The purpose of this phenomenological investigation was to explore the lived experiences of rural high school counselors when providing career development services. Several key themes emerged, including (a) contextual factors, (b) direct services, (c) indirect services, (d) rewarding aspects, and (e) challenging aspects. The findings support…

While parent involvement has been shown to have positive academic outcomes for their children, for structural changes to be made, parents have to go from being active to taking on a more activist role, thus "stoking the flame" of the norm. Parent advocacy and empowerment groups play a vital role in the transformation of parent activists,…

In this article, the authors use Bourdieu's conceptualization of capital and data from two longitudinal case studies to explore how financial challenges impacted learning opportunities for two children in a high-poverty urban community. Interview data collected from two African American families over a 10-year period were analyzed with attention…

Skateboarding, widely popular and often misunderstood, occupies a unique space in US society. Despite skateboarding's popularity little is known about the effects of skateboarding on youth and their educational and career trajectories. This report outlines the current landscape of skateboarding at this socio-historical moment in time--prior to…

In this case study, we document the experiences and perspectives of six young women who participated in two or more voluntourism projects while in secondary school. Participants completed individual interviews where they discussed the impact of their voluntourism experiences on their worldviews, behaviours, and aspirations. Voluntourism appeared…

In this ethnographic study, Elaine C. Allard describes and analyzes the characteristics and experiences of undocumented newcomer adolescents attending a US suburban high school. She considers the ways in which newcomer adolescents show agency in their border crossing, prioritize work over formal education, and express transnational identities. She…

School counselor education program administrators (N = 131) responded to an online questionnaire where the importance and extent of implementation of The College Board's National Office of School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) Eight Components of College and Career Readiness in their school counselor education program were assessed. The mean…

This brief encourages leaders to utilize their influence to help alleviate the long-standing achievement gaps in the education system, because when students flourish, entire communities can flourish as well. The authors want to ensure that grasstops are intentional in their advocacy for black students. The "Lift Every Voice and Lead…

The [Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network] GLSEN National School Climate Survey is our flagship report on the school experiences of [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer] LGBTQ youth in schools, including the extent of the challenges that they face at school and the school-based resources that support LGBTQ students' well-being.…

The "National School Climate Survey" is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) flagship report on the school experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth in schools, including the extent of the challenges that they face at school and the school-based resources that support LGBTQ students'…

There is a federal movement to improve student outcomes targeting some of these predictors in several recently launched initiatives, but where does Arizona stand? What are we currently doing to move the needle, and what do we still need to do? This report prepared for the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council has two objectives: (1)…

In this study, young people, described by teachers as being disaffected, were encouraged to become involved in a public forum to discuss issues regarding participation, learning and training at their school as well as their aspirations about the future. The young people discussed their learning and social experiences, and reflected on existing…

College and career aspirations are important to the development of students' short and long term educational and personal goals. Although students rely on information they receive and are influenced by experiences in which they engage in a variety of settings, for many, school is an important source of college and career information. How students…

Given lingering racism in this country, you won't be surprised to learn this: Hispanic students are much less likely than white students to have the most qualified teachers--the ones with the most experience and greatest expertise in the subject matter. And many Hispanic students go to schools that do not even offer some of the high-level courses…

A qualitative investigation examined aspirations of youth experiencing significant educational, legal, or emotional difficulty. A research panel of five professional school counselors analyzed transcripts from interviews of 15 youth having multiple risk factors. Data revealed that, despite considerable obstacles, these young people typically held…