High School Counselor Week

Employment patterns are now improving for young workers without degrees
University Business – September 15, 2026
For decades, a college degree has been one of the clearest paths to lower unemployment, higher earnings and greater spending power. That relationship still holds in the broad labor market. But among younger workers, a notable reversal has emerged. The shift does not mean a college degree has lost its overall employment advantage. It does suggest that the early-career labor market is changing in ways that could alter where economic momentum builds.

Report: How Gen Z Views School and What a Sense of Belonging Means to Them
the74 – September 11, 2026
The survey found student engagement, enjoyment toward school and hopefulness for the future strongly correlated with a child’s relationship with their teachers and whether they felt they belonged at school. But while engagement has increased since 2023, 48% percent of students still said they didn’t enjoy going to school most or all days and nearly half (49%) said school doesn’t “allow them to do what they do best every day.” Many Gen-Z students also reported struggling with building connections with the people around them, with three in 10 saying they didn’t belong at school, didn’t have an adult who regularly checked in on them and didn’t feel like they had someone at school who understood their interests or strengths. The gap also extended to peer relationships.

Dual Enrollment Pros & Cons, How it Works, and Rules by State
Collegewise – September 9, 2026
Dual enrollment is a program that lets eligible high school students take college-level courses and earn credit toward both a high school diploma and a college degree at the same time. Rules and costs vary by state, with some fully funded by the state and others leaving it to the family. Dual credits are not universally transferable. In-state public institutions and community colleges are most likely to accept dual credits, but highly selective, Ivy-caliber colleges do not recognize dual enrollment. These colleges do accept AP, IB, and other high school courses instead.

Free College Counseling for Your Students and You
Post – September 16, 2026
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.

What goes on inside the college admissions office?
Post – September 16, 2026
College Advice & Timely Tips with Lee Bierer

When Words Aren’t Enough, Creative Tools Can Help Grieving Students of All Ages
KQED (CA) – September 15, 2026
For school counselors, supporting grieving students can be a regular part of the job. Creative interventions, like play therapy, bibliotherapy, writing and artmaking can be used to support grieving students of all ages. They can be adapted to meet kids’ needs at a variety of developmental levels, giving students a way to create something visual and tangible while exploring conflicting and complicated feelings. Additionally, they allow for expression when vocabulary isn’t available. “Especially with traumatic grief…[students] are not always going to have access to their language centers, even if developmentally, they have access to the vocabulary.”

‘We actually saved a kid’: Schools recruit AI chatbots as counselor shortage persists
EdSource – September 10, 2026
A few minutes before the Friday afternoon bell, school counselors at a TX high school rushed to catch a student before the school bus drove them home for the weekend. The student had confided a detailed plan to harm themself — not to a counselor, but to an AI chatbot — which is how counselors were able to bring the student in and begin a long-term mental health intervention. Unlike unregulated chatbots, AI systems designed for schools monitor student chats for signs of abuse, harassment, bullying, suicidal ideation, self-harm and other signs of severe risk to oneself or others. Chats are private, but a student mentioning a serious topic like suicide would trigger the detection system. In those cases, counselors receive an alert with the student’s chat log within five minutes.

988 Day shines light on lifesaving mental health resources for teens and their families
WCNC Charlotte (NC) – September 8, 2026
988 Day is a national effort to raise awareness about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a free, confidential resource available 24 hours a day. You do not have to be experiencing a suicidal crisis to contact 988. Individuals can call or text 988 if they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, worried about a loved one, or simply need someone to talk to. Early intervention and support can make a significant difference.

 

 

A New School Won’t Always End Bullying—Here’s How to Tell When a Switch Could Really Help
Parents – September 13, 2026
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors explain when a school move is warranted, when it is not, and how to help your child either way.

What parents should know about teens’ reliance on AI for mental health support
EdSource – September 11, 2026
Roughly 1 in 5 teens now use AI chatbots for mental health advice amid an adolescent mental health crisis exacerbated by limited access to professional care. EdSource this week reported on the rise of teens’ use of AI for mental health support, and how some schools have embraced using customizable AI chatbots to flag kids in crisis. Here are three takeaways from that reporting.

College applications can be a very taxing process but there are many various ways to prepare
The Central Trend – September 15, 2026
For seniors everywhere, it’s officially time to begin preparing for and submitting college applications. It can be difficult to know how to apply, when to ask for letters of recommendation, and the best way to prepare; there are many different steps that go into college applications.

How to Earn College Credits in High School
Straighter Line – September 15, 2026
Depending on your school, academic goals, and the colleges you’re considering, you may be able to earn credit through dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP) exams, International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, CLEP exams, or online college courses. But earning credit is only useful if your future college accepts it, so the best strategy isn’t necessarily to accumulate as many credits as possible. It’s to choose options that have a good chance of fitting into your eventual degree plan. Here are some details you should know.

Postponing College? Here’s What to Do Next
U.S. News & World Report – September 15, 2026
Graduating from high school doesn’t necessarily lead directly to a college campus. Some students choose alternative pathways or postpone enrollment to work, manage personal responsibilities or reconsider their education and career goals. Or accepted students may choose to defer enrollment. However, students should begin the time off with a clear plan.

Some Colleges Will Help Repay Your Student Loans After Graduation. Here’s How It Works
The College Investor – September 14, 2026
A growing number of colleges and universities offer a financial safety net designed to reduce some of the uncertainty surrounding student loan repayment. It’s called a Loan Repayment Assistance Program, or LRAP. Colleges partner with outside companies to purchase these LRAPs and offer them to some or all incoming students. If you graduate and make below a certain threshold (often around $55,000 per year) the program can reimburse some or all of your eligible student loan payments. The exact terms can vary by institution, but here’s how the process generally works.

FAFSA Deadlines For 2027-28 And 2026-27: Federal, State, And School Due Dates
The College Investor – September 12, 2026
The FAFSA for the 2027-28 school year opens October 1, 2026, and closes June 30, 2028. If you’ll be in school between July 1, 2027 and June 30, 2028, that’s your form. If you’re asking about this school year (2026-27), that form opened last September and is due June 30, 2027. However, your state or school may have a significantly earlier deadline. Many states set their own guidelines when it comes to providing financial aid and the FAFSA requirements along with it. And a lot of state grant money is first-come, first-served. Filing early is how you get Pell Grants, state grants, school aid, and federal student loans in the same package. Check out the various deadlines and links to more specfic information below

Can you Pay for College Without FAFSA? What Students Should Know
Pennsylvania Institution of Technology – September 10, 2026
If you cannot file the FAFSA, or you have decided not to, the good news is you still have real options available. Which ones apply to you will depend entirely on why the FAFSA is off the table, and that’s the part almost nobody explains. There are mainly four different situations that students may find themselves in that could lead them to skipping the FAFSA. Let’s take a look at each situation and the best solutions for each.