NACAC members are college counseling and admission professionals dedicated to helping students make the transition to higher education. As such, they identify improving college access for all students as the major priority for the association. NACAC's policy recommendations for 2009 are derived from our research-based policy principles and are as follows:

• College Access Agenda for the 111th Congress
• Talking Points: The Pathways to College Act
• Policy Brief: School Counseling and College Access
• Student-to-Counselor Ratios by State
• Education and the Economy
• NCLB Reauthorization Recommendations

Pathways to College Act

The Pathways to College Act is legislation sponsored by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Burr (R-NC) and Representatives Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Very Ehlers (R-MI) that would improve the college-going rates of the neediest students through investment in college counseling, and focusing on the role of the school counselor in student achievement and college access.  It is based in part from NACAC recommendations and conclusions from the report from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, "From High School to the Future: Potholes on the Road to College."

To see how NACAC is leading the way in support of this bill, visit NACAC's Pathways to College page.

Barriers to College Access

One of the most significant barriers to college access is inequitable access to college counseling in high school. "Within schools, no professional is more important to improving college enrollments than school counselors... Research clearly shows that counselors, when consistently and frequently available and authorized to provide direct services to students and parents, can be highliy effective group of professionals who impact students' aspirations, achievements, college enrollments, and financial aid knowledge," notes Patricia McDonough, professor in the Department of Education at UCLA, in NACAC's Counseling and College Counseling in America's High schools.

The student-to-counselor ratio is a measure of access to college counseling. Nationally, the student-to-counselor ratio is 475-to-1. To better illustrate the counseling barrier at the state level, visit NACAC's School Counselor Ratios page.

NACAC's Research-based Policy Principles

Based on NACAC research and collaboration with thirty other organizations in the Pathways to College Network, NACAC has identified three policy principles that govern the association's recommendations on college access: access to quality counseling, need-based financial aid, and college-preparatory curriculum for all students.

Contact NACAC public policy staff at legislative@nacacnet.org for more information.