There
has been a lot of debate about high school graduates who are entering the adult
world unprepared for college or the workforce.
A majority of the research on the lack of preparation has been from the
perspective of employers and educational advocates on what they believe high
schools students should learn before they graduate and how schools should
prepare their students. However, there
is a recent study by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies
conducted a study from the student’s perspective.
The
study entitled “Rising to the Challenge:
Are High School Graduates Prepared or College and Work,” asked 1,347
recent public high school students from the classes of 2011-2014 via an online
survey about if they felt their education prepared them for college and the
workforce[i].
The
participants were asked a series of questions concerning how well did their
high school education prepare them for college or the workforce? Which area(s) you wished your high school
better prepared you for the expectations of college or the workforce? When it comes to the schoolwork expected of
you in college, how has college been so far?
Which best describes your experience in high school? Participants also answered questions
reflecting on their high school experience[ii].
The
results of the online study found that eighty-three (83%) of the participants
that are enrolled in college (2or 4 year) reported at least some gaps in
preparation in one or more subject areas.
Two-thirds of participants said they would have taken higher level
courses in high school if they had realized the expectations of college and the
workforce. Eighty-seven percent (87%)
reported they would have worked harder if their high school had demanded more
and set a higher standard. Lastly, one
third of the participants stated they wished their high school did a better job
teaching work and study habits[iii].
Although
the study provided some good data, the study just scratched the surface and
confirmed the need for better preparation at the high school level for
graduates entering college and the workforce.
The study also revealed the need to continue to gather data from the
student perspective since the student perspective is underutilized in current
research. Although the study did provide
some good insight, the study did not go far enough by asking students the
question: if they felt their principal
or teachers were knowledgeable enough to prepare them for college and the
workforce? The lack of such question(s)
has revealed a gap in the current research that needs to be examined.
The gap in research on
administrator and teacher knowledge concerning the preparation high school
students for college and the workforce is crucial to determining how to develop
and implement meaningful reform so high schools can properly prepare their
students. In order to ensure high
schools are properly preparing their students, research from the student
perspective will inform researchers, administrators and teachers if the goals
of preparation for college and the workforce are being met.
If
we want are high school graduates properly prepared for college and the
workforce, the student perspective is the compass that will show us if our
reform efforts are moving in the right direction. However, it is the knowledge of the
administrator and teacher that move students in the right direction of proper
preparation.
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