Counselors Taking on More Students Nationally (Plus, High School Staffing in SPS)
This article about high school counselors in the NY Times parallels what is happening in Seattle high schools. Last year the district cut funding for Career Center counselors at the high schools. (Some SPS high schools may have paid out of other places in their budgets to retain career counselors; Roosevelt did not. We have parents trying to fill in.) In SPS, the Career Centers offer help with all aspects of going to college, vocational ed, career search, job search and volunteer work to fulfill the graduation requirement for 60 hours of community service.
From the article:
"Nearly half of public schools have raised the caseloads of high school counselors this year, compared with last year, with the average increase exceeding 53 students, according to a study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. At the same time, the report said, the pressures on applicants (and, by extension, their counselors) are growing, as the number of applications to four-year colleges continued to rise, along with the number of students applying to colleges under early-decision programs."
Relief might be coming for those counselors but it may be short-term (so elementary parents listen up).
"And yet the report included some indications that the pressures on applicants could soon ease. The number of students graduating from high school annually is believed to have peaked this spring, at 3.33 million, according to the report, so competition for places in colleges should diminish over the next few years.
However, "the nation’s collective high school graduating class “is projected to rebound to 3.31 million by 2017-18,” the report said."
I interrupt here to change course a bit. When writing this thread I thought I'd check each high school on the counselor issue and had a "what the heck" experience. First, I found out that only Roosevelt and Ingraham have no Career Counselor. Second, I found the oddest job names which I could not decipher. Here are some interesting things about our high schools and their staffing:
(Update: I forgot to add that Sealth added 150 new students this year. Wow, something is working there - IB, maybe? That's a big addition for any one school.)
Honestly, you cannot go by what your school does and measure it against other schools. I assumed that when Roosevelt lost its career counselor, the other high schools did as well. (I know that principals can juggle budgets as they see fit but I really thought the number of Career Counselors would be far fewer.)
From the article:
"Nearly half of public schools have raised the caseloads of high school counselors this year, compared with last year, with the average increase exceeding 53 students, according to a study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. At the same time, the report said, the pressures on applicants (and, by extension, their counselors) are growing, as the number of applications to four-year colleges continued to rise, along with the number of students applying to colleges under early-decision programs."
Relief might be coming for those counselors but it may be short-term (so elementary parents listen up).
"And yet the report included some indications that the pressures on applicants could soon ease. The number of students graduating from high school annually is believed to have peaked this spring, at 3.33 million, according to the report, so competition for places in colleges should diminish over the next few years.
However, "the nation’s collective high school graduating class “is projected to rebound to 3.31 million by 2017-18,” the report said."
I interrupt here to change course a bit. When writing this thread I thought I'd check each high school on the counselor issue and had a "what the heck" experience. First, I found out that only Roosevelt and Ingraham have no Career Counselor. Second, I found the oddest job names which I could not decipher. Here are some interesting things about our high schools and their staffing:
- Rainier Beach has 1 Counselor and 1 Career Center counselor
- West Seattle, Garfield, and Hale have 4 counselors plus a Career Center counselor
- Franklin and Ingraham have 3 counselors but no CC counselor
- Franklin has a lot of people who work under the title of Special Services (some are IAs but others??)
- Center School has 1 counselor and one CC counselor
- Nova has no website so I don't know
- Sealth has 2 CC counselors and 3 counselors
- Cleveland has a huge number of people who work there (for the size of the school - how do they pay them all?). I'm not sure from the listings how many counselors they have but they do have a CC counselor. They also have a former principal working there under the title of "moving consultant".
(Update: I forgot to add that Sealth added 150 new students this year. Wow, something is working there - IB, maybe? That's a big addition for any one school.)
Honestly, you cannot go by what your school does and measure it against other schools. I assumed that when Roosevelt lost its career counselor, the other high schools did as well. (I know that principals can juggle budgets as they see fit but I really thought the number of Career Counselors would be far fewer.)
Comments
Helen Schinske
RBHS does not have a Career Counselor this year. We did have one last year.
The things listed done at Hale are still happening in the other high schools but the actual helping with the forms/counseling/career guidance is being done by parents at Roosevelt. Needless to say, most of us just help with resumes and essays as we aren't trained college counselors.
The counseling secretary is the person who has been sending out info and updating the college calendar this year!
We get massive amounts of college info from Hale: community service opportunities, 2 or 3 college visits a week, SAT classes, college essay writing classes, financial aid classes, invitations to join programs like LEEP and ACE, help for students navigating and preparing college applications, and scholarships.....
That's alot! Our counselors are earning their keep aren't they!
FYI to those interested in curriculum alignment, the district has now posted on its website the powerpoint materials presented at last month's board workshop on curriculum alignment. It includes a 26-page report from Education First, the consultants hired per the board's approval in June. The powerpoints also show that the district has scheduled "community engagement meetings" on alignment for November 23, 24, and 30 and December 1. I haven't seen these dates posted elsewhere -- maybe I've missed them.
I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but of course these dates are the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Hmmmm.
But the answers are really something. Look under Optional Schools. Lots of NEW! info just posted. Look at Why Is South Shore an Opt School. Look at Why Aren't Mont and Int Schools Opt schools. The answer is basically...because we don't want them to be. Oh, and we'd have to redraw the boundaries to make them such. Well, DUH. That's exactly what this feedback time is for, is it not? To fix things before they're set in stone. More rants to come if you start a new thread.
Go get 'em Thomas Ahearne.
From the trial:
Article IX preamble
Preamble.
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.
Ample education for all is NOT being funded.
Money follows kids so if Hale or Hamilton grow, they might be able to fund a position for a counselor. It's a dilemma.
Fact: After their remodel Hale will increase their enrollment from 1050 to 1250. In fact they have already begun increasing enrollment as of this year (they enrolled 312 freshman, up from 260 years past). They will continue enrolling 312 freshman each year for the next three years until the school is fully enrolled at 1250, which will coincide with the school expansion and completion of the remodel.
Melissa you have also posted that Hale does not give honors or AP credit on students HS transcripts. This is absolutely incorrect.
Fact: A Hale student who successfully completes honors or AP work, whether in an inclusive classroom or in a stand alone classroom gets credit on their report card and on their HS transcripts. Colleges recognize these "H' and "AP" designations as they would for any other school. There is no difference, and nothing punitive in having some inclusive/integrated classrooms.
Things change constantly and it would be good to check on current info before posting outdated or incorrect information.
(And Adhoc, you told me to check your findings about Hale and transcripts; sorry I didn't hop to it fast enough for your satisfaction. I'll get to it. In the meantime, please respect that I have a life too and it isn't this blog.)
And “Yes” does not necessarily indicate a full-time career specialist. South Lake, for example, has only had a part-time career specialist the past few years, and this position is still part-time.
From what I heard, this was a district decision (Michael Tolley).
Ballard Yes
Garfield No
Chief Sealth Yes (1/2 time)
Center School Yes
South Lake Yes
Cleveland No
Roosevelt No
West Seattle No
Ingraham No
Rainier Beach No
Hale No
NOVA No
Interagency Yes (1/2 time)
Evening school No (Never had one)
Middle College No
Nova lost its College and Career Specialist last year. It was only a .2 position, but filled an incredibly valuable role at school.
This position was targeted at serving students seeking alternative post-secondary options like 'gap year' programs, apprenticeships, career and technical colleges. Additionally, they provided support to students who are the first in their families to attend college. They were a resource for finding financial aid sources as well.
(I realize I'm speaking of the position in past tense- that's just my experience.)
I remember discussion that the proposed cuts to this position would not save money as the district had proposed having the duties covered by Academic Deans, who are certified rather than classified staff- thus more expensive. Don't know how it all worked out, just remembering the many reasons for not cutting the CC Specialist positions.
-arrange College visits (October is a boom time with sometimes two a day)
-helps with college search
-can help (or find help) with filling out applications and/or financial aid (a huge job)
-Community service opportunities
-Job opportunities
-vocational ed
- military options
Not that the person researches everything but takes in the information and has it available to the students. At RHS, the CC specialist also visited classes to talk to students.
There is also a great group called Nela Center for Student Success in Seattle that helps first-generation students (actually they help anyone who asks) get through the process. They are very nice and capable people and their center is open in the south end.
Lastly, most of the high schools have a teen health center where there are mental health counselors. (Also they give out flu shots and vaccines, sports physicals, condoms, etc. Teen Health Centers are funded by the City and are pretty important.)
So there two kinds of counselors in high school and the Career Center specialist.
Knowing this in conjunction with Meg Dias' report on the costs of Central Administration just makes me so mad!