NYC Public Advocate Pushes For Citywide Access To College Counseling

October 30th, 2024

Press Release

In an effort to expand opportunities for and access to higher education in New York City, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams is pushing to pass his legislation that would create a college counseling program available to high school students throughout the city. At a City Council hearing on the bill today, he spoke about the need to combat inequities in the education system that create barriers to opportunity for many students in underserved communities.

“New York City’s public schools are among the most segregated in the nation, which begins early in students’ education and persists through graduation,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams at the hearing. “Some of the barriers to students attending college include the high cost of tuition and application fees, the need for timely financial aid education, and lack of access to quality school counseling… High school counselors play an important role in access to college opportunities, but many under-resourced and overcrowded schools either lack a counselor or have too few counselors for their student population.”

The legislation, Intro 700, would require the Department of Youth and Community Development to establish a program that provides counseling, resources, and other support to high school juniors and seniors and their families in applying to college. Specifically, that program would:

 

  • Provide general information regarding the college admissions process and college readiness, as well as a checklist of information required to successfully complete a college application.
  • Provide information regarding how to access and assemble the data and records required to apply to college.
  • Counsel students and families regarding college options, including tips on how to present a competitive application.
  • Refer students and families to resources regarding financial aid, scholarships, and other college funding options.  
  • And lastly, require DYCD to engage in outreach to inform students and families about this program.

Access to this kind of counseling and information is invaluable for students. According to data collected by the US Department of Education, high school seniors who talked one-on-one with a school counselor were more likely to complete a FAFSA, attend college, and enroll in a bachelor’s degree program.

“While not every student wants to attend college,” closed the Public Advocate, “We should be ensuring that all students have the opportunity and are fully equipped to make the best decision for their futures. As a public school baby myself, from preschool to Master’s, I’m very proud of the public school system, and there is a lot more to do to make sure people access what’s available to them”

The Public Advocate’s full comments at the hearing are below, and video is available here.   

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION AND CHILDREN AND YOUTH OCTOBER 30, 2024

Good morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I thank Chairs Joseph and Stevens and the members of the Committees on Education and Children and Youth for holding this hearing.

New York City’s public schools are among the most segregated in the nation, which begins early in students’ education and persists through graduation. Students of more color are disproportionately likely to attend under-resourced and overcrowded schools and, despite comprising 70 percent of the city’s student population, receive just a small fraction of specialized high school offers. Black and Brown students, as well as students with disabilities, English Language Learners, students experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, and students living in poverty are less likely to graduate from high school than their more privileged peers.

Some of the barriers to students attending college include the high cost of tuition and application fees, the need for timely financial aid education, and lack of access to quality school counseling. The same disparities that we see in achievement in our public schools are reflected in college, with Black, Brown, and low-income students having lower rates of enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs. Bachelor’s degree attainment can differ by as much as 76 percent between neighborhoods—for example, a Center for an Urban Future report found that 89 percent of those living on the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island had a bachelor’s degree, compared to only 13 percent in Morris Heights and Mount Hope.

High school counselors play an important role in access to college opportunities, but many under-resourced and overcrowded schools either lack a counselor or have too few counselors for their student population. According to data collected by the US Department of Education, high school seniors who talked one-on-one with a school counselor were more likely to complete a FAFSA, attend college, and enroll in a bachelor’s degree program. 

For these reasons I introduced Intro 700—being heard today—which  requires the Department of Youth and Community Development to establish a program that provides counseling, resources, and other support to high school juniors and seniors and their families in applying to college. This program would: 

Provide general information regarding the college admissions process and college readiness, as well as a checklist of information required to successfully complete a college application.

Provide information regarding how to access and assemble the data and records required to apply to college. Counsel students and families regarding college options, including tips on how to present a competitive application. Refer students and families to resources regarding financial aid, scholarships, and other college funding options.   And lastly, require DYCD to engage in outreach to inform students and families about this program.

While not every student wants to attend college, we should be ensuring that all students have the opportunity and are fully equipped to make the best decision for their futures. As a public school baby myself, from preschool to Master’s, I’m very proud of the public school system, and there is a lot more to do to make sure people access what’s available to them. I do want to shout out CUNY and SUNY for making some recent changes, and hopefully we’ll get more students into college. There’s still a lot more to do.

Thank you.

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