Ed Commissioner wants help to advise kids about college and careers

It’s a real problem. Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says that across Kentucky, the student-to-guidance-counselor ratio is less than one to 500. That isn’t nearly enough to give each student the sort of individual guidance and attention necessary to develop a solid plan for college and careers.

Especially now that we are testing all of our students with the ACT college entrance test, more students are finding out that they have the potential to go beyond high school. But, that potential still needs focus if students are to find out what they really want to do in life – and what it takes to get there.

Who would be better to help than adults who have already ‘been there, seen that, done that’ (and maybe even have the T-shirt)? So, Holliday is launching a new effort to get many groups, including PTAs, chambers of commerce, Workforce Investment Boards, higher education and business to help.

During March 12 to 16, 2010, Holliday wants an army of volunteers to help advise 8th and 10th grade students about their future career plans.

There will be training first, so the volunteers won’t go at this cold.

While there are a lot of details still to work out, the basic idea sounds like a good one to us. Our kids need the best help we can give them, and it’s clear that in-house school guidance resources are currently stretched too thin. Certainly, members of the public, especially those with degrees, and, I would think, those in technician positions and those working in the skilled trades, might make a big difference for a student.