Site You Should Know About: Alliance for Excellent Education

The Alliance for Excellent Education is this awesome site that has all this information about what is going on currently in the world of education. For instance, want to know where the US stacks up against other countries for education? The PISA 2009 results are right on their website, right now. Or go check out the actual stats here.

Want to know more about College Access? Visit here. They have issues briefs, facts sheets, reports, press releases, and more! Everything you could want to know about what's going on in American ed.

Need to know about the achievement gap? Try here.

They also have information on many other important topics, so go visit NOW!

Website You Should Know About: Transition Year!

All you school counselors interning in high schools out there! Check this website out: Transition Year!

According to their website:

" Whether you need help picking a school that is the best fit, are looking for tips on managing stress once on campus, or want guidance in making a smooth transition for a student dealing with an issue like depression, this site has the tools and information you need. The Transition Year is an online resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition.

It's common to assume that the major obstacle in adjusting to campus life will be academic. However, research shows that emotional issues are most likely to interfere with success at college. Transition Year helps you prepare."

Sounds great to me!

Wonderful Websites: TWO College Websites

Education.Com is my crush website of the week folks, and it has TWO amazing sections on colleges that any of you heading off to work in high schools MUST check out. First, their "College Hub" (http://www.education.com/special-edition/college-and-beyond/) is extremely extensive and includes everything a gal (or guy) could want-- choosing a college, college alternatives, planning for financial aid, paying for college, transitioning to college, the list goes on! They also have a nice little section on job preparation, summer jobs, resumes, career development, and more, which of course made made my heart go a-flutter with joy. After you're done perusing through there, head on over (with your students) to the "Find a College" page (http://www.education.com/colleges/) where they can search colleges by location, admissions criteria, interest, etc, as well as community colleges and career trainings. Overall great site and easy-to-use.

Wonderful Websites: Education Planner & Campus Compare

Yeah Yeah Yeah-- there are plenty of great college planning websites out there: The College Board, Petersons, Princeton Review, etc etc etc.... Well, here are two more!

Check out:

1. Education Planner: http://www.educationplanner.org/education_planner/default.asp?sponsor=2859
Education Planner is a free website that allows students to think about college, choose a college, and then learn about paying for college. Students can build their resumes, compare colleges, learn how NOT to choose a college, and more!

2. Campus Compare: http://www.campuscompare.com/
Campus Compare is this awesome site that allows students to explore colleges based on size, area of the country, majors offered, their career goals, extracurricular offerings, etc etc etc. They can compare colleges, learn about their chances of getting in, and calculate their financial aid. It's a great website!

College and K-12 Career Counseling!

Now back to my main populations- K-12 and college age. Career counseling is so important throughout the lifespan, yet whenever I talk about doing career activities with elementary school students everyone always looks at me weirdly and says, "Whaaat??". No matter. It is important to start getting kids to think about careers early because this is when they start to form their gender assumptions and other ideas about what types of careers they might be able to work in. This is when a 6 year old boy decides he can't be a nurse because only women are nurses. We need to change this!

Check out the following resources for working with K-12 through college aged populations:

College:

Career One Stop: http://www.acinet.org/

Students and Career Advisors: http://www.careeronestop.org/studentsandcareeradvisors/studentsandcareeradvisors.aspx

The Riley Guide: http://www.rileyguide.com/

CDDQ.org http://kivunim.huji.ac.il/cddq/

My Favorite State College/Career Sites

Each state these days seems to have their own "Career Zone" website which is aimed at helping students, parents, teacher, counselors, and educators alike learn about college and career options, particularly focused on those in that state. While they are run by the states, many of the resources are useful for counselors nation-wide. The following are my favorites:

1) Virginia Career View: http://www.vaview.vt.edu/
Broken down by grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12, 18+, parents, and professionals, it includes information on career and college options.

2) Learn More Indiana: http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/Pages/default.aspx
For those of you who know about the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), Indiana has their own system to make sure that their state's guidance programs are up to snuff. How could their site not be great?

Bunches and Bunches of Scholarship Websites, Oh My!

SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES

THE ART LIST

www.theartlist.com

Provides a list of opportunities for visual artists and photographers, including contests with prizes up to $15,000.

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/scholarships.aspx

Awards eight scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate students, minority students, low income students, and others. Provides information on eligibility and how to apply for each program.