Advisory Programs: a Key Element in Creating a College-Going Culture, Part 3
Posted by Nicole Day on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 @ 12:48 PM
Blogger: Denise Wolk
One of the strengths of advisory programs is their flexibility. Schools can select their goals and create their own design. Another strength is their equal focus on a curriculum and the relationships that teachers and students develop. Every student is known well by at least one faculty member. Advisory combines instructional activities for the group; one-on-one conferencing with individual students and contact with parents; and self-perpetuating routines and rituals that make advisory a safe place and help students to become a cohesive group.
The most daunting hurdle that advisory programs face is some teachers' resistance to expanding their own learning and taking on a new role. Lack of solid planning, a coherent curriculum, and adequate professional development can leave students confused about advisory's purpose and leave teachers feeling frustrated and unprepared. Schools that do advisory well make a significant investment of time, money, and resources over many years. The bottom line is that advisory can't be an afterthought in a high school's redesign and school improvement efforts.
For more information about using advisory to build a college going culture, see the ESR white paper Increasing College Access through School-Based Models of Postsecondary Preparation, Planning, and Support.