Policy Recommendations

Note: The Issues & Advocacy section is temporarily undergoing construction. If you have trouble finding a page or document, please contact legislative@nacacnet.org.

NACAC members are college counseling and admission professionals dedicated to helping students make the transition to higher education. As such, they identify improving college access for all students as the major priority for the association. NACAC's policy recommendations for 2010 are derived from our research-based policy principles and are as follows:

Pathways to College Act

The Pathways to College Act is legislation sponsored by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Burr (R-NC) and Representatives Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Very Ehlers (R-MI) that would improve the college-going rates of the neediest students through investment in college counseling, and focusing on the role of the school counselor in student achievement and college access.  It is based in part from NACAC recommendations and conclusions from the report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, "From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College."

To see how NACAC is leading the way in support of this bill, visit NACAC's Pathways to College page.

Barriers to College Access

One of the most significant barriers to college access is inequitable access to college counseling in high school. "Within schools, no professional is more important to improving college enrollments than school counselors... Research clearly shows that counselors, when consistently and frequently available and authorized to provide direct services to students and parents, can be highly effective group of professionals who impact students' aspirations, achievements, college enrollments, and financial aid knowledge," notes Patricia McDonough, professor in the Department of Education at UCLA, in NACAC's Counseling and College Counseling in America's High Schools.

The student-to-counselor ratio is a measure of access to college counseling. Nationally, the student-to-counselor ratio is 459-to-1. To better illustrate the counseling barrier at the state level, visit NACAC's School Counselor Ratios page.

NACAC's Research-based Policy Principles

Based on NACAC research and collaboration with thirty other organizations in the Pathways to College Network, NACAC has identified three policy principles that govern the association's recommendations on college access: access to quality counseling, need-based financial aid, and college-preparatory curriculum for all students.

Contact NACAC public policy staff at legislative@nacacnet.org for more information.

 

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 Must Read

 

Potholes on the Road to College, Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago

NACAC supports equitable access to college preparation in our schools. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) worked with NACAC to develop the Pathways to College Act (S 3326) to address the issues raised by this report.

Notable Quotes:

"...compared to their more advantaged peers, low-income and first generation college students do not have similar access to the guidance, information and support needed to effectively navigate the college application process."

"Attending a high school with a strong college-going culture shapes students' participation in the college application process."  


The Investment Payoff: Reassessing and Supporting Efforts to Maximize the Benefits of Higher Education for Underserved Populations, The Institute for Higher Education Policy

 IHEP policy brief.png

"Although the conversation about higher education investment and benefits is not new, changes in economic and social conditions and the diversity of students in the 21st century make it all the more important... This background paper frames the issues surrounding the payoff of higher education investment for underserved groups and highlights current efforts to enhance those benefits."


 

Barriers to College Attainment: Lessons from Chicago,
Consortium on Chicago School Research and Center for American Progress

While college enrollment numbers continue to rise, and more low-income minority and first generation students are pursuing postsecondary education, college completion numbers remain stagnant. This report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research and Center for American Progress focuses on contributing factors to higher college completion rates summarizes a massive study and presents recommendations to attain the stated goals. The report includes detailed analysis of school data and suggests data collection can inform improvements to high school curricula and increase guidance and support throughout high school and the college process.


Removing Roadblocks to Rigor: Linking Academic and Social Supports to Ensure College Readiness and Success, Institute for Higher Education Policy's Pathways to College Network

Education reform focuses strongly on the strength of the curriculum and challenging course loads for all students. While academic rigor is very important, a comprehensive academic and social foundation is necessary to support and enable students to be successful. This report by the Pathways to College Network examines five interdependent categories of support—emotional, instrumental, informational, appraisal, and structural—provided to students by their teachers, counselors and administrators that help students to develop the necessary skills and strategies to succeed in secondary and postsecondary institutions.
 
 Increasing College Access through School-Based Models of Postsecondary Preparation, Planning, and Support, Educators for Social Responsibility

Urban, minority, and low-income students attend and graduate college in dismal rates when compared to suburban, white, and middle or upper class students. This report unpacks some of the contributing factors, and provides strategies, models, and recommendations to address and improve the situation. Increasing access to postsecondary education for all students requires a concerted and multilateral effort, focusing not only on individual school practices, but district- and nation-wide policies as well.

 

Despite serving large proportions of minority, low-income and limited English proficient students, the administrators, counselors and teachers at Hidalgo ISD have significantly increased college access in their border town community by preparing all students to earn college credit while still in high school. This report, prepared by Jobs for the Future, examines the district-wide strategies and encouraging outcomes of Hidalgo’s early college program. It can serve as a useful guide for both local and national policymakers seeking to help students achieve in the challenging environments and close racial and economic the achievement gaps.