To highlight differences in student-to-counselor ratios, NACAC has prepared a series of state maps using school district-level data available from the US Department of Education. Research has shown that secondary school counselors play a critical role in facilitating the transition to postsecondary education. Unfortunately, the ability of public…

According to a survey by NACAC and IC3 (International Career and College Counseling) Institute, 88 percent of Indian high school counselors believe their administration understands the importance of a dedicated career and college counseling program, and 70 percent agree that their school culture is supportive of counseling. However, many…

In 2018-2019, the program's second federally funded year, GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Austin served a cohort of 7th-grade students (n = 2,536) across 11 middle schools. Nearly all GEAR UP students received support services relevant to college preparation. Evaluation findings suggest that students,…

High school counselors play a vital role in helping students prepare for attending college. They are the link between students and families and institutions, providing counseling, information, and motivation to help students make it through their enrollment journeys. Along the way, they have to help students cope with a wide variety of challenges:…

This report provides a summary of highlights of the 15th annual AISD High School Exit Survey administered online to seniors in every AISD high school during May 2017.

Growing experimental evidence demonstrates that low-touch informational, nudge, and virtual advising interventions are ineffective at improving postsecondary educational outcomes for economically-disadvantaged students at scale. Intensive in-person college advising programs are a considerably higher-touch and more resource intensive strategy; some…

Digital engagement is the most important strategy for engaging Generation Z, but what are the right solutions and strategies to maximize engagement with this crucial target market? Which approaches align with the expectations of the students colleges are trying to reach? And more importantly, how can a college make its institution's unique brand…

In 2016, the University of Washington's School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training (SMART) Center launched a three-year study examining the feasibility, effectiveness, and efficiency of a Brief Intervention Strategy for School Mental Health Clinicians (BRISC). SMART partnered with Wilder Research and the University of Maryland to…

This evaluation report presents a baseline description of outcomes for the 2017-2018 school year, the first year of GEAR UP Austin implementation in AISD. Specifically, the report describes program implementation, student participation in GEAR UP Austin, and baseline student academic and college preparation outcomes. [For the executive summary,…

This report analyzes new, nationally representative data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). Part I of this report examines what high schools are doing to help students transition to postsecondary education. Broadly, it examines college-level course offerings; counselors' time, attitudes and actions; and students'…

Since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, K-12 students have faced unprecedented upheaval in many aspects of their daily lives. Their schools abruptly closed and almost overnight their classes shifted to remote learning, a largely unfamiliar instructional model for them and their teachers. To learn more about the impact on students'…

The "2018 National Freshman Motivation to Complete College Report" examines the noncognitive motivations of college freshmen at the beginning of their first year and as they progress throughout that year. This report provides key insights into how freshmen are gauging their potential to graduate, what barriers (financial, academic,…

Launched in 1965, Upward Bound (UB) is one of the oldest and largest of the federal college access programs targeted to low-income students and those who would represent the first-generation of college completers in their families. Currently, UB serves more than 60,000 high school students at a cost of about $4,300 per youth and offers an array of…

This report examines three focal points for understanding incoming first-year students' motivation to complete college: (1) academic motivational barriers and opportunities; (2) social motivational barriers and opportunities; and (3) financial motivational barriers and opportunities. [For "2016 National Freshman Motivation to Complete College…

Young people have been hit especially hard by changes in the labor market over the past decades. Unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds increased the most of any age group during the recent recession, and remains more than double that among older adults. The unemployment rate is especially high for young people without high school diplomas.…