by Mark H. Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

A new national survey released yesterday by the non-profit research organization Public Agenda, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, paints a depressing picture of college advising. In their survey of young adults who graduated from college, the researchers explored how helpful the respondents’ school-based counselor was in meeting their college search, application, and financial aid advisory needs. The respondents found little to cheer.

Two-thirds of those surveyed rated their counselor “poor or fair” at “helping you decide what school was right for you,” with 62% indicating a similar rating in the area of financial aid advice. Over 50% gave “poor or fair” evaluations to their counselors for “explaining and helping you with the application process,” while nearly half said that they were made to feel like little more than a “face in the crowd.”

The researchers were quick to note the conditions under which counselors typically work, including excessive caseloads often double or triple the national recommended number of students. In many school districts, college counseling is one aspect of a counselor’s duties that may include academic advising, crisis intervention, and lunchroom duty.

Little in the report came as a surprise, and one might suspect that as executive director of the professional association representing educational consultants working in private practice, we would greet the findings with some degree of pleasure. In fact, I am deeply disturbed by the findings and place the blame where it belongs: NOT on the backs of hard-working, overwhelmed school counselors, but squarely at the feet of school boards who have refused to recognize the importance of good, well-trained counseling staff.

So let me be clear in terms of the solution:

(1) What I believe is simple: every student deserves great college and career advising, not just those in private school or wealthy suburban districts—or those who can afford the services of an educational consultant. Every child.

(2) Counselor caseloads should not exceed the recommended maximum of 250, as set by the American School Counselors Association.

(3) Every counselor doing college placements should take coursework specific to college counseling—few actually have—like online classes offered through UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.

(4) A member of the counseling team should be specifically trained to advise students with learning differences on their school search and application process, as well as offer advice on the transition to college.

(5) Schools should find the resources to ensure opportunities for professional development. Counselors must know the latest trends and changes to admission policies, financial aid, and more.

(6) School districts must release counselors to visit campuses regularly, to better understand the social, academic, and community aspects of the college and be better able to advise students and families.

These six recommendations would go a long way to improving counseling by supporting the training and professional development of college counselors and recognizing the limits to effective advice when one is over-worked and under-supported.

Because the educational consulting community supports great counseling for every child, we hope that these changes—which Independent Educational Consultant Association members already benefit from—are extended to school counselors, and we stand with our professional colleagues as they seek the resources they need to more effectively serve students in finding great college matches.

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

“The pace of change in programming within your association must be commensurate with the pace of change in your member’s world.”

This little bit of truth was but one of hundreds of things that IECA President-elect Dodge Johnson and I heard over the last two days. We were attending a symposium for chief elected officers and chief staff officers run by the American Society of Association Executives. Of course the above bit of knowledge comes with further awareness that we live in an era of unprecedented and unpredictable change. Does any IECA member really know what will be the major challenges facing them in their own practice in their own community in the fall of 2013? Yet somehow, we are told, the association must be preparing now for that unknowable reality. The job of officers and staff is to prepare our members for what the future holds and to be sure that we become a significant resource to help our members thrive in whatever challenge arises.

While the times may change and the daily realities of consulting work may change, the basic premise of what makes an association important to its members does not. Associations are about three things: (1) Community (2) Connections (3) Communication. Our commitment has always been for IECA to be the premiere community, widely recognized and respected as bringing together the leaders in the field to share experiences, knowledge, and to understand the changes taking place in admissions, education, and adolescent health. We are well aware that communities of consultants are easier than ever to create: organizations can start up, or gather online, but what IECA guarantees is that those who choose to join in OUR community are also well screened for competence, ethics, and value a commitment to the success of young people.

Over the last year we have tackled the last in that alliterative series—Communication—in new and exciting ways. This blog and social networking have enabled us to assist our members in this new frontier of possibilities. At the same time, we continue to print our newsletter and brochures. We have expanded opportunities for face-to-face networking through our Speed Meetings, and our College Fairs are larger than ever. It is this very diversity—allowing members to share and communicate in varied formats—that demonstrates our great success.

One of the first items shared with our training group was the unique nature of associations, where the primary consumers, owners, and workforce are all the same: the members. Members are indeed the leaders, filling all Board positions. They also serve as the volunteers that steer our committees, outreach to allied professionals, and help spread the word. And unique among all business systems, these same members are the primary consumers: paying dues, paying conference fees, and attending workshops and campus tours.

Of course we were also cautioned not to allow a situation develop in which members feel they are there to be “sold to” rather than “served.” I took this as a great caution and was reminded of the feedback we heard from many, including the Schools Committee to balance IECA’s fiscal needs with our commitment to serving members. It is a message we heard and to which we will respond.

Over the course of our two days, we were asked to identify one “mega” strategic issue that we expect IECA will confront in the coming years. Rather than pull one out of the blue, Dodge and I were able to access the results (so far) of our ongoing member survey of strategic initiatives. There we found our answer. Members overwhelmingly have identified our mega issue: expanding public awareness and hiring of educational consultants in their educational search, with an effort to ensure that IECA members are seen as the “gold standard” in the profession. It is this overriding member concern that will be front and center as IECA looks at what we need to do to ensure our members are prepared to confront the changes that are coming, as they pursue what the field will be like for them personally in the fall of 2013 and beyond.

by Lisa Temkin (Illinois), IECA Member

I just thought some of you might be interested in hearing about a liberal arts presentation that Jill Burstein and I organized as a marketing event for our consulting practices.

We have three admissions people from three different liberal arts schools in the Midwest coming to speak on liberal arts curriculum—the flexibility, opportunities, how it’s different from the traditional university paradigm, what type of student it’s a fit for, etc.

Lake Forest College has generously offered a small auditorium and we’ll provide coffee, snacks and a variety of hand-outs. Just in case you know someone that might be interested the details are:

Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.
Lake Forest College, Hotchkiss Hall, Meyer Auditorium
Lake Forest, IL

Speakers are Diane Kanney from Lake Forest College, Tony Bankston from Illinois Wesleyan University, and Mary Karen Villenes from The College of Wooster.

Should be very interesting; they are all dynamic speakers. If you have any questions about how we put this event together e-mail either Jill (collegefinderjb@aol.com) or myself (Lisa@GloEduCon.com).

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

Nearly 30 years ago IECA set the standard for the profession of educational consulting by establishing the first Principles of Good Practice. Major revisions several years ago made these ethics guidelines stricter and more demanding, setting limits on the value of gifts, articulating the limits on commercial activities, and places a firm prohibition against activities that heighten student or family anxieties. IECA became one of the first associations in the country that regularly reviewed the marketing materials of applicants to ensure these emphasize a “good fit” over “getting in.”

Now the Independent Educational Consultants Association has again raised the bar substantially by establishing new STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE for the practice of educational consulting. These new competencies (covering 14 pages of information) ensure that those in the field keep up with the ever-changing body of knowledge and practice in a professional and empathic way. The new document covers the major consulting areas of college advising, school advising, advising of students with learning disabilities, and advising students with special needs (emotional and behavioral problems). Within each advising specialty, competencies are articulated in the areas of assessments, working with the family, working with educational institutions, professional ethics, professional office management, and professional development.

Among the competencies:

• Consultants seeks to empower the student to take charge of the application process.

• Educate families and students about college ranking systems and media coverage in order to bring balance to decision-making and put this information in context.

• Recommend only schools that the consultant has visited except in highly unusual situations; make regular visits to campuses (spending up to 20% of one’s professional time doing so).

• Advise on the best alternatives for the child, regardless of parental desire or pressure. Consultants should seek to help parents understand why actions are recommended.

• Use intake procedures that insure the consultant develops an in-depth understanding of the unique characteristics of each student, i.e. unique abilities, academic learning style, personal characteristics, values, attitudes, feelings, interests, personal strengths and weaknesses, work ethic, aspirations, short-term and long-term goals.

• Prepare students and families for issues surrounding the transition from high school to college, i.e. self-advocacy skills.

• Understand the limitations of and appropriate uses of common assessment instruments.

• Be aware of accreditation, licensure and approval status of programs they recommend.

• Maintain knowledge of programs’ safety records, number of students, maintenance, administrative policies, education, therapy and emotional growth components, food service and quality, population description, confidentiality, and more.

• Respect the families’ and parents’ experience, history, values, religion, goals, and financial parameters in order to factor these in to the application and decision-making process.

The complete document, copyrighted by IECA, is available on the Association’s Web site: www.IECAonline.com.

By Brian Fisher, AdmissionsQuest

The first official morning just concluded. Formats and offerings have changed and that’s good.

I talked with Mark Sklarow from the periphery of the Speed Meeting sessions to get his take on the conference and the new approaches.

In a word, there’s more meat. The conference has tightened its focus on professional experiences and information. There’s still networking to be sure, but serious education and professional development are in the fore here in Charlotte. As Mark said, the conference priorities have shifted from “a little education with a lot of networking to a lot of education with a little networking.”

Mark found that schools and consultants were looking for more content- more return on their conference experience.

The pre and post conference workshops now book-end the conference with intense detailed presentations covering serious topics and current research.

Check back soon to see video conversation recorded at the Speed Meetings. We’ll work hard to post them as soon as we can (we recorded 17 so it may take a bit, but be patient).

by Brian Fisher, AdmissionsQuest

The Independent Educational Consultants Association Fall Conference (Teaming Up To Tackle the Curves Ahead) opens a new chapter in networking and connecting educational consultants. IECA members and admission officials from schools, colleges, and programs, have new opportunities to experience the conference and events trends through social media.

We’re thrilled to work with IECA to bring social media coverage to the conference. Working from Conference Central, we (AdmissionsQuest) will photograph, record, and post updates all week. Don’t be shy when you see the cameras or receive a question.

Don’t miss a thing from the most important conference of the year. Follow conference highlights, events, updates, commentary, and trends—even when you can’t be there in person.

Connect Easily

Live blogging from the IECA Blog.

Updates through IECA’s Twitter channel.
Contribute to the Twitter conversation by including #IECAconference in your tweets. Lets build a conference-wide conversation.

Video on IECA’s YouTube channel.

Photos through IECA’s Flickr pool.

Stay connected. Join the discussion or revisit something that got you thinking. Bookmark your social media channels/outlets today!

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, Independent Educational Consultants Association

A few facts to put on the table:

(1) As a group, professional educational consultants skew a bit older than the general public.

(2) Most consultants, before entering the field were covered by a group health policy in a school, college, or other agency.

(3) Paying for health insurance as an individual is among the most expensive costs independent businessmen and women face.

(4) Putting together items 1, 2, and 3 suggests that the availability and affordability of health insurance is a major obstacle for those seeking to transition into independent educational consulting.

Indeed, group health insurance is the first and most urgent request we get from IECA members when we ask about services. A number of circumstances make it difficult, including: how spread out members are geographically; the average age of our members makes us less attractive to insurers; and of course the size of the organization, while growing is—on a state-by-state basis—insufficient to gain the interest and attention of insurers (insurance coverage is almost always determined on a state or regional basis).

All of this suggests that educational consultants, like many small businesspersons, would be tuned in to the current debate about the future of health care in America. While I will not wade into the specific proposals (how many are there now, six or seven?) or the outlandish claims being made, I do want to outline a few key items that we should look for in any new plan, specific to what would assist our membership:

(1) A plan should allow independent businesspeople to join together, through cooperatives or other means, to seek health coverage at group rates. Imagine the benefit if all independent professionals and businesspeople in, say, Baltimore could form a cooperative, 10,000 strong, and invite bids from three or four health insurance companies. There seems little doubt that such a plan would reduce premiums for all. Such a plan would allow IECA to cover its employees at a greatly reduced cost—if we could join together with other small non-profit organizations.

(2) Legislation should protect those changing jobs or careers (from a school counselor to an educational consultant, for example) from being denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

(3) Legislation should protect those diagnosed with an illness from any threat of being dropped by their health insurance company. As our membership ages, the ability to maintain adequate levels of health coverage is essential.

(4) On behalf of the families and students we serve, I would love to see equity between coverage for physical illnesses and psychological illnesses. There is no excuse in modern times for covering mental illness less than physical ailments.

I will be watching:  tonight as the President outlines his plan and as the Republican leadership responds; and I’ll be watching in the days ahead. Hopefully a plan will emerge with bipartisan support that assures the four basic principles I outlined above to serve IECA members and educational consultants.

by Mark H. Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

The Pew Research Center released a new study today that confirms what many suspected: the American work force is older than ever before as increasing numbers of seniors continue to work and the economy has led many younger people to remain in school. The Pew Research was based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. I could have told them the same without the costly research. Last week while vacationing the evidence was everywhere. The ride operators throughout Disney World, once the realm of pimple-faced adolescents, were instead seniors—many well into their 70s who donned costumes for their role in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. When I drove my daughter Jaimie to the airport so she could attend an orientation for her new major, we both marveled at the toll-takers, all well into what we used to think of as “retirement years.”

According to Pew, most older workers—about 54%—say they continue to work because they want to. They say they are healthy, productive and see no reason to stop working. A sizable, but smaller number—around 40%—say they continue to work out of economic necessity, a growing number given the losses many experienced in their retirement savings in recent years. Given longer life spans, improved health and the bubble of aging baby boomers, we are likely just at the start of this growing trend.

All of this may explain, in some way, the quickened pace in the growth of independent educational consulting. While we continue to see a small increase in first-career interest in the field, consulting has become a serious career choice for those in their 50s and beyond, with a few wonderful, active consultants I know still hitting those campus tours well into their 80s. Why is consulting such a great choice for the second and third career-seekers?

In part it allows those who have amassed knowledge: in counseling and admission of course, but also in social work, legal advocacy, nursing, and teaching, to use this lifetime of acquired knowledge and skills. This alone has fueled the success of our Transitioning to Private Practice workshop.  It’s also a field that keeps you thinking and acting young: show me any 75-year-old who has continued to work with teenagers and I’ll show you someone who knows what adolescents today are thinking, watching, listening to, and a senior who is not afraid of new technologies. They look, act, and think younger than their peers. For many, consulting offers a great financial opportunity: take the retirement pay earned through years of institutional work and now work in a similar field to supplement financially. Of course, independent educational consultants can set their own work hours: taking as few or as many clients as they need, want, or have interest in serving.

