High School Counselor Week

Schools Should Prioritize Mental Health Resources — for Both Students and Staff
Truthout – September 3, 2022
COVID has exacerbated long-standing mental health problems for educators and students amid a rush to return to ‘normal.’

Service-Learning Can Be the Bridge to Social Emotional Learning. Educators Should Embrace It.
EdSurge – September 6, 2022
Despite the setbacks from COVID, I believe there is still a way for students to re-engage in school, support their communities and learn leadership skills. In my 20 years as an educator, I have seen firsthand how service-learning engages students as they become leaders in their communities. There is no better way to integrate SEL and civic engagement for the next generation of learners.

Teacher shortage pushes schools to 4-day schedule
Center for Public Integrity – September 2, 2022
Schools nationwide are considering switching to four-day-instructional weeks to help retain and attract teachers. Low-income and special needs students are often the most affected, research shows.

Fall timeline for Seniors
Post – September 7, 2022
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer

Investing in Better School Counseling Will Help Struggling Students Recover From Multiple Crises
The Chronicle of Philanthropy – September 6, 2022
Counselors are vital to healthy, equitable, and effective schools. Yet the profession lacks the support and attention it desperately needs. At a time when grant makers are looking for the best ways to help students thrive during this era of school shootings, racial violence, and the Covid pandemic, helping to rebuild the counseling profession and attract diverse and well-trained people to the field should be a priority. Here’s how they can get started

The 5 ‘Best’ Tips For Responsibly Using College Rankings
Forbes – September 3, 2022
Fall is on the horizon and that can only mean one thing: it is college ranking season. As a school counselor, I have not been shy about my disdain for commercial college rankings. While I will continue to beat this anti-rankings drum, and challenge the ‘admission industrial complex’ that profits from the perpetuation of these detrimental metrics, I am also not naive. Conceding that rankings are here to stay, I have five tips on how to approach them responsibly and with intention.

Students wait months for mental health help. ‘We’re bombarded,’ counselor says
Los Angeles Times – September 1, 2022
School mental health professionals describe a troublesome reality: Countless children are in pain as they begin the third year of school amid the pandemic. Students and parents confront waits that are too long and counseling time that is too short. And mental health workers worry about overburdened schedules and their inability to reach all those seeking help.

Dear parents: Here are 5 things we teens want you to know about our mental health
ABC News – September 7, 2022
Hear advice from teens themselves on how to support their mental health.

What to Do if Your Child Is a Perfectionist
U.S. News & World Report – September 2, 2022
If a teacher called your child a perfectionist, would you feel a jab of satisfaction, even pride? Many American parents would, but that’s because pop culture makes it seem like striving for excellence and perfectionism are the same thing. They aren’t. Research ties perfectionism in children and adolescents to a range of negative feelings and behaviors, including anxiety, depression, burnout, overthinking, self-criticism, social stress, sadness, test anxiety, sleep problems and eating disorders.

Keep an eye on your student’s mental health this back-to-school season
NPR – August 22, 2022
For parents concerned about how their students are handling the new school year, here are five suggestions mental health experts say can help them monitor their child’s mental health:

Countdown to College: Tips to Help Students Find Their Fit
North State Parent (CA) – September 4, 2022
The high school road to college may seem like four of the most challenging years families face. Along with the deadlines and tough financial choices, parents and their children don’t always agree on colleges. If that isn’t stressful enough, every year there are tasks that high school students should be checking off their to-do list. Here is some advice from the pros

High school seniors preparing for college should meet these admissions and financial aid deadlines
News Center Maine – September 5, 2022
Back-to-school season for high school seniors typically means crunch time for applying to colleges and universities as the early admissions and financial aid deadlines creep closer. College counselor Kim Labrecque said seniors should hit a few key milestones in their college searches this fall.

New Survey: How 2022’s High School Seniors Approached College Applications
Forbes – September 6, 2022
Among the high school senior class of 2022, 59% of prospective college students applied to five or more institutions, and 26% applied to ten or more. That’s one of the key findings of this year’s Niche Senior Enrollment Survey, the seventh such survey the the popular college rating and review platform has conducted.

College costs are going up — but these tips and tricks could save you a lot of money
MoneyWise – September 2, 2022
Knowing how to work within the system can drastically change what you pay for college or university.

It’s not too early to talk about FAFSA
Doral Family Journal (FL) – September 5, 2022
FAFSA stands for ‘Free Application for Federal Student Aid’, and the portal opens October 1st of each year. The earlier a family completes the application, the better the chances of getting more money awarded on their financial aid packages, in the form of federal grants or loans. Scholarships, need-based or merit-based, are offered by the schools or other institutions and may use the information in FAFSA as reference to calculate the amounts awarded, therefore filling out the form out soon is a key component of the college application process.

American Apprenticeships Are on the Rise
Hedgeye – September 2, 2022
Over the last decade, the number of young people in apprenticeships has skyrocketed. According to the DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship system, in 2021, 212K youth aged 16-24 were enrolled in such programs, an increase of +104% since 2013. So what’s changed?

CTE can help alternative schools ensure post-graduation pathways
K-12 Dive – August 31, 2022
Districts can help ensure alternative schools are setting students up for post high-school pathways by partnering with outside groups and starting these conversations with pupils early. The goal is to help students understand that attending an alternative school does not close the doors to future opportunities, no matter the direction they hope to take.

Why a liberal arts education is as important as a technical education: Opinion
Courier Journal (KY) – September 6, 2022
The argument for training more skilled workers is clear to most people. What is less obvious is how a liberal arts education is as important as a technical education.