Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Education

Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings

Our Meeting With High School Counselors

February 05, 2009 02:00 PM ET | Robert Morse | Permanent Link | Print

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high school counselors know NOTHING

All too often HS counselors are focused on getting their numbers up - they're trying to get mediocre kids into mediocre state schools. They do NOTHING to help truly gifted kids understand their full potential or the importance of thinking big. They should absolutely NOT be part of US News and World Report rankings. Horrible idea.

What was the outcome of the topics...

I come from the College side and always looking to see what the H.S. Counselors best practice and commonalities are in order to stay on top of the new/updated of needs and wants for our new generations.

the good the bad and the useless

I have twins who are high school seniors in 2 different high schools. One has the intense good fortune to have a counselor who devoted immeasureable to to interviewing my child, discovering strengths, weaknesses, preferences on the most finite detail (eg weather preferrences!), goals, fears, etc. She was determined to write each 'counselor recommendation' as personal and accurate as possible. She spent her wkends in the summer visiting campuses....all that she could have done to provide well-informed 'guidance' to the students and their families. Her twin was not as lucky! Her counselor used a form letter as her counselor recommendation and offered EVERY student the SAME ADVICE.....we learned this when the children and their parents began comparing the schools to which they applied.....ALL OF THEM APPLIED TO THE SAME SCHOOLS!! Wow, were we upset! This counselor limited their potential by limiting their knowledge of possibile college/student matches. To make matters worse, none were top schools and these students are all in a gifted NYC high school!! When I confronted the counsselor with my frustraitons, I was told that she was only a part-time counselor and that her time was shared with her classwroom responsibilities.....Of all the places to skimp in the education process, THIS is clearly NOT the right place. The students' lifes ate shaped/defined by their college experiences and opportunities-to imagine that a fatigued teacher with such a limited knowledge base is 'GUIDING' our children is frightening....especially as many families face the financial burdens associated with college. TO ALL COUNSELORS OUT THERE: THE STUDENTS (and US PARENTS!) TRULY RELY UPON YOU IN GUIDING OUR CHILDREN and having a vital hand in SHAPING THEIR FUTURE....KUDOS to those who give it their all and shame on those who treat it lightly and with indifference.

Our Meeting With High School Counselors

Nice list of questions. What did these bright, caring high school counselors have to say in reply?

Our Meeting With High School Counselors

Nice list of questions. What did these bright, caring high school counselors have to say in reply?

Outcome from all questions

I'm a senior high school counselor and is very much interested in the outcome from all of the quetions. Inquiry mind wants to KNOW!!

Thanks for sharing!

I am curious about all the reply from all the above questions

What was the outcome from all of the above questions? and how can i can reply from this article.

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About this Blog

Robert Morse is director of data research for U.S. News & World Report and has worked at the magazine since 1976. He develops the methodologies and surveys for the America's Best Colleges and America's Best Graduate Schools annual rankings, keeping an eye on higher-education trends to make sure the rankings offer prospective students the best analysis available. Morse Code provides deeper insights into the methodologies and is a forum for commentary and analysis of college, grad and other rankings.

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