Welcome to the NACAC Knowledge Center, a members only benefit. NACAC Members will be able to find hundreds of resources, arranged by topic areas, to help you keep up with professional and societal trends affecting college admission counseling. You will need to login (at the right) to begin your search.
Main topical areas are:
Admission
Counseling
Financing College
Professional Ethics
You will find articles and discussion papers, brochures, case studies, models/samples, and newsletters to help you do your job more efficiently.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, either use the Web search feature in the upper right hand corner of this page or contact NACAC.
The NACAC Knowledge Center is provided as a forum for sharing tools and resources for the college admission counseling profession. Inclusion of models, samples, products or services in the Knowledge Center does not imply endorsement by NACAC.
If you have models or samples you would like to share with the Knowledge Center, please submit them to KnowledgeCenter@nacacnet.org.
New Items Available in the Knowledge Center! (Updated 3/4/10)
New Resources Added for Underserved Students
In addition to its significant bank of resource documents, the Knowledge Center also contains directories of important links within each category. Several links were recently added to direct college counselors to access and advocacy-based Web tools. A College Readiness for All Toolbox, National College Access Program Directory and State Policy Inventory Database have all been included in the Knowledge Center to connect NACAC members with these useful tools from the Pathways to College Network.
The Pathways to College Network is an alliance of national organizations, including NACAC, with a mission to raise public awareness and support research that advances postsecondary opportunity for underserved students. As part of an overhaul of its online content, the redesigned Website offers tools specifically “For Practitioners.” College counselors who help minority, first generation and low-income students pursue a postsecondary education will be able to use the enhanced tools for informational and motivational purposes.
The College Readiness for All Toolbox was designed to help counselors establish a college-ready culture for all students at their institutions. The components of the Toolbox belong to four distinct categories: Leading Change, Enhancing Expectations, Enhancing Achievement, and Enhancing Access.
The National College Access Program Directory is a searchable database engineered to help students, parents and counselors locate local access programs. The National College Access Network maintains the directory and offers the opportunity to submit additional programs.
Federal policy does not always address every question and concern that counselors have about college access, leaving them to consult state and local statutes. The State Policy Inventory Database, created and managed by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), offers state-level policies and resources in 11 policy domains related to student achievement, access, and success in higher education.
Also New: PACAC 2010 College Access Forum Postcard
Send Us Your Social Media Policies
The presence of social media tools in the college admission process has increased dramatically with the advent of Facebook, Twitter and other online networking vehicles. Last spring, a NACAC-commissioned report announced that more than half of colleges use social networking sites to monitor the “buzz” about their institution. To address this trend, NACAC is encouraging colleges and high schools to share any policies that govern the use of social media or incorporate the tools into a recruiting strategy.
The NACAC report released last April, called Reaching the Wired Generation: How Social Media is Changing College Admission, was commissioned to spark discussion over the ethical implications, benefits and drawbacks of this new practice. According to the report, 88 percent of admission offices believed that social media were either “somewhat” or “very” important to their future recruitment efforts.
When the paper was released, NACAC CEO Joyce Smith hoped it would "provide the impetus for additional research and dialogue about important unanswered questions." With the Knowledge Center, NACAC can continue the discussion of social media in the admission process.
The Knowledge Center is seeking social media policy materials from secondary and postsecondary schools. Any high schools with written policies that govern the use of social media should submit those to the Knowledge Center. Colleges should send relevant policies that dictate the use of social media in the recruitment and admission process. Please send your policies to KnowledgeCenter@nacacnet.org.
Updated 2/1/10:
FAFSA Assistance Available in the Knowledge Center
As part of a broader initiative to increase the national percentage of college graduates, efforts have been made to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) simpler, shorter and more user-friendly. The Department of Education recently outlined a series of important updates to the FAFSA in a helpful fact sheet. That fact sheet, along with many other financial aid resources can be found in the Financing College category of the Knowledge Center.
Other FAFSA-related resources located in the Knowledge Center include:
Counselors and Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid (2009-10 edition)
Applying for Financial Aid in 7 Easy Steps:
FAFSA Tips for Foster Youth
FAFSA Tips for Homeless Youth
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Completing the FAFSA
Also New:
Winter 2010 Journal of College Admission