About NOSCA

Too few students are graduating from high school ready for college and the world of work. This education deficit is an urgent concern for the future of our most underserved communities and the nation as a whole.

NOSCA — The National Office for School Counselor Advocacy — advocates for school counseling that helps every student graduate from high school with the educational preparation and social capital necessary for success in college and life. NOSCA identifies and supports the skills, practices, characteristics and relationships for school counselors necessary to ensure that all students are college- and career-ready.

NOSCA's vision

Every student engages in an educational experience that results in exiting high school with the educational preparation and social capital necessary for college and career success and full participation in a democratic and global society.

NOSCA's mission

Our mission is to endorse and institutionalize systemic school counseling practice that advocates for equitable educational access and rigorous academic preparation, and for the achievement and attainment necessary for college and career readiness for all students.

Drawing from the best thinking in the field, NOSCA, partners with national and state organizations and institutions to tap distinguished researchers and practitioners to gather information from surveys, case studies, in-depth interviews and data analysis. These research-based projects focus on schools that have a high population of low-income students, and emphasize raising the academic achievement and future options for all students.

Equity, leadership and transformation

Taking a comprehensive, systemic approach, NOSCA’s projects and publications offer school counselors, administrators and policymakers a wide range of strategies and practical tips on how to work more effectively in their schools and communities. The goal of NOSCA’s strategies is to promote equitable access to educational opportunities and the rigorous academic preparation necessary for college and career success for all students.

NOSCA advocates for school counselors in order to affirm the importance and value of their role in advancing school reform and student achievement. NOSCA’s three priorities for 2010-2015 are: