NC SCSLT Recommendations
Securing Financial and Stakeholder Support
Background
North Carolina faces a gap between educational attainment and industry’s projected need for educated workers. The job skills needed for North Carolina employers in 2025 will be dramatically different than 50 years ago when 79%of jobs required a high school diploma or less. Today,only 35% of jobs are available to high school graduates and dropouts, with the majority of those jobs paying less than $25,000 per year.
The trend for these new jobs shows the clear need for a skilled workforce as, in North Carolina,67% of these jobs will require education and training beyond high school. That means 13 out of 20 people will need postsecondary education by 2025 to meet the skill sets required for the available new, good-paying jobs. Currently 54% of working adults have some postsecondary education.
NC SCSLT Recommendations
Securing Financial and Stakeholder Support
Background (continued)
The supporting role of School Counselors in postsecondary planning and workforce development
School Counselors can play a critical role in NC’s quest to meet the workforce demand for labor. A recent report from the National Association of College Admissions Counselors[i] linked the role of School Counselors with postsecondary decision making and found that 12th graders who talked about their future plans with a school counselor were:
· 6.8 times more likely to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
· 3.2 times more likely to attend college.
· Two times more likely to attend a bachelor's degree program.
Other findings from the analyses include the following:
1. Several characteristics of the counseling programs in students’ schools were related to whether students met one on one with a[1] high school counselor to discuss college admissions or financial aid.
2. A one on one meeting with a high school counselor to discuss college admissions or financial aid was positively related to the student’s likelihood of completing a FAFSA, attending postsecondary education, and attending a bachelor’s degree program.
3. Several student characteristics that counselors may be able to influence were also related to students’ postsecondary outcomes. These characteristics include whether a student participated in a program that provided college preparation, the proportion of the student’s close friends planning to attend a four-year college, parents’ expectations in ninth grade for their child’s highest postsecondary degree attainment, whether the student spoke with a counselor in ninth grade about going to college, and whether parents spoke with a counselor about their child’s options for life after high school by 11th grade.
NC SCSLT Recommendations
Securing Financial and Stakeholder Support:
Given the positive relationship of School Counselors to student postsecondary participation, it is critical that School Counselors have up to date information on postsecondary education and workforce options. The Securing Funding Committee recommends the following:
Issue 1:
1. School Counselors lack pre-service and in-service training to be able to effectively advise K-12 students on career and college credential and degree options aligned to workforce needs.
Solution:
Pre-service and in-service professional development is necessary to equip School Counselors with the skills and knowledge to effectively guide the next generation workforce.
Rationale:
1. School Counselors may be the only source of career and college information that a student encounters in K-12 education. The investment in early awareness of career and college options is beneficial as students plan their high school course pathway.
Implementation Strategies:
1. The NC State Board of Education should prioritize School Counselor professional development through support of a “badging” credential earned during graduate studies.
2. The NC State Board of Education should set aside state funds to be distributed to schools for in-service professional development for School Counselors to increase skills and knowledge of career and college options in NC.
3. The state plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) should prioritize professional development for School Counselors.
4. A portion of federal ESSA funds should be allocated to School Counselor professional development.
NC SCSLT Recommendations
Securing Financial and Stakeholder Support:
Issue 2:
1. Secondary, postsecondary, and workforce professionals lack a coordinated means for sharing career and college information.
Solution:
1. NC Works, the NC Community College System, and the University of North Carolina should coordinate to create informational resources promoting career and college choices and available articulated pathways to the careers in NC.
Rationale:
1. Students and families need accurate and timely information to make career and college trajectory decisions early in high school. Many jobs do not require a bachelor degree to earn a middle class lifestyle. Career information needs to reflect the workforce demand for skills and knowledge.
Implementation Strategies:
1. NC Works should incorporate School Counselors professional development as a workforce development strategy. NC Works should incorporate School Counselor professional development within the 67% Goal.
2. The State Chamber should adopt a resolution prioritizing School Counselors as providing a critical service to the future workforce. The State Chamber should support School Counselor in-service professional development.
3. BEST NC should adopt resolution in support of in-service professional development for School Counselors. BEST NC should support School Counselor in-service professional development.
4. The College Foundation of NC should prioritize the coordination of accurate and timely career information for students and families and push information out to populations that are underserved and not likely to participate in postsecondary education and/or training.
5. NC Works should coordinate information sharing across agencies.
NC SCSLT Recommendations
Securing Financial and Stakeholder Support:
______
Issue 3:
1. Career and college ready is a state priority, but the workforce of School Counselors is not trained.
Solution:
The NC State Board of Education, the UNC Board of Governors, the NC State Board of Community Colleges, and the business community should document the priority of School Counselor professional development.
Rationale:
The coordination of the priority of School Counselor professional development will serve all entities and the state goal of 67% of the workforce having some form of postsecondary education.
Implementation Strategies:
1. The NC Department of Public Instruction, the UNC General Administration, and the NC Community College System should allocate state funds in support of School Counselor professional development and a coordinated information distribution system.
2. NC Works should allocate state funding for School Counselor professional development and coordinate the secondary and postsecondary information development.
3. CFNC should distribute information on their website.
4. The UNC General Administration should leverage the federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) 2018 grant competition in support of statewide School Counselor professional development.
5
[1] Dunlop Velez, Erin. (2016) How Can High School Counseling Shape Students’ Postsecondary Attendance? Exploring the Relationship between the High School Counseling Context and Students’ Subsequent Postsecondary Enrollment. National Association for College Admission Counseling. Retrieved from: https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/hsls-phase-iii.pdf
[i]