The Families, Counselors and Communities Together manual (FCCT) supports these groups as they work together to help students achieve postsecondary education.
It is divided into five “Essentials” of the transition process, which cover all aspects of this challenging mission. Each Essential is divided into digestible subsections. The Resources: Guides to Help You Create a Class section provides handouts and worksheets that correspond directly with each Essential subsection, while the Resource Bibliography provides related publications that supply additional information.
NACAC has long been concerned about meeting the educational needs of all students, including those who are underrepresented in the college admission process. Our interest in developing an early, active dialogue with parents, families, and guardians is a natural outgrowth of that concern.
In 1984, the NACAC Human Relations Committee discussed various ways in which counselors might make a greater impact on the transition process for underserved and/or economically disadvantaged students. They concluded that clear, concise information should be presented to students earlier in their school years.
The committee determined that this information might be more beneficial for students if it were directed to their parents, guardians, or family members. The committee decided to reach out to parents and guardians by offering tools that will help them become informed and confident advisors to their children.
As a result, an easy-to-read brochure that introduced the basics about preparation for and admission to college, the Guide for Parents, was introduced in 1987. Motivated by the acceptance of the guide by both the counseling community and the general public and by a desire to design additional outreach programs for parents and guardians of late elementary and middle school students, NACAC designed the Parents and Counselors Together (PACT) program in 1989.
PACT was then expanded and updated to meet the needs of parents and counselors in the 21st Century.
In 2007, PACT was again updated to include the most current information, and the name was changed to Guiding the Way to Higher Education : Families, Counselors and Communities Together: (FCCT).
The purpose of the newly redesigned FCCT is to bring counselors, educators and concerned community representatives into direct contact with parents and family members and to aid families in guiding their children toward a full range of educational options. Parents and guardians who participate in FCCT workshops will gain the following valuable information:
- Strategies for fostering effective study habits and encouraging
success in school.
- Information on how to handle the changes of the adolescent
years.
- Tips on developing academic portfolios and extracurricular
resumes for middle school and high school.
- The secondary school courses needed to prepare for various
postsecondary options.
- The assessment and development of skills and interests that
are essential for careers, and information on careers.
- The variety of postsecondary educational opportunities available
to students, including four-year colleges and universities,
two-year junior and community colleges, and vocational and
technical education programs.
- The process and timeline for gathering information about
postsecondary opportunities and using this information to
make sound decisions.
- The costs associated with postsecondary education, information
about student assistance programs (including grants,
loans, scholarships, and work study), and the importance of
planning for these financial contingencies.
Get your FCCT now!
FCCT Powerpoint Presentation:
NEW! Spanish FCCT Powerpoint Presentation Now Available:
ESENCIAL 1: Cómo construir la base del éxito académico
- ESENCIAL 2: Cómo preparar el escenario para que los sueños se hagan realidad
- ESENCIAL 3: Planificación de la escuela secundaria como experiencia desafiante
- ESENCIAL 4: Siga el camino hacia la educación superior
- ESENCIAL 5: Cómo pagar la educación superior
For more information about FCCT, contact Shanda Ivory at 703-299-6803.