http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/02/09/382122276/rich-school-poor-school
This article is looking at the differences between school counselor services at a private school in Detroit compared to a public school in a poor area. Private schools in rich areas can afford to pay teams of counselors to sit down individually with students, while the public school counselors have hundreds of kids that they must help, many who don't even have plans for college. The kids that need the most help, those that would be the first high school or college graduates in the families, aren't getting enough. Public schools need more qualified counselors that can help their students get into college, and give them the one on one time they need to do so.
Reading this article, I thought about Obama's recent proposal of giving everyone 2 years free or technical college. In many cases, the students from inner cities would benefit from this. Going to college has a lot to do with money. The problem is, students will still have to apply to schools, and compete with others, even if they won't have to pay for higher education. This is where counselors come in. A lot of us have parents and siblings that can help us out when applying, submitting the FAFSA, and applying for scholarships, but what if you were trying to do it all on your own? I know I would be completely lost.
Luckily our school has counselors that know what they're doing by way of college help, but not all schools have that. I think that if the goal is to get more people into college, especially kids from lower income backgrounds and inner cities, then the solution is better help from their high schools and counselors, not just free education. "Going to college" for some is a much bigger deal than others. Those that need the most help in college admissions should get that help. There are lot's of opportunities for students by way of scholarships and open enrollment universities, if they know about the options and how to qualify for them.
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