Saturday, October 1, 2011

Michigan Students Have Little Guidance as Counselors Eliminated

High school seniors are expected to ask their guidance counselors where they can find work in Michigan.

Their guidance counselors, though, may be asking the same question.

At a time when Michigan teens are struggling to find their footing in a changing economy, schools are thinning the ranks of guidance counselors.

State schools averaged one guidance counselor per 638 students in the 2008-09 school year – sixth worst in the nation. And it’s likely gotten worse since then.

“The situation is becoming more and more dire,” says Harry Clay, Michigan School Counselor Association manager. “With fewer counselors, they’ll have less time to produce. If you don’t get a chance to see the kids that often, how effective are you going to be?”

The counseling shortage comes as a Bridge Magazine analysis of job projections concludes that students face very tough competition for jobs for years to come, yet many do not understand the complexities of the job market.

bridgemi.com/2011/09/students-left-with-little-guidance-in-high-schools/


No comments: