Cheryl Moore-Thomas - College and Career Readiness: A Guide for School Counselors K-12

College and Career Readiness

College and Career Readiness

A Guide for School Counselors K12

Cheryl Moore-Thomas

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

6 Tinworth Street, London SE11 5AL, United Kingdom

Copyright 2019 by Cheryl Moore-Thomas

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN: 978-1-4758-3291-4 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN: 978-1-4758-3292-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN: 978-1-4758-3293-8 (electronic)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To all the school counselors Ive met and those Ive yet to meet who tirelessly work to make a positive difference in the lives of students; and to Steven Thomas, my loving husband, coach, cheerleader, and best friend.

You are my rock, Steve.

Preface

Why this book? Why now?

In January 2015, President Obama introduced an extraordinary yet compelling plan. He proposed a community college program that would make community college free for everyone who is willing to work for it. The president went on to say that we, as a nation, have a responsibility to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to train themselves for better jobs, better wages, and better benefits.

President Obama suggested that Americas past success was in part built on the valuing and normalization of K12 schooling, yet in todays complex society, K12 education in and of itself is no longer sufficient. As a united people, we must have the educational preparation to continue to lead the world and tackle the issues and questions we face as a global society.

Continuing this conversation, the 2016 presidential campaign also proposed the need for affordable, accessible college education as a central theme of many of the candidates platforms. Today, President Trump and key members of his administration are committed to engaging communities, colleges, universities, and businesses to partner in new, innovative ways that increase students pathways to fulfilling and meaningful careers.

What excites me about these developments and new conversations about postsecondary opportunities for all students is that they underscore what we as counselors have known all along, what we held in our hearts as we entered fields dedicated to the positive growth and development of students. We know today, and we have always known, that we have no throwaway students. None are expendable. All are valuable. All can contribute. All deserve the opportunity to maximize their potential and reach their personal college and career goals.

Education is still one of the best keys to personal maximization. In todays world, education beyond the foundational preparation of K12 schooling often is a bridge that leads learners from working poor conditions to greater economic security. On a global level, education leads to a greater level of national and global security and provides our learners with tools needed to face the economic, environmental, societal, and ethical challenges ahead.

Education changes lives, opens doors, and unleashes possibilities. It increases opportunities and lifestyle options. It opens minds to new ways of thinking and gives voice to new theories, inventions, and approaches that could literally one day save the world.

And while most would agree that education is a profound tool in the minds and hands of a skilled learner, we also know that we could do better at increasing the number of students who enroll in college and other postsecondary educational opportunities. We could do better at increasing students awareness and preparation for rich career options. Systemic legacies of racism and bias, academic opportunity gaps, and economic and information barriers often prevent significant numbers of students from even considering college, postsecondary training opportunities, and rich career paths as realistic options for their own futures.

Why this book? Why now? I have written this book because we all know we can do better. We can and must do more to get students prepared for and enrolled in college and postsecondary educational opportunities. And we must create new pathways to success that meet the needs of our increasingly diverse student community.

As counselors, we possess the social capital and skill sets that can be used to positively effect change in the lives of our students. With our continued commitment and increasing skill set we can help each student open the door to a successful future. With skills and commitment, we can broaden the pool of students preparing for and entering college and careers from the academic elite and high fliers to everyone who is willing to work for it.

Laura Rendon, renowned scholar and thought leader on college access, noted, By the time students get to 12th grade, it is too late to improve college-eligibility. It could be said that students begin to drop out of college in grade school (1998, p. 61).

Together, we can help our students change that phenomenon. Through this book I outline the contributions school counselors and others make to the development and college and career readiness of each student at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

College and career readiness is not the job of one subset of school counselors. It is critical that all school-based counselors work with students early and often to establish and reinforce college and career expectations and provide them with the experiences and supports they need to view college and career as attainable goals. This is work for all of us and this book shows one of the paths forward.

Part I

College and Career Readiness: Theory and Practice

Chapter One

Career and College Readiness Counseling in a Developmental Context

This chapter situates college and career readiness counseling as a relevant and crucial work area for school counselors in kindergarten through high school settings. Debunking the notion that college and career readiness counseling begins in high school and is only possible and necessary for certain student populations, this chapter sets the stage for a developmental approach to college and career work with all K12 students, including those from student populations that have been traditionally underrepresented and historically marginalized.

Developmental Context

While current economic indicators appear to be on the uptick, our nation faces serious challenges regarding long-term economic growth and individual and family level economic security. Previously, it was not unusual for many individuals to enjoy long-term employment with a single organization or within a single career field.

Today, members of Generation Z, those born between 1995 and 2010, and Gen Alpha, those born after 2010, do not have the same job security outlook. While much has yet to be studied and written about these groups, it seems to be clear that members of these communities will compete in global markets. They will hold many different jobs over the course of their careers. They will perhaps be more entrepreneurial than previous generations. They will be more culturally diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religiosity than previous generations. And their paths to the world of work may be less traditional than has been seen in recent American history.