We also know—from our own research—that for consultants the greatest reward is serving students, being part of guiding them to successful educational careers. But many find that the other positive aspects of the work keep you feeling young, vibrant and connected: traveling with colleagues to visit campuses across the country, attending conferences, living in dorms during trainings, connecting with students, parents and peers through Facebook and listserves, welcoming a new crop of adolescents each year, and seeing excited faces when acceptance letters arrive, or solving critical family dilemmas and setting a student’s course in the right direction.

This may be one reason that so many members of the IECA—a recent review suggested 70%—not only attend conferences and events but get actively involved in the organization: planning conferences, joining committees, creating affinity groups, local study groups, travel groups, and more. In the Pew Study they refer to the “desire to stay active”; certainly independent educational consulting and IECA are welcoming of those seeking a career in the field that requires such activity—and reward it with success measured on so many levels.

Such a trend serves us all incredibly well.

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

Just returning from vacation I was reflecting on the day I spent with my family at a water park. As I mentioned to my wife at the time, I loved the fast slides and crazy curves coming down but hated the long, arduous climb back up the six or so stories required to experience those short moments of exhilaration. While for me those climbs back up reminded me of my age (all too easy to forget during the tube ride down), they also serve as a reminder of the progress of the field of educational consulting.

It has truly been a long, difficult climb. Misunderstandings about the role of consultants among our school-based colleagues are legendary, but we worked hard to correct that image, rising one step at a time. Media reports that concentrate on the 1% of unethical, unscrupulous consultants have made the climb tougher still, but again we have been persistent in demonstrating who we are and what IECA members believe in. Recent media reports have generally provided families with the clear distinction between IECA members and those unable to earn membership—evidence that the climb, however difficult, is worth the effort.

I have long felt that our young profession faced yet another difficulty in the absence of any degree or certificate program in independent educational consulting. This felt to me analogous to trying to climb that ladder with a few rungs missing.

For years we responded to inquiries from the media and general public, and advised those who sought entry into this profession what was required of educational consultants. In doing so we laid out the educational and professional experiences necessary for success. However, there was no educational program, beyond the Summer Training Institute run by the Independent Educational Consultants Association—a fantastic program, but not seen publicly as the equivalent of a degree or certificate granted by a major university.

It is with this background that I’m pleased to report that the first-ever Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting has been officially approved by the University of California to be offered as part of the extension program through UC Irvine. For several years programs have existed at UCLA and UC Berkeley, among others, in College Counseling. This is the first program to recognize educational consulting as a separate and distinct field with courses in the principles of educational consulting, financial aid, serving students with learning disabilities, as well as summer and gap year advising, and consulting with students possessing artistic and special talents. It will also cover those critical small business skills including entrepreneurship, marketing, PR, and ethics.

This new program, developed in a partnership between UC Irvine Extension and IECA, kicks off this fall with the Principles of Educational Consulting course, and several classes added in the winter session. More details will be available on the UC Irvine Web site in mid-September and a special, no-cost webinar will be offered next week (pre-registration is required) that will examine the program, its requirements, the coursework, and related educational opportunities important to succeed in the field. Do join in this webinar, led by IECA members Steve Antonoff (CO) and Bari Norman (FL), as well as myself. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9th; follow this link for more details and to register. For additional information about the program and courses being offered, contact Amanda Yngelmo at ayngelmo@uci.edu or 949-824-9304.

This new development will allow us an easier climb up the ladder and we should all welcome this development for the profession.

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

(Attending the ASAE Convention in Toronto)

I heard Newsweek International Editor and CNN host Fareed Zakaria speak today. I was particularly taken by one of his opening lines: “The urgent will always crowd out the important.”

Zakaria was speaking about what Senator Obama had stated as his one over-arching goal in deciding whether to run for president: getting the U.S. out of Iraq. Of course what he has found is that on any given day dozens of other items both large (the economy) and less so (Somali Pirates) demand his immediate attention.

But isn’t Zakaria’s point true of us all. We may begin a day knowing what important task “must” be confronted, yet a panicked phone call from a client or a sick child or a broken air conditioner can quickly grab our attention.

On Wednesday afternoon the IECA Executive Committee will meet. Needless to say there are “important” issues to be confronted, but none of us will be surprised if some urgent matter dominates the 48 hours we have together. I for one hope that our cell phones don’t work in Canada or our Internet connections are just not quite strong enough, allowing us to shut out some of those urgent matters so the important ones can be discussed.