College Guidance, Preparation, and Success

According to 2007 data reported in the New York Times, there are on average 311 public school students per each guidance counselor. Counselors spend about 23 percent of their work on college preparation primarily on helping to align curriculum with college standards, host college representatives, represent students to college officers, assist with applications and financial aid. The number one activity counselors did in regard to college counseling was meeting with individual students to discuss college options. Perhaps in high need schools with large populations, counselors could benefit from group college advising, recruitment of volunteer mentors to help students navigate the college search and application process, and streamline college recruitment strategies.

If you are interested in the research on college guidance and the future implications of helping students achieve college, access this article in the 2008 Review of Higher Education Journal on the role of college counseling in shaping college opportunity. I was most surprised to find that at over half of the schools they studied, the number of students per counselor was greater than 400 to 1! Even 3 of the 5 high resource schools they studied had greater than 400 students for every one counselor. This is well above the 100:1 recommended ratio from the American School Counselor Association and a problem that needs to be addressed in innovative ways.

The abstract for this article is: “This study draws on data from descriptive case studies of 15 high schools, three in each of five states. The findings highlight constraints in the availability of college counseling, differences in the availability of college counseling across schools, and the influence of schools, districts, higher education institutions, and states on the availability and nature of college counseling. The study suggests that, in the context of limited fiscal and other resources, changes in federal and state financial aid policies, district policies pertaining to counseling, and relationships with higher education institutions will help ensure that all students receive sufficient college counseling.”

The citation is: Perna, L. W., Rowan-Kenyon, H., Thomas, S. L., Bell, A., Anderson, R., & Li, C. (2008). The role of college counseling in shaping college opportunity: Variations across high schools. Review of Higher Education. 31(2), 131-159.