Richard Owens & Anthony Cook: How can we make the college prep process equitable? - 514

Richard Owens & Anthony Cook: How can we make the college prep process more equitable? This is episode 514 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.<br />Today I’m talking with Anthony Cook and Richard Owens:<br />Anthony is currently the Coordinator of College and Career Counseling at Osceola County School District in Kissimmee Florida. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recently named Cook one of 15 College and Career Readiness Fellows across the United States and the sole Fellow from Florida. Cook earned a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling from Stetson University.<br />Richard Owens, The Managing Director of Programs at Tarrant To & Through Partnership (T3 Partnership), began his career in the classroom teaching fifth-grade math and science, and later joined Teach for America in a variety of roles. <br />As a senior managing director for Teach for America he built a community of more than 600 equity-driven corps members and alumni. With a focus on the power of diversity, Richard increased team composition from 25 to 45 percent people of color with varied backgrounds and experiences. He also designed and led staff learning experiences focused on the integration of personal values, cultivated relationships with key stakeholders and fostered an organizational culture that contributed to a 20 percent increase in teacher satisfaction.<br />Most recently, Richard served as a District Support Consultant at the Holdsworth Center. In this role, he supported two North Texas districts is assessing and revamping their district wide talent development systems and practices.<br />Richard earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia. He is a graduate of the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia.<br /><br />Our Focus is…<br />How can we make the college prep process equitable? With the average school counselor ratio in public high schools 400 students to 1 counselor, it is difficult for school counselors to devote att