High School Counselor Week

Weekly stories, facts, trends, and other information from around the country

 

February 11, 2021

Big Picture

Public School Teachers Weigh In On Vaccines, Masks And Returning To The Classroom
NPR (LISTEN) – February 8, 2021
This week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to release new guidelines about how schools can reopen safely, three public school teachers weigh in [stream or podcast, no transcript]

Better Than Before?
Inside Higher Ed – February 8, 2021
Large universities saw thousands of students infected last fall. Many of those institutions are doing better this time around.

8 Higher Education IT Trends to Watch in 2021
EdTech – February 8, 2021
Technology is shaping the future of education in many ways. With the shift to remote learning — and the increasing reliance on technology to ensure student health and safety — tech adoption is rapidly accelerating in higher education.

Columns and Blogs

You Can Never Leave Dondero High—and That’s a Good Thing
Post – February 10, 2021
Counselors’ Corner with Patrick O’Connor Ph.D.

Athletic recruitment 101
Tribune News Service – February 10, 2021
College Admissions Strategies with Lee Bierer 

Taking the ACT and SAT Going Forward – Or Not
Tribune News Service – February 8, 2021
The College Solution with Lynn O’Shaughnessy

Counselors

College admissions counselors have had a difficult year. It’s not over yet.
VT Digger – February 7, 2021
High school counselors and college deans lament their inability to ease students’ concerns. They’re supposed to know all the answers, but not this year.

School counselors talk about student mental health during the pandemic
Index-Journal (SC) – February 8, 2021
For some children, school is more than just a place to learn; it can be a place to share burdens with professionals who can help them. But what happens when those resources become unavailable, such as when schools are closed?

Video

Colleges adjust their admissions process with new standards
WVEC-TV (VA)- February 9, 2021
The college admissions process is changing because the senior class faces a more unique set of challenges than any that has come before it. Some colleges are trying to make the process more fitting of the circumstances.)

Parents

‘Sharenting’: Why you should think twice before posting about your children
ABC 10 (FL) – February 8, 2021
In an age where information is permanent and privacy valued, it begs the question – is it fair to give your child a digital footprint from the moment they are born? Those seemingly innocent posts by parents could prove to be problematic as a child grows.

Tips for speeding up the FAFSA
NWI Times (IN) – February 7, 2021
This column is for my brothers and sisters in the struggle. For those among us who, like our household, have a high school senior in their ranks.

Admissions Process & Strategy

5 steps for creating a list of colleges to consider
The Oakland Press (MI) – February 8, 2021
With over 3,000 four-year colleges in the United States, it can be daunting to decide which colleges belong on your list. Here are tips that can help.

As the pandemic upends normal college visits, high school seniors seek a different view of campus
Public Source (PA) – September 10, 2021
Getting into college is not what Avonworth High School senior Liana Simmons is worried about. With five college acceptance letters in hand so far, she’s facing the daunting prospect of choosing a campus to live, study and grow for four years without ever having physically been there.

Pandemic provides new challenges, changes, in navigating college application process
WMTV (WI) – February 8, 2021
From campus tours to standardized test score requirements, the pandemic has changed certain steps in the process

The Pandemic Is Shaking Up And Slowing Down The College Application Process
The Gothamist (NY) – February 9, 2021
Many students are still scrambling to submit essays and complete financial aid documents, as the pandemic thrusts new burdens upon young people in a city devastated by the COVID-19 crisis in myriad ways.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

A call for CLEP exams: A necessary option for college credits
The Daily (UW Seattle) – February 8, 2021
I’d argue that the most straightforward way to reduce the cost of a college education is to reduce the amount of time spent in college. A passing score on a CLEP exam is generally equivalent to three or more credits.

‘We’re excluding the highest need students’: Most recipients of financial aid in Mississippi are from wealthier families
Mississippi Today – February 8, 2021
Mississippi is spending almost half of its strained financial aid budget on programs that disproportionately benefit students who are likely to go to college regardless of whether or not they receive state support.

Education leaders push to get more students to fill out FAFSA
EdNC – February 9, 2021
A group of nonprofits are making a push to get more students to fill out the FAFSA after North Carolina students ‘left an estimated $107 million on the table’ by not filling it out in 2020

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SAT, ACT & AP

NYC teachers, students livid over College Board rule barring iPads for virtual AP exams
New York Daily News – February 8, 2021
‘In the midst of a crisis that has disproportionately impacted vulnerable students across New York City and the country, College Board has made the nonsensical and unacceptable decision to ban iPads from being used to take AP exams, even though iPads were permitted last year,’ said …

12 Test Prep Tips for SAT and ACT Takers
Yahoo! News – February 9, 2021
For students aiming for a high score on either exam, here are 12 tips for top-notch ACT and SAT test prep.

College Board Changes AP Exams Again to Accommodate Pandemic-Era Testing
EdSurge – February 4, 2021
Since the Advanced Placement (AP) program began in the 1950s, tens of millions of students have taken their exams in school, with paper and pencil, over the course of several hours. That format held for decades, but ultimately…

Coronavirus-Related Resources

•NEW• Where Teachers Are Eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine
Education Week
Since this information is changing rapidly, please note the date at which the information was last verified for each state.

COVID-19 School Response Dashboard
Maps schools’ responses to the pandemic across the United States (data submission voluntary)

Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed

Live Coronavirus Updates: Here’s the Latest
The Chronicle of Higher Education

COVID-29 Data Dashboard
C2i (College Crisis Initiative)

School Counseling During COVID-19
American School Counselor Association

College Board Coronavirus Updates
College Board

AP Online Classes and Review Sessions
College Board on YouTube

COVID-19 Resource Center
National Association of School Psychologists

U.S. DOE: COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”) Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
U.S. Department of Education

Where to Get Free WiFi for Students During COVID-19
Campus Technology

College Virtual Tours
compiled by Rebecca Chabrow, M.A. with assistance from Collegewise

The impact of COVID-19 on high school counselors and the college search process: A national survey.
RNL & High School Counselor Connect (2020)