How the Culture in School Counseling Programs Shapes College-Going Outcomes: Do the Effects Vary by Race?

This study examined how the culture in school counseling programs or departments shapes the college-related outcomes of high school students including students of color. With data from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009, we investigated two major steps in the college-going process: (a) whether students see the counselor for financial aid counseling and (b) whether they seek college admissions counseling in 12th grade. We discuss the literature on the role of school counselors in college access, especially support for students of color, and how school counseling contextual variables and school counselor mindsets, which we term school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC), affect students’ college-going decisions. We conducted logistic regression analyses by racial/ethnic groups among 9170 high school students from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009–2016 dataset. The results indicated that counselor expectations, priorities, student–counselor contact prior to 12th grade, college and career readiness activities, and constraints affect students’ college outcomes differently across racial and ethnic backgrounds. This study has implications regarding what interventions, mindsets, and practices school counselors need in order to improve college-going outcomes (e.g., student–counselor contact for college admissions and financial aid counseling) for students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.