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Erin Smith

Mr. Niko

Senior Seminar

29 November 2020

Counseling Inequalities

The arrival of Fall marks much more than just a new season; for millions of teenagers

attending high schools throughout the United States, it symbolizes the beginning of the college

application process. Perhaps from afar, the process appears similarly for each student: research

schools, build the college lists, write the essays, and fill out the Common Application. But, to

describe the process as such would be just touching the surface. With the college application

process comes a plethora of flaws within the field of high school college counseling—many of

which negatively impact students regardless of their status. By taking a closer look, though, it is

evident that those who are impacted most are the students and families who are already

struggling. All students deserve equal access to college counseling and support, and it is time to

acknowledge the issues in order to better prepare for the necessary changes that lie ahead.

To fully understand the repercussions and how they have affected students across

America, we have to first look not at the students directly, but at the counseling providers;

though they have dedicated their careers to providing support to students and guiding them

through significant transitions into adulthood, their caseloads pose as obstacles that stand in the

way of giving each student the proper time, attention, and resources to succeed. The American

School Counselor Association notes a ratio of students to counselors no larger than 250:1 is
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ideal, yet considering the national average of 450:1, nearly all states largely exceed this amount.

On the most alarming side of the spectrum, Arizona alone leads with a counselor to student ratio

of 904:1 as well as Michigan, with a ratio of 691:1 (“Student-to-School…”). How can one

counselor provide ample support and guidance to hundreds of students while remaining fair? The

simple answer is that they cannot.

Along with overwhelming caseloads comes the numerous, and often unclear, job roles

that counselors face. The ASCA describes three counseling categories, which include career

development, academic counseling, and social-emotional learning (Tate). In other words,

counselors often jump from role to role. Whether it be in the form of testing administration,

emotional health and career awareness counseling, or schedule advising, college counseling does

not stand alone on the list of a counselor’s responsibilities. Though they are all uniquely

important, counselors can’t begin to equally divide their attention between each category when

they are already stretched too thin.

It is evident that the high caseloads of counselors are issues that affect students regardless

of their backgrounds. Still, putting similarities aside, underprivileged students often face new

levels of difficulties during their college search processes. Students of higher socioeconomic

status are more likely to be supported and encouraged by counselors to attend four-year

universities (Fuschillo). It is these same students who often populate high-resource schools, are

presented with ample opportunities to enroll in Advanced Placement and honors courses, and

who are more likely to obtain guidance from family members who have college experience.

According to a study conducted by Dr. Laura W. Perna, expert in college access at the University

of Pennsylvania, not only do minority students outnumber caucasian students in low resource
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schools, but they are also less likely to attend four-year universities. In this particular study, a

low resource Florida school alone indicated 8% of their 12th graders would be attending a

four-year university, and 31% would be attending a 2-year university. When the data switched to

a high resource Florida school, the numbers increased from 8% to 34% and 31% to 27% (Perna).

Although the percentages do fluctuate between states, the data ultimately speaks for itself.

The increased need for resources—whether it be related to adequate funding or essay

drafting, along with the higher stakes at which underprivileged students make their choices, still

doesn’t take into account the psychological obstacles that can arise. The story of Michael Forbes,

a senior attending an underfunded high school in Brooklyn, while living at a homeless shelter,

and his college counselor, Joshua Steckel, perfectly depicts these difficulties. With the help of

Josh, Michael was able to get accepted into multiple prestigious universities with full

scholarships. Even with Mike’s eventual acceptances, he felt torn because his single mother

would be caring for his two younger brothers while working and battling stomach cancer. He

considered the responsibilities of being a role model and a second caretaker to be extremely

important, and he felt that he should attend a local community college. After attending visitation

weekends and much convincing from Josh, Mike finally committed to the prestigious Skidmore

College (Zasloff and Steckel). It took a well-trained, motivated counselor to help Mike work

through his additional personal struggles, something many underprivileged students cannot

overcome.

One might argue that in order to bridge the gaps and create more equal opportunities,

more school funding would be required. While this is true, simply allocating more funds won’t

ensure success. Said best by consultants Carmel Martin, Ulrich Boser, and Meg Benner of the
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Center for American Progress, “The most common frameworks used in state school finance

cases—evaluating school funding policies based on their ‘equity’ or ‘adequacy—do not

acknowledge that students in poverty need more from their schools than their more affluent

peers. Moreover, neither framework requires courts and policymakers to consider the quality of

education, including teachers, curriculum, programs, and social supports”. It has been proven

that when schools have received significant, additional funds, low-income families experienced

greater educational outcomes (Martin, Boser, Benner). Considering these facts, funding alone

won’t positively affect schools and families to the extent that it might initially seem.

Though all students deserve equal educational opportunities, it is evident that there are

large discrepancies between the opportunities of privileged and underprivileged students. In

addition to the high caseloads of counselors, underprivileged and minority students often attend

low-income schools that lack resources, have reduced family support, are supported by

counselors less than their privileged counterparts, and face excess psychological distress. As an

ever-growing society, we must look beyond funding and focus on the quality and fairness of

counseling services to help create equal opportunities for the students of tomorrow.
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Works Cited

Beth Zasloff, Joshua Steckel. “The Crucial Role of College Counselors.” The Atlantic, Atlantic

Media Company, 13 July 2015,

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/the-crucial-role-of-college-counselors/3

60026/.

Carmel Martin, Ulrich Boser. “A Quality Approach to School Funding.” Center for American

Progress,

www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2018/11/13/460397/quality-app

roach-school-funding/.

Fuschillo, Alanna. “The Troubling Student-to-Counselor Ratio That Doesn't Add Up (Opinion).”

Education Week, Education Week, 27 Apr. 2020,

www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/08/14/the-troubling-student-to-counselor-ratio-that-do

esnt-add.html.

Perna, L. W. (2008). The Role of College Counseling in Shaping College Opportunity: Variations

Across High Schools. The Review of Higher Education, 31 (2), 131-159.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2007.0073

“Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2018-2019.” School Counselor ,

www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/home/Ratios18-19.pdf.
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Tate, Emily. “Student-to-Counselor Ratios Are Dangerously High. Here's How Two Districts Are

Tackling It. - EdSurge News.” EdSurge, EdSurge, 10 Feb. 2020,

www.edsurge.com/news/2019-09-19-counselor-to-student-ratios-are-dangerously-high-he

re-s-how-two-districts-are-tackling-it.