Does your student need to include a cover letter when applying for jobs?

The answer is yes according to new data from Zety’s Cover Letter Expectations Report.

89% of of recruiters expect a cover letter to be included.

Key findings:

• Cover letters are crucial – 9 in 10 (89%) expect a cover letter from job applicants.
• Brief is better – Half a page is the ideal length for most recruiters (47%).
• Networking pays off – 1 in 5 (19%) value referrals or a personal connection to the company.

Here are some key blogs they have published which can help your students craft that perfect cover letter:

• How to Write a Cover Letter: Examples & Tips for 2025
• How Long Should a Cover Letter Be? Ideal Length in 2025
• Cover Letter Examples and How-to Guides for 2025

100 Teen Slang Words and Phrases Counselors Should Know in 2025

You are meeting with a student, and they mention a word you have never heard before and look at you knowingly awaiting a response. What the heck did they just say? Luckily, We are Teachers came to the rescue. They just published a list of 100 Teen Slang words students are using in 2025.

Here is a link to the list: https://www.weareteachers.com/teen-slang/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0HBDZvQHCNKXo6exqzgoxOZIR_zsBXOJbJA-xCyfQTx1vMyCmx58njykc_aem_oZxepQgRG_rrb8l7tJTfYQ

Section 504

21% of college students report having a disability, 1.4 million K-12 students have a 504 plan, and 7.5 million K-12 students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).  Section 504 is key to maintaining equal access to education for students with disabilities in the K-12 setting and college. 

What’s going on?

17 Attorney Generals (Texas, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia) are suing the Federal Government, asking a judge to declare Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act unconstitutional. Losing Section 504 would disproportionately impact people with disabilities, including students. If we lose the protections in Section 504, students with physical disabilities (wheelchair and mobility device users), chronic health conditions (POTS, epilepsy, Crohn’s, etc.), sensory disabilities (blindness/visual impairments, Deafness/hearing impairments), learning disabilities (dyslexia, processing disorders, etc.), and more will lose equal access to education and have fewer rights.

Why is Section 504 important?

Section 504 covers all parts of society that get money from the United States government. Section 504 and its rules are very important, especially in education and healthcare. Here are some ways that Section 504 and its rules help us. The rules in Section 504 say that:

Schools must include students with disabilities and help them learn.

Doctors and schools must have sign language interpreters for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing who sign. Videos must have captions.

Doctors must give clear information to disabled people. This includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Websites for schools and hospitals must work for people who are blind and low vision.

Doctors and hospitals cannot stop helping someone because they have a disability.

Doctors and hospitals must have tools and machines that work for wheelchair users. This includes machines that check for cancer.

What can you do?

Contact your Attorney General (AG). If you live if one of these 17 states and you care about the rights of people with disabilities, we really need to you contact your AG: Texas, Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia. If you are in another state, you can email your AG and them to write a brief to the court supporting section 504. 

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) put together this fantastic resource explaining Section 504 and how to contact your AG: Texas v. Becerra: What it is and How You Can Help Stop the Attack on Section 504 – DREDF 

I ask that you act now to educate yourselves and speak out. Court papers are due on February 25th (tomorrow), so folks need to speak out now! Use the DREDF resource above to assist you in your advocacy.

Transition Planning for Autistic High School Students Heading to College

The college environment is drastically different from high school.

Schedules: Students move from a very structured environment to one in which they have more control over their time.

Living Arrangements: Students need to navigate living among peers with constant distractions.

Self-Advocacy: Students need to advocate for themselves after their 18th birthday.

Emotional Regulation: Students need to regulate their emotions and stress away from their familiar support system.

These transitions can be even harder for autistic students  After coaching hundreds of autistic students and their families, we’re sharing our top 3 tips for transition planning for autistic high school students. Share these with neurodivergent students and parents in your conversations starting freshmen year:

1. Start early. Too many families procrastinate until senior year.
2. Don’t underestimate what your student can do.
3. Broaden your focus beyond academics.

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1. Start early. Too many families procrastinate until senior year.

Life does not calm down after the wild ride of junior year.

It’s easy to think that schedules will calm down during senior year. Most students are done with their college applications in the fall and have completed SAT/ACT/AP exams. But don’t forget all of the senior-specific celebrations and activities that your students may want to enjoy.

In middle school, focus on life skills and self advocacy. Students can learn money management by going grocery shopping with a list and a budget. Middle school students are able to practice self advocacy by leading conversations with teachers and being a part of the IEP process.

In high school, focus on executive function by encouraging a weekly family meeting to review upcoming deadlines and plan, outlining supports and researching testing accommodations. Focus on social communication through hobbies, modeling different types of social interaction and facilitating situations for students to practice communication.

2. Don’t underestimate what your student can do.

It’s natural for parents to see their students as their precious little ones. They have loved and nurtured this little life from the day they were born. Sometimes this causes parents to underestimate their student’s abilities if they have a hard time picturing them as the mature young adult that they are. This comes from a genuine place of love, but underestimating autistic students’ skills can do them a disservice.

As a counselor, this is a great place that you can push your students to exercise their independence in school and extracurricular activities.

Arrange a college visit. Have your students select a college campus they want to see and plan the trip – set a date, figure out transportation, register for a tour and find a map of campus. If in-person visits aren’t an option, help them learn to navigate a college website.

Pursue a new interest. If your student has a new interest in anime or animals, music or Minecraft, encourage them to learn more through community clubs, extracurricular activities or local events. Participation in clubs in college can become a great source of potential friends in a new environment.

3. Broaden your focus beyond academics.

As a society, we are obsessed with the college admissions process. But academics is one part of the college experience. Successful autistic college students are able to balance academics with social activities and take care of their own personal needs to stay well and balanced.

Reframe the conversation about college admissions to college readiness . Academics is one piece of the pie but autistic students will also need to:

• Manage their time and schedule effectively
• Understand which study techniques help them to stay on track with coursework
• Regulate their emotions and control stress
• Build healthy habits around eating, sleeping and exercise
• Understand many forms of social communication including email, text, social media and in-person conversations
• Know when to ask for help and what types of help are available
• Be able to get back up after a setback and try again

By including all of these skills in your preparation and conversations your students will be ready to thrive as they take the next step after high school!

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Spectrum Transition Coaching prepares autistic young adults for success in college, career, and life. Learn more at SpectrumTransitionCoaching.com and explore a free preview of our College 101 course here.

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Free College Guide for Your Students

The Woodward Hines Education Foundation has created a comprehensive college guide that can help your students plan, prepare, and pay for college. The College Guide is available free for download on their Get 2 College website.

It includes sections for Middle School students and High School students as well as current College students and is packed with useful information.