The role of the school counselor is critical to student success, both in school and as they look ahead to college and career. A new report out today from the National Consortium for School Counseling and Postsecondary Success (NCSCPS) examines the state of school counseling and the significant role school counselors play in student success.
Revisiting The Path Forward; The State of School Counseling, released today at the Reach Higher Convening in Tempe, Arizona, “confirms that a national focus on college attainment combined with an emphasis on career pathways has affirmed the critical role of school counselors to assist in navigating the college and career process.”
The report not only offers a greater understanding for the work of school counselors, but it offers recommendations in the areas of alignment, collaboration, accountability, and leadership. From the report:
The downsides of high school counselor-student ratios are well-documented and especially harmful for underserved youth, yet the Consortium recognized the limitations given scarce public dollars. Of that reality, the Consortium recommended developing a clear and shared set of metrics to consistently evaluate the role of the school counselor’s impact on college and career readiness. Success on those metrics should necessitate a shift toward the school counselor playing a clear leadership role guiding those activities, and collaboration beyond school to include community based organizations and families. To stay relevant, training and credentialing programs must embrace this new vision of the school counselor as the collaborative leader. And finally, the Consortium recommended the opening of a national research center to explore the focused questions raised in this report and to ensure the ongoing dynamic relationship between practice, research and policy.
Want to learn more about the role of school counselors in career and college success? Join ACT Center for Equity and Learning and NCSCPS for a Twitter chat on the report March 14, at 3:00 p.m., ET by following along at #counselorscount on Twitter.
