TECHNOLOGY & COUNSELING TOOLS
Back to School with Encourage
What’s New in Encourage
We know how overwhelming the start of the school year can be, especially when you’re trying to improve college and career readiness for every student.
That’s why we’ve made updates to Encourage that make it easier than ever to take action, no matter your starting point. Whether you're a counselor building Tier 1 supports or a teacher integrating future-ready skills into the classroom, these changes are designed to work with you.
Grade-Level Journeys That Answer “What Should I Be Doing?”
Students often know they should be planning for their future, but they don’t always know what to do or when to do it. My Journey now gives students a clear, grade-specific roadmap (7–12), replacing the broader grade bands from before.
They can easily see where they are, what’s coming next, and access quick, relevant content that helps them take meaningful steps forward without feeling overwhelmed.
Five New Future-Ready Skill Lessons
We’ve added five ASCA-aligned lesson plans focused on life skills, no matter what path a student chooses:
- Time Management: students reflect on their task planning and completion strategies to build stronger organizational habits.
- Resilience: students create personal affirmations to develop self-awareness and strengthen their confidence in overcoming challenges.
- Work Values: students identify what they value most in a workplace to guide future career choices and job satisfaction.
- Professional Skills: students practice the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to effectively communicate their experiences and strengths.
- Career Curiosity: students investigate a range of career paths and align each with the necessary education or training, expanding their future possibilities.
The lessons are especially useful for middle schoolers just beginning to explore their interests and strengths. They’re ready to use for Tier 1 instruction and are already being used by educators in core classes like English and dedicated college and career prep courses.
Whether you're leading advisory or looking to bring real-world relevance into your curriculum, these lessons make it easy to get started.
Simplified Student Invitations (Coming Soon!)
Inviting students is about to get way easier. You’ll soon be able to upload a simple CSV with student names, grades, and emails—and we’ll handle the rest. No more sharing links one-by-one.
Upcoming Webinar
Join us on September 30 at 9am PST / 12pm EST to learn how to make this year the year you use data more to show the impact of your work.
Shine a Light: Celebrating Your Impact with Data
Show the true impact of your college and career work. In this practical, energizing session, you’ll discover how to:
- Use free tools—including Encourage, our free college and career planning program
- Leverage key data points to showcase student progress and your contributions
- Set meaningful goals and measure growth over time
- Turn data into stories that inspire school leaders, families, and your community
Register now to save your spot to join us live or receive the recording following the event!
Get started for free —
request an Educator Account