Should I go to college? How do I pay for my education? Is a two-year or four-year school right for me?
High school students anxious about their futures often approach their school counselors seeking answers to these and other questions. In communities where many students opt to not go on to college, a counselor’s ability to answer these questions can mean the difference between a student settling for a high school diploma or seeking a degree from an institution of higher learning.
EDC has designed a new online course called College Access for All Students to help school counselors at the middle, high, and postsecondary levels assist their students with the college process. “Counselors work with many students who are not the typical population that goes to college,” says EDC’s Leinda Peterman. “The project is focused on counselors in high-need areas that have significant economic and education challenges, including low graduation rates, high unemployment, and low income.”
College Access for All Students was designed to help counselors whose students are anxious about issues such as applying to college, paying expenses, and leaving home. The course details ways to remove those obstacles and help students explore all of their options after high school.
EDC developed the course in partnership with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)—a consortium of 16 Southern states that works on education issues in the region—for counselors in the states of Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“SREB wanted to promote a college-going culture among its members,” says EDC’s Barbara Treacy. “They realized counselors within the school had a really important role to play in making this happen. So the course supports counselors, who support students.”
The course consists of three modules: “Building a College-Going Culture for All Students;” “College, Career, and Academic Planning;” and “Financial Aid and College Applications.” Each of the modules is state-specific and points to local Web-based resources. The modules use videos, scholarly readings, case studies, and other media.
“What is powerful about these modules is that college and career access is not part of a counselor’s pre-service training, which typically focuses on psycho-social issues,” says Treacy.
Facilitator training for school counselors in participating states is also provided by EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO) program, which provides capacity-building programs for teachers, administrators, and students.
Originally published on July 16, 2010