High School Counselor Week

Many rural schools rely on international teachers. Trump’s visa changes threaten that
NPR – October 15, 2025
Hardin Public Schools in Montana is in a town of 4,000 about an hour east of Billings and just off the Crow Indian Reservation, is a place that has had trouble attracting teachers. Like many rural districts, relies on international teachers to fill out its staff. But ast month, President Trump unveiled a plan that requires employers pay a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas. In his announcement, Trump specifically called out high-paying tech jobs that he said were filled by too many foreign workers. However, the impact on schools and educators will be significant. According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, more than 20,000 educators are in the country on H-1B visas — the third most common occupation group for the program. For school districts, “to pay that fee on top of a salary is just gonna kill the H-1B for education.”

Department of Education Condemned for Ending Support for Students with Disabilities
AAPD – October 14, 2025
A broad coalition of national, state, and local disability, civil rights, and education organizations is sounding the alarm over sweeping layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education. These cuts have gutted key offices—including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)—threatening decades of progress in protecting students with disabilities. “The undersigned organizations urge the Administration – and call on Congress to do the same – to reverse course immediately and restore staffing and transparency at the U.S. Department of Education. Strong federal leadership is not optional—it’s a moral and legal obligation for our nation’s children with disabilities.”

MIT becomes first college to reject Trump’s higher education compact
Higher Ed Dive – October 10, 2025
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s proposed compact that offers priority for federal research funding in exchange for making sweeping policy changes. MIT is the first institution to formally reject the compact, which the administration sent to nine research universities on Oct. 1. MIT already meets or exceeds many of the proposed standards in the compact, university President Sally Kornbluth said in a Friday message to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “And fundamentally,” Kornbluth added, ”the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

Counselling activity: writing a letter to your future self
Times Higher Eduation – October 14, 2025
When I first began my counselling career, I thought my duty was primarily helping students to make decisions: what to study, what university to apply to and how to revise for exams. Now, and especially as a result of the CAP, I understand that my deeper duty is to help them envisage themselves in the future – who they might be – and to help them see they get there. One of my best (and most outlandish) weapons in my arsenal for this, is what I call “The Future Self Letter”. It is quite simple, but its effect has been profound – even tearful, for both myself and my students.

A Model Approach for School Mental Health Treatment
The 74 – October 10, 2025
Nancy Lever, executive director of the University of Maryland’s National Center for School Mental Health, has dedicated her career to supporting and advancing efforts in schools around the country, allowing her a bird’s-eye view of how the most successful programs work. Different schools and districts have taken individualized approaches, but whatever the specific model, Lever has found that the most effective programs all have a few things in common. Nationwide, some common ingredients are key to success, including collaboration between schools and communities.

Top 10 Questions Every Parent Should Ask on a College Tour
Northwest University – October 13, 2025
When you step onto a college campus with your teen, you’re not just touring buildings—you’re evaluating fit, culture, and safety. And while your student may be focused on the dorms, food, or vibe, your role as a parent is to ask the deeper questions. Whether you’re visiting a large state school or a private Christian liberal arts university like Northwest University, these 10 questions will help you get the answers that really matter.

Community-Based Organizations Must Be Part of the Student Mental Health Solution
The 74 – October 9, 2025
It’s clear that the mental health needs of our nation’s young people are urgent. Forty percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year. More than a third of young adults 18-25 with an untreated mental health condition want care and can’t access it. These aren’t just statistics — they’re a call to action. Fortunately, there is an untapped opportunity to expand support: the community-based organizations and out-of-school-time programs where young people already spend time, form trusting relationships, and feel a sense of safety and belonging.

2025–2026 Common App Prompts: How to Answer Each
PrepMaven – October 15, 2025
Below, we offer tips for every single Common App Prompt this year (all 7!), with specific advice designed to impress admissions officers.

More college applicants submitting standardized test scores
WCAX 3 (VT) – October 15, 2025
Standardized test scores used to be a deciding factor in college admissions, but droves of schools became test-optional as testing became trickier during COVID. Last year, just 5% of schools listed on the application platform Common App required test scores, and most students opted not to submit them. Still, new Common App data shows more students are submitting test scores to schools that are test-optional.

Opinion: 5 reasons why remote learning can never replace an authentic college experience
NJ.com – October 5, 2025
With the rising cost of college tuition, and many graduates saddled with hefty student loan balances, more parents and their children are wondering if higher education is still worth it. Then there’s an abundance of courses and certificates available online, skipping the arduous application process and full tuition and fees that accompany a traditional degree seeking path. But, as a seasoned student affairs professional I can attest that there are certain competencies and experiences that only attending college in-person can provide. Here’s why a full college journey is still the most valuable experience young adults can get.

New student loan limits could change who gets to become a professor, doctor or lawyer
The Conversation – October 14, 2025
As millions of student loan borrowers settle into the school year, many are stressed about how they’ll pay for their degrees. These students may find that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the big tax and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law over the summer, could limit how much they can borrow.

After years of quietly falling, college tuition is on the rise again
The Hechinger Report – October 13, 2025
Students nationwide are facing increases in tuition this fall of as high as 10 percent, along with new fees and rising costs for dorms and dining. It’s an abrupt change from a period during which something happened that most Americans probably didn’t notice: Tuition had actually been falling, when adjusted for inflation, after decades of outpacing the cost of almost everything else. The bad news, for students and institutions alike, is that now the price is starting to go up again, as higher education contends with financial and political challenges.

The End Of College-For-All—And The Rise Of The Skills Economy
Forbes – October 14, 2025
America’s overreliance on the bachelor’s degree as a stand-in for ability has warped both education and employment. What’s emerging, instead, is a skills-for-all economy—one where corporations certify, nonprofits train, and universities scramble to adapt. It’s already visible in the data: more than half of U.S. job postings no longer require a degree, and registered apprenticeships have more than doubled in a decade. The question isn’t whether higher education can evolve—it’s whether it can compete. But What if the American dream didn’t have to begin with a college degree—and, what if the degree itself was radically redesigned for a skills-first era?

Will Trump’s Shake-Up of Career Technical Education Benefit Students?
The 74 – October 10, 2025
The Trump administration wants to see career and technical education, or CTE, focus more on preparing students for jobs. To do that, last month it took money and programs that have been under the Education Department’s purview for decades and moved them to the Labor Department, which has historically focused on short-term job training for unemployed adults. the end goal is to boost participation in the labor force, especially for the millions of young adults who are not in school or working.