Three quarters of current middle and high school students (76%) plan to earn bachelor’s degrees (38%) or graduate/professional degrees (38%), according to MetLife. Another 16% plan to get associate’s degrees or technical/trade school certificates.
Female high school students are more likely than their male peers to plan to earn college degrees (83% vs. 72%). The gender gap occurs in the transition from middle school to high school; 73% of middle school girls and 72% of middle school boys plan to earn college degrees.
More than eight in 10 middle and high school students (84%) believe their career opportunities would be severely limited if they didn’t complete some post-secondary education. Most students are optimistic about their prospects: 81% think it’s very (42%) or somewhat (39%) likely that they’ll be able to find jobs in their chosen fields. That proportion has decreased somewhat in the past few years, however. In 1997, 50% of students felt it very likely that they’d be able to find jobs in their chosen fields.
Students tend to be more worried about financing their post-secondary education (57% worry a lot) than about getting into college (31%) or being able to succeed once they’re there (33%). Black and Hispanic students are more likely than White students to be worried about getting into and doing well in college.
More than nine in 10 parents of secondary school students (93%), 85% of secondary school teachers, and 84% of middle and high school students consider it either essential or very important for high schools to ensure that graduating seniors are well-prepared for college and/or careers.
More than nine in 10 teachers (99% of English teachers and 92% of math teachers) consider the ability to write clearly and persuasively essential or very important. Fewer than half (45%) of English teachers and 50% of math teachers think high-level math skills such as trigonometry and calculus are essential or very important.
Fortune 1000 executives rate critical thinking (99%), problem solving (99%), and writing skills (97%) as essential or very important for graduating high school seniors. [Education, Youth]
Source: “The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Preparing Students for College and Careers, Part 1: Clearing the Path, March 2011,” Ted Mitchell, 1095 Ave. of the Americas, 40th Fl., New York, NY 10036; 401-827-3236; tjmitchell@metlife.com; www.metlife.com/teachersurvey
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