Congresswoman Linda Sánchez

In response to the growing demand for professional support among school
counselors, the College Board hosted its first annual NOSCA Conference in Houston, Texas, April 13-15. This year’s conference theme, Destination Equity: Charting Bright Futures
for All Students, provided a national perspective on the impact of school
counselors in preparing all students for postsecondary success.

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, dedicated advocate for school counselors and representative of the 39th District of California, was awarded the National Advocacy Award for Leadership in Policy Change during the conference. In 2007, Sánchez introduced the Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act to increase graduation rates by placing counselors in Title I schools. As the first Latina to serve on the Judiciary Committee, Sánchez is able to directly influence and impact judicial change. She is a member of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, a position that enables her to continually impact public schools. A strong advocate for working families in California, Sánchez is committed to making schools safe and providing
quality education.

VP Al Mijares

As we near the close of another academic year, we have many things to report from the West. In K-12 education, we are delighted to see that two Seattle (Wash.) schools are seeking to replicate the EXCELerator™ school model, while the SpringBoard® English Language Arts program is taking hold in Colorado. Two Denver-area schools — Sheridan and Mapleton high schools — will be implementing ELA in the fall, in an effort to improve their students' writing and critical thinking skills. Despite major budget cuts in numerous school districts throughout the region, these districts are still committed to embracing the College Readiness System and finding creative ways to maintain their programs. And through "Creating a College-Going Culture," which is made possible by The James Irvine Foundation grant, middle and high school counselors from 20 California school districts will receive training in how to increase the number of underrepresented students enrolled in ”a-g” courses, as well as the number of students participating in AP®, PSAT/NMSQT®, SAT® and ACT.

In higher ed, for the third consecutive year, the College Board sponsored the annual meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Knowledge Community, held last month in Boston. The IPKC is an all-inclusive group of student affairs professionals and students identifying American Indian, First Nations, Alaskan and Native Hawaiians heritage, including international Indigenous nations, and any persons with a shared concern about the betterment of indigenous students in higher education. I was presented a beautiful piece of pottery in recognition of the College Board’s work on the Native American Student Advocacy Initiative. Making the presentation were IPKC Chair Karen Francis-Begay, special adviser to the president on American Indian affairs, University of Arizona; Past Chair Irvin Harrison, doctoral student, San Diego State University; and Chair-Elect Heather Shotten, coordinator, Multicultural Programs, Oklahoma City University.

The Western Regional Office helps to fund all of our regional ACAC meetings — RMACAC, HACAC, PNACAC and WACAC — even offering scholarships to help some attend the annual spring conferences. The money is distributed to individuals who worked with underserved and disadvantaged students to help with travel and registration expenses. By helping to bring these folks to the conference, we will offer them the kind of professional development and network that will enable them to connect more students to college success. The WRO team will be presenting at each of the conferences on the following topics: "Adjusting Recruiting Strategies to the West's Changing Demographics" and "Getting Ready, Getting In and Getting Through College: Expanding Options for Students from Low-Income Backgrounds."

Finally, I want to let you know that registration is now open for the College Board's 28th Annual Summer Institute on College Admissions and School Relations, to be held July 27-31 at the University of San Diego. This career development institution was designed to train newly hired professional staff in admissions and outreach offices. The curriculum will focus on developing an understanding of higher education context; recruitment and outreach strategies; approaches to admission and financial aid; and the impact of admissions officers' work on institutions and students.  More information can be found by clicking this link:

The 2009 Western Regional Forum will be held on Feb. 22-24, 2009, at the Denver
Marriott City Center in Denver, Colo. We invite proposals that are illustrative of
trends, new initiatives and/or effective strategies in any academic, financial aid, or
student service area. Interactive presentations are highly desirable.

Submit your proposal no later than May 30.

Click here to download the application form. Applying to present a session is easy and your participation is valuable, so please submit your application today.