Chapter 4: Preparing Students for Uncertain Futures: The Role of College Knowledge and Student Preferences for Receiving College and Career Information

The knowledge needed to successfully aspire to, plan for, and enroll in college is lacking for many high school students. While schools claim to address postsecondary opportunity gaps, evidence reveals increasing variability in how this occurs, exacerbating a widening chasm—with already-advantaged, mostly White and Asian, students gaining more college knowledge during their time in high school than first-generation, low income, and marginalized student groups. School counselors play a critical role in the dissemination of college and career information, especially for historically marginalized student groups. Students prefer to receive postsecondary information through one-on-one advising, yet high counselor to student ratios and competing demands for school counselor time often limit availability and access to these desired individualized student meetings, funneling students to the less preferred sources like the Internet, to inform their postsecondary decisions. We provide tangible, actionable direction for equity minded educators, college access, and higher education professionals.