Razor C.O.A.C.H. Program
The Razor C.O.A.C.H. program currently places 15 career coaches in 16 Northwest Arkansas high schools. It is organized and funded through a partnership between the Walton Family Foundation, the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions, the Northwest Arkansas Council’s Educational Excellence Work Group and the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative and is housed in the Counselor Education Program.
Betsy Walker, one of the career coaches, works
with students at West Fork.
The program's mission is to increase the number of Northwest Arkansas students who pursue education after high school, build the Northwest Arkansas work force and improve high school retention and graduation rates.
The career coaches guide high school students and their families in pursuing the students’ best opportunities after high school graduation. The career coaches will be selected from graduate students enrolled in the counselor education master’s or doctoral programs in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. The career coaches have the skills, knowledge and abilities to facilitate career development and will work with approximately 25 high school students and their families each year.
The career coaches assist students with exploring post-high school education options and assist in preparing for and enrolling to take the ACT, college entrance exams, career exploration, information on FAFSA and financial aid, and academic skill building. The coaches will stress family involvement in the entire process as they help students go over college scholarship and financial aid opportunities, college selection and technical training possibilities.
The program is currently partnering with Bentonville, Decatur, Elkins, Fayetteville, Gentry, Gravette, Greenland, Lincoln, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Rogers, Rogers-Heritage, Springdale, Springdale Har-Ber, Siloam Springs, and West Fork high schools.
Razor C.O.A.C.H. stands for Creating Opportunities for Arkansans' Career Hopes