You’re juggling a hundred spinning plates—budgets, staffing, student data, community partnerships—and still trying to make sure every kid has a real shot at success after graduation.
We see you. You’re not just leading a school or district—you’re navigating shifting requirements, rising community expectations, and a system that too often leaves kids behind.

And here’s the kicker: without a solid advising structure, even your best initiatives fall flat.

But what if you had a clear, equality-driven, inclusive plan that made advising not just part of the system—but the backbone of it?

Too many students—especially Black, Brown, multilingual, and neurodiverse learners—are graduating without a plan, or worse, a plan that doesn’t fit the real world. Why?
Because advising is still treated like a side hustle.

You don’t have time for that. Neither do your students.

The Plan: Build an Advising System That Works

Here’s what it takes:

1. Set a Vision—and Make It Someone’s Job

• Define clear goals for career and college outcomes.
• Put a leader in charge and make their role visible across the district.
• Communicate the moral and economic reasons for this shift.

Your move: Set goals that make sense for your kids, and don’t be afraid to say advising is a district-wide priority—not just the school counselors’ job.

2. Bring Everyone to the Table

• Convene your people—school counselors, principals, CTE, community partners, Special education, students, and families.
• Build regular systems for collaboration that don’t die after one meeting.
• Make sure students aren’t just data points, disabilities or just their skin color. 

Your move: Start by asking students what they need. Then listen—and design from there.

 3. Build the Infrastructure

• Align funding, data, schedules, and PD around advising.
• Train folks on what great advising looks like: course access, goal-setting, financial planning, career exposure and most importantly agency.
• Track and share disaggregated progress publicly—and celebrate the wins along the way.

The Success Story: A System That Delivers for Kids

When advising becomes visible and embedded, your students don’t just graduate—they graduate with purpose. And your staff doesn’t burn out guessing what works. You’ve got a living, breathing system that flexes with the future.

You’re already doing the hard work. Now’s the time to make it sustainable—and that it addresses students needs and not adult assumptions.

Make advising the heartbeat of your school improvement plan, when you do you will see

Disjointed systems → Replaced by cohesive, student-centered advising across all departments

Missed opportunities → Solved by early, ongoing, and personalized planning

Inequitable access → Addressed with data-driven, agency centered and informed course planning, outreach, and targeted supports

Burned-out counselors and confused families → Alleviated with shared responsibility and better communication

Disconnected goals → Replaced by district-wide alignment on postsecondary success as a core priority