Todd Rinehart, president of NACAC. ‘If the pandemic had a genuine effect on your family circumstances and your ability to do well at school, that’s an important part of your story,’ he adds. In fact, in June, more than 300 admissions deans…

Know anyone applying to college during COVID-19? This program gets good results in Fresno
Fresno Bee (CA) – November 17, 2020
Chie Moua has been working into the evening as a counselor at Fresno High School, reaching out to seniors via Zoom to make sure they are on track for college. In fact, she’s busier than ever. Like all counselors at Fresno Unified, uses the data system at CaliforniaColleges.edu to oversee her students’ applications.

Stress And Confusion: How COVID-19 Is Complicating College Applications
WBUR Edify (MA) – November 12, 2020
Senior Sarah Wyngowski managed to take the SAT once this fall. But her score wasn’t as good as she’d hoped. I did not put my test scores into my college applications because I don’t think they represented my abilities to the best that they could have been, Wyngowski said.

Philly nonprofit, College Board partners for FAFSA chatbot
The Philadelphia Tribune – November 17, 2020
High school seniors who need help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form can now get support through Wyatt, a free assistance chatbot that replies to students’ FAFSA questions via text.

College Guy: A critical question – Do you need financial aid?
Concord Monitor (NH) – November 16, 2020
Question: Will applying for financial aid impact my chances of being accepted to college? Answer: As with so many questions in college admission, the easy answer is, ‘it depends.’ I will unpack that more below, but let’s not put the ‘getting in’ cart before the ‘paying for it’ horse.

How To Help College Applicants Get Financial Aid During Covid
Forbes – November 17, 2020
Tara Miller, counselor in Texas, told me that she is not surprised that FAFSA numbers are down. Yet despite the challenges, she insists her students fill out the forms. ‘Filling out a FAFSA right now is like wearing your seatbelt in the car. It may not feel like you need it all the time, but it is there when you do.’

How To Win A College Scholarship
Forbes – November 16, 2020
More than $6 billion in scholarships is awarded each year to more than 1.5 million students. Here’s how you can win one or more of these scholarships.

A College Student Is Coming Home. Should The Whole Family Wear Masks?
NPR – November 14, 2020
Sandy Kretschmer imagines her son Henry returning home from college, dropping his bags and then giving her a big hug. But she knows the reality of this homecoming may be a lot different.