Counselors can play an integral role in developing transformative schooling environments that center equity and disrupt marginalizing practices. The purpose of this "Equity by Design" brief is to conduct a critical examination of the profession and training of school counselors, shifting towards positioning the school counselor as an…

This guide is the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) commitment to principled conduct among professionals who support students in the college transition process from secondary school to postsecondary education and in the transfer process between postsecondary institutions. College counseling and admission professionals…

Over the past two decades, research on urban schools has focused predominantly on achievement gaps. However, achievement gaps exist because of gaps in opportunities for urban, low-income, and racially/ethnically diverse students. Partnerships among schools, families, and communities can provide the enrichment opportunities, support, resources, and…

Multicultural education is an educational approach designed to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, including those in marginalized groups. This approach has historically been directed towards teachers, but school counselors have the appropriate training and skills to lead multicultural education efforts, as well. In this…

In this article, "standards blending"--the integration of core academic and school counseling standards--is demonstrated as a culturally responsive strategy to assist in closing the achievement gap for a group of third-grade African American males. The small-group intervention described resulted in knowledge gains in both the school counseling and…

For many years, gender equity has pertained primarily to improving education and career opportunities for females. Recent studies, however, provide evidence that boys no longer hold an advantage. Based on extensive analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study, the High School & Beyond, and the National Education Longitudinal Study, it…

Developing an active, collaborative relationship between schools and parents, with a goal of enhancing the career equity guidance of young adolescents, is a difficult task. The school counselor, by training and school position, is often the individual change agent who spearheads the development of innovative programs designed to involve and…

The academic achievement gap of students of color and low-income students as compared to middle and upper socioeconomic students and White students has been clearly documented. Historically the long-standing role of the school counselor has contributed to the status quo of these inequities, inadvertently maintaining educational and social…

School counselors can play a powerful role in closing the achievement gap when they incorporate the principles of social justice into their practice. In this much-needed resource for preservice and inservice counselors, the author addresses factors (such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism) that can contribute to academic failure, and…

This document, which presents a model for sex affirmative guidance and counseling programs in secondary schools, is the result of the collaborative efforts of 23 Michigan secondary school counselors who attended a seminar on "Building the Model Program: Achieving Sex Equity in Counseling and Guidance Programs." Four program audiences are…

Glenn Hills College Preparatory Charter High School (GHCP) fosters college access for Black students who are first generation college-bound and living in poor neighborhoods. To help GHCP students make the transition to college, the school's counselors work to fulfill a variety of targeted roles and responsibilities. This study examines the…

While many youngsters today are successfully mastering the life and career planning process, too many others are not. One faulty coping mechanism is premature closure, the untimely and ill-considered self-narrowing of alternatives. The goal of this project was to help counselors, teachers, and principals develop the insights and skills necessary…