Who Influences Urban Students’ College Aspirations? Evidence From the Fifth Largest School District in the United States

Abstract

This study explored students’ perceptions about school counselor influence on college aspirations in the fifth largest school district in the nation. Using 2015 survey data from 12th graders, the findings indicated that students who selected their school counselor as the most helpful person for college advice were more likely to intend to go to college, as compared to students who selected other individuals. Practical implications highlight the important role of school counselors in urban districts with significant first-generation college student populations.

An Ecological Examination of School Counseling Equity

“…Inequitable access to a school counselor and a school counseling program is troubling for all students; however, for minoritized youth, there is growing evidence that counselors' impact is especially valuable (e.g., Akos & Ellis, 2008;Grey, 2019;Martinez et al, 2020), both because of their work promoting postsecondary, social emotional, and academic development and because of their position as social justice advocates and leaders. In this section, we consider the empirical research on counselors' influence on student outcomes, followed by a discussion of how their work uniquely positions them to advance educational justice.…”

“…The influence of counselors is particularly pronounced for minoritized students, who often rely on schools for college counseling resources (Bryan et al, 2009;Cholewa et al, 2015;Malone, 2013;Martinez et al, 2020). For example, Mulhern's (2020) quasi-experimental analysis found that counselors had the greatest impacts on the high school graduation and college attendance rates of low-income students and those with low academic test scores.…”

School Counselor Perceptions of Preparation and Importance of College and Career Readiness Counseling

“…Student–counselor interaction significantly influences college attendance (Robinson & Roksa, 2016), and this effect is even greater for students of lower socioeconomic status (Belasco, 2013). Students in larger schools and schools with higher poverty levels are less likely to meet with a school counselor about college (Bryan et al, 2011; Clinedinst, 2019), and first-generation students are also more likely than continuing-generation students to indicate that their school counselor is the most influential person in their postsecondary planning (Cholewa et al, 2015; Martinez et al, 2020). Furthermore, first-generation students from high schools with low student-to-school counselor ratios applied to and were accepted into more colleges than continuing-generation students in schools with high student-to-school counselor ratios.…”

When the Kids Are Not Alright: School Counseling in the Time of COVID-19

“…One prominent theme that has emerged is students’ separation from school counselors, who provide essential supports across multiple domains (Meyers, 2020). This trend is concerning given research continually affirming the positive influence of counselors on students’ development (Carey & Martin, 2017; Whiston et al, 2011), especially minoritized students (e.g., Grey, 2019; Malott et al, 2010; Martinez et al, 2020). However, there is evidence that high caseloads, poorly defined roles, and inadequate professional learning opportunities undermine counselors’ efforts (Savitz-Romer, 2019; Warren et al, 2020).…”