As COVID-19 threatened to derail even the best-laid postsecondary plans this past fall, Texas school counselors and teachers said they are most worried about their students’ college readiness – more so even than their physical or mental health.
In September 2020, we surveyed nearly 500 educators. By a wide margin, these educators said that their top concern for current juniors and seniors was college readiness. This concern is even more acute for juniors than for seniors.
The survey painted a picture of experienced educators who felt adequately resourced and supported by administrators but also deeply concerned about the futures of their students, many of whom may be facing concurrent economic challenges.
While respondents said that they have spent more time preparing for this year than years past, and that they worried about effectively doing their job remotely, they were twice as likely to say that they have the resources they need this year to be successful than not. Sixty percent also agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the level of support they have received from school administration thus far. Well over half (59%) said that they have engaged with students less this year than in years past.
Over a third of the counselors and teachers who responded to our survey have worked in their current role for over 10 years. More than two-thirds (68%) work in a Title I, or high-poverty, school. Respondents were evenly split between urban, rural, and suburban schools. 479 individuals responded to the online survey, which was fielded to educators across Texas.
While this was an informal survey, we still see it as a clarion call for action. College and career readiness in 2020 and beyond will require rapid and adaptable innovation unseen in years past. We are proud to operate in a state at the forefront of creative, smart, and efficient solutions to the postsecondary challenges students face. But we certainly can't afford to rest on our laurels.
