Resources for Counselors
College Planning
Helping students and their families research, apply, find funding, and prepare to continue their education after high school is an essential component of any guidance program. Below are links to articles, college search engines, curricula, professional development sites, recommendation letter writing help, financial aid information, and recent research.
Articles
Naviance
Naviance which offers a computer program package designed to be used by counselors and teachers also offers a podcast designed for counselors.
College Search
College.gov
The U.S. Department of Education co-created this website with students to inspire and encourage youth and adults to attend college. The site provides information on how college will benefit you financially, how to go about applying to college, how to find financing, plus a lot more.
U101 College Search
This site has over 4,000 links to colleges and universities in the US and Canada.
Curricula
Roads to Success
The Roads to Success program offers a free college and career curriculum for grades 7 through 12. The website has detailed lesson plans on how to motivate your students to attend college.
Professional Development
ACT
This site offers a suggested timeline for counselors to help them prepare their students for college.
College Board
The authors of the SAT have a website dedicated to school counselors. This site has information on many topics relevant to college planning from facilitating the college application process to explaining financial aid.
Recommendation Letters
College Board
This article contains tips for counselors writing recommendation letters including links to pdf forms for students and parents to fill out information to assist their counselor in writing their recommendation letter.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/counselor-tips
This links you to a suggested outline for writing a student’s recommendation letter.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Outline%20of%20a%20Counselor%20Recommendation%205-4.pdf
Financial Aid
College Goal Sunday
A group of volunteers runs College Goal Sunday to help families apply for Federal Student Aid. The volunteers coordinate dates and places where families can fill out their FAFSA forms with help from college financial aid experts.
Money CNN
This calculator will help you find out how much money it costs to go to any school in the US.
Recent Research
CSCORE does not endorse any of the following research studies. Instead our goal is to present you with the latest research being conducted. It is up to you to decide if the study is reliable and valid.
Examining the Effects of High School Contexts on Postsecondary Enrollment
By: Mark E. Engberg and Gregory C. Wolniak
Research in Higher Education, 2010
http://www.springerlink.com/content/036n2x163xvq422t/ (fee required)
College Preparatory Curriculum for All: Academic Consequences of Requiring Algebra and English I for Ninth Graders in Chicago
By: Elaine Allensworth, Takako Nomi, Nicholas Montgomery, and Valerie E. Lee
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2009
http://epa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/4/367 (fee required)
Establishing a College Culture in Secondary Schools Through P-20 Collaboration: A Case Study
By: Karen McClafferty Jarsky, Patricia M. McDonough, and Anne-Marie Núñez
Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 2009
http://jhh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/8/4/357 (fee required)
Leave No Schools Behind: The Importance of a College Culture in Urban Public High Schools
By: Nicole E. Holland and Raquel L. Farmer-Hinton
The High School Journal, 2009
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/high_school_journal/v092/92.3.holland.pdf (fee required)
Preservice Teachers Are Creating a College Culture for At-Risk Middle School Students
By: Rich Radcliffe
Research in Middle Level Education, 2008
https://www.nmsa.org/portals/0/pdf/publications/RMLE/rmle_vol32_no4.pdf
Contextual Influences on Parental Involvement in College Going: Variations by Socioeconomic Class
By: Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon, Angela D. Bell, and Laura W. Perna
The Journal of Higher Education, October 2008
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_higher_education/v079/79.5.rowan-kenyon.pdf
Supporting College Transitions Through Collaborative Programming: A Conceptual Model for Guiding Policy
by Melinda Mechur Karp & Katherine L. Hughes
Teachers College Record, 2008
http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=14641 (fee required)
Early Adolescents’ Aspirations and Academic Tracking: An Exploratory Investigation
By: Patrick Akos, Glenn W. Lambie, Amy Milsom, and Kelly Gilbert
Professional School Counseling, 2007
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/11-1-57%20Akos.pdf
Predictive Factors in Postsecondary Educational Attainment Among Latinos
By: Daniel T. Sciarra, and Melissa L. Whitson
Professional School Counseling, 2007
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/10-3-307%20Sciarra.pdf
A Comparison Study of AVID and GEAR UP 10th-Grade Students in Two High Schools in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas
By: Karen M. Watt, Jeffery Huerta, and Aliber Lozano
Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 2007
http://www.msanetwork.org/documents/GEAR_UP/Watt%202007%20Comparison%20Study%20AVID%20GEAR%20UP.pdf