MASCA
MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION
College Completion Agenda By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director
DONNA BROWN
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n December, Shannon Doran and I had the opportunity to attend the launch of The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report and its companion piece, The College Completion Agenda: State Policy Guide, at the Massachusetts State House. Produced as a collaboration between The College Board Advocacy and Policy Center and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the work is slated to be the first in a series of publications that “help to translate research and innovation into effective public policy.” Designed for state legislators, the publication looks at ten recommendations that will require serious discussion and consideration about state policy approaches to K-16 education. The recommendations are the result of a study by The College Board Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education. According to the Executive Summary, the commission found that a “torrent of American talent and human potential entering the educational pipeline is reduced to a trickle 16 years later as it moves through the K-16 system.” Suggestions in each section range from low-cost, short-term solutions to highcost, long-term ones. Examples from states (continued on page 4)
VOL. 48, NO. 7
MARCH 2012
Counseling at a Crossroads By MICHELLE BURKE, MASCA President
T
his past November, the College Board National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA), collaborating with Civic Enterprises and Peter D. Hart Research Associates, presented the findings from their first annual National Survey of School Counselors. Some are calling Counseling at a Crossroads the most comprehensive research and data available to date on school counselors. It was completed at a time when the United States is no longer first in the world in college degree attainment. NOSCA compiled their findings from completed surveys of middle and high school counselors in the spring of 2011. For all counselors in the study, the reported average caseload was 368 students, nearly 50 percent greater than the ASCA recommendation of 250 students. Parents, teachers, and administrators, as well as students, often do not understand the role of the school counselor. Adding to the confusion is the fact that our roles vary from school district to school district. The purpose of the NOSCA survey was to seek insight into how school counselors view their roles and missions and how they currently spend their days. NOSCA hoped to show how school counselors could be better “strategically deployed” to serve students. We acknowledge that school counselors are a vital, yet often overlooked, part of the educational system. At a time when our nation is looking to make all students career and college ready, counselors
MICHELLE BURKE are the critical component and the most professionally trained to make this goal a reality. In order to make this happen, however, we must have more clearly defined missions in our schools. Creating a measure of accountability is essential to track our effectiveness. Of the 5,308 counselors in the study, more than eight in ten counselors say that the mission of school counselors should be to address student problems, so that all students mature and develop skills for the adult world and graduate from high school ready to succeed. Few counselors, however, say that these goals closely fit the mission of their school. The majority of counselors —75 percent — would like to spend more time on targeted activities that promote student success, including career counseling and exploration. Counselors were divided regarding what they consider to be fair and appropriate measures of our effectiveness, college acceptance rates, dropout rates, and FAFSA completion rates. (continued on page 6)
MASCA Annual Spring Conference CoCo Key Hotel & Water Resort, Danvers April 29 – May 1, 2012 Register at www.masca.org