School District Moves to Contract with Educational Consultants for College Advising; are we moving toward the tipping point?
by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA
For several years I have put forth a theory, based on little more than gut feeling. Simply put, it was as more students seek the advice of educational consultants, it will become easier for cash-strapped school districts to cut way back on full-time college counseling within the schools by contracting with educational consultants. Such a move would allow school counselors to concentrate on crisis intervention, academic and behavioral concerns, and “farm out” college counseling to professionals who have the time and expertise to serve students better.
A few days ago, one of the nation’s largest school districts approved a plan to move in that direction. The Dallas Independent School District voted to fund over $2 million for outside college counseling. The school district felt its ratio of one counselor per 385 students left those young people with inadequate counseling. What is remarkable is that so many district have ratios TWICE that number. The counselors who are district employees would continue to have responsibilities including academic advising, class scheduling, emotional and behavioral counseling and the like, but would hand over college advising to outside professionals. The budget allotment provides each high school in the district with $95,000 to contract with outside organizations.
It has long been my view that college advising and personal counseling are very different, requiring different skills and core knowledge. In many ways this change recognizes that college advisors possess a different set of competencies that will benefits students tremendously. What we at IECA think is essential is that the schools, as they look for outside guidance, only begin working with those who have the knowledge, experience, expertise and ethical guideposts represented by IECA and/or NACAC membership. We’ll be watching closely.
If this works, as measured by both the delivery of services and the economic realities of the school district, and if families are pleased with the results, we can expect to see other school systems explore the same plan, leading us closer to the theory I’ve espoused for the last few years, elevating the profession, enhancing IECA and NACAC’s role and serving students better.
We’ll be watching closely!
Related posts:
- Transitioning from a School or College to Independent Educational Consulting
- Better Relations Between School-Based Counselors and Educational Consultants Is Focus of IECA Effort
- Looking Back and Ahead: NACAC and Educational Consultants
- As Educational Consulting Moves from Adolescence to Adulthood, Let’s End the Apologies and Make Ourselves Heard—in the Best Interest of Our Clients
- National Survey Suggests Students Gain Little Help from High School Counselors in College Search
Mark,
I can’t agree more. This would be an incredible development in the education field. I recently saw a film about the charter school movement. In the film they discussed how the public school system has not changed or evolved in decades while businesses change to adapt to new technology and other improvements everyday. I think it has been a long time coming for the education system in this country to catch up to the developments that have been made along the way. The same system that worked over 60 years ago is not going to work the same way today. Children are learning differently and we need to change the format of our schools to match that.
Having graduated with my masters in counseling not so long ago, it was clear to me from day one of my program that 99% of the students seeking this degree were hoping to do personal counseling in schools. The program itself was therapy-based and nearly everyone graduated having no clue what the high school counselors job really entails. I think it does the students a huge disservice to come in not wanting to do paperwork on any piece of the college application process. School counseling programs also need to reinvent themselves so that the students are prepared to do the work they have set out to do and are not misled.
I have worked in high schools in New York City where the guidance and college offices are separate. I have seen what wonders that can do for the student body. Many schools even in and around the NYC area do not have that luxury. I think that contracting independent counselors would solve alot of problems that students often report having with their counselors when it comes to the college application process.
Whatever happens, something has to be changed.
Thanks for this inspiring article about how our field can grow in the future in so many ways!
Jamie