High school students say that school is too easy.
Several national surveys of high school students find that across the board, students feel high school is too easy, which leaves them feeling unmotivated and wishing we were expecting more from them.
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Only 30 percent of students in college-prep programs and 17 percent in a general education course of study think that they are significantly challenged in high school. (Achieve)
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38 percent of the teens polled by the National Governors Association (NGA) say that high school is easy; in contrast, only 6 percent say high school is very hard. (NGA)
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One in five (20 percent) high school students do not feel motivated or inspired to work hard. Nearly 70 percent say that high school expectations are moderate to low. (Horatio Alger)
High school students say they want to work harder and be challenged.
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Surprisingly, students themselves say that high school would be better if it were more rigorous and challenging. (Horatio Alger)
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64 percent of students say that high school would improve a great deal if there were more opportunities to take more challenging courses.
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91 percent students believe that providing opportunities to take more challenging courses would be an improvement. They also endorse taking exit exams. Four out of five (81 percent) say that their schools would be improved if they required students to pass exams in math and English to graduate.
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88 percent say they would work harder if their high school demanded more of students, set higher standards and raised expectations.
Most students plan to graduate high school and go on to college.
Poll after poll finds that most students intend to go to college after graduating from hgh school and expect to be prepared for the work when they get there. But too often, students are not informed about what coursework they need to get into college or to be successful in credit-bearing courses.
Poll after poll finds that most students intend to go to college after graduating from hgh school and expect to be prepared for the work when they get there. But too often, students are not informed about what coursework they need to get into college or to be successful in credit-bearing courses.
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93 percent of middle school students report there is “no chance” they will drop out in high school. (NAASP)
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55 percent of middle school students believe they will “definitely” attend college; another 37 percent believe they “probably” will. (NAASP)
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94 percent of high school students say that they are planning to continue their education after high school either at a two- or four-year institution. (The Silent Epidemic)
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More than four out of five (84 percent) high school graduates not currently in college believe that they will need more formal education or training to achieve what they hope for in life. More than half (52 percent) say they plan to attend college within the next year, and another 26 percent plan to take classes sometime further down the road. (Achieve)
Teens talk about why they leave school early. Most teens that drop out, or comtemplate dropping out, say they would stay in school if it were more challenging and if they had more support.
Students are disengaged, unmotivated and unchallenged.
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Nearly half (47 percent) of those interviewed for The Silent Epidemic survey say a major reason for dropping out was that the classes weren't interesting. These young people reported being bored and disengaged from school. (The Silent Epidemic)
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Nearly seven out of 10 (69 percent) say they weren't motivated or inspired to work hard. (The Silent Epidemic) and 36 percent say they weren't learning anything. (NGA)
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70 percent of high school dropouts polled by The Silent Epidemic are confident they could've graduated if they had tried. Even those with lower grade point averages think they could've graduated. (The Silent Epidemic)
Some students drop out because they aren't getting enough support.
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Only 15 percent say it was because they weren't getting enough help. (NGA)
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Only 13 percent think schoolwork is too hard. (NGA)
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45 percent say they started high school poorly prepared by their earlier schooling. Many of these students likely fell behind in elementary and middle school and could not make up the necessary ground. (The Silent Epidemic)
As adults, poll participants recognize the importance of a high school diploma. (The Silent Epidemic)
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The overwhelming majority of poll participants (81 percent) say as adults that graduating from high school is important to success in life.
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Three-fourths (74 percent) say that if they were able to relive the experience, they would have stayed in school, and 76 percent say they would definitely or probably re-enroll in a high school for people their age, if they could.
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47 percent say that not having a diploma makes it hard to find a good job.
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Two-thirds of high school dropouts say they would have worked harder if more were demanded of them in the form of higher academic standards and more studying and homework.
College students tend to be disappointed in their high school education once they start classes and find out that they are not prepared for the level of work expected of them. Those who took higher-level courses in high school did feel more prepared for college, however.
College students often feel unprepared for college-level work. (Achieve)
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Only 14 percent of college students feel that they are generally able to do what is expected of them in college.
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Well over half (56 percent) of all college students say that high school left them unprepared for the work and study habits expected in college.
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Nearly half (48 percent) of those who left college early say they had gaps in their preparation for college courses when they were taking them. More than one-third (35 percent) of those who withdraw from college identify the challenge of the academic work as the reason they left school.
Students who faced higher expectations and took more challenging courses in high school are much more likely to feel prepared. (Achieve)
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College students who took Algebra II or higher-level math courses in high school are more than twice as likely to feel prepared for the math they are expected to do in college.
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College students who had to write a lot in high school, including term papers and research reports, feel more prepared for college-level writing (79 percent).
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Students who faced high expectations are much less likely to take remedial classes in college (only 27 percent have taken a remedial class) than those who faced low expectations (50 percent have taken a remedial class).
Recent graduates who went directly into the workforce also say they weren't prepared for the workplace.
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Many graduates are surprised to find out that they don’t have the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful at a well-paying job. Most say they would have worked harder and wish more had been expected of them in high school. (Achieve)
High school graduates are not ready to meet the demands of their employers.
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Only 14 percent of high school graduates in the workforce are confident that they are generally able to do what is expected.
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54 percent of those who didn’t go to college told Public Agenda that high school teachers made it easy to do just enough to get by. (Public Agenda)
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Nearly half (49 percent) of all non-college bound students say that high school left them unprepared for the work habits expected in the workforce. Additionally, 45 percent say they have gaps in the computer skills expected of them.
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Nearly half say that there are gaps in their oral communication skills, 45 percent struggle with research and nearly 40 percent feel they are not producing the kind of writing expected of them.
Students who faced high expectations and took challenging courses in high school are better prepared for the workplace than others. (Achieve)
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72 percent of non-college bound students who faced high expectations in high school feel that they are well prepared for the expectations of the workforce, whereas only 36 percent of those who faced low expectations say the same.
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Among graduates in the workforce, those who faced low expectations are 14 percent more likely to say that they are not on a path to get the kind of job they hope to have in five to 10 years than are students who faced high expectations (42 percent versus 28 percent).
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Workers who took Algebra II or higher are even more likely to say they are prepared for the math they will face at work, as 68 percent who took the course feel prepared for the math they are expected to do at work.
All recent graduates - regardless of whether they went to college or entered the workforce - wish they had worked harder and been more challenged in high school. (Achieve)
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If non-college students could do high school over again, 72 percent would take more challenging courses; 62 percent of new college students say the same.
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Eighty percent of graduates say that they would have worked harder if their schools had demanded more of students, set higher academic standards, and raised expectations of how much coursework and studying would be necessary to earn a diploma.
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More than four out of five (84 percent) graduates not currently in college believe that they will need more formal education or training to achieve what they hope for in life. More than half (52 percent) say they plan to attend college within the next year, and another 26 percent plan to take classes sometime further down the road.
Employers are disappointed in the skills and knowledge of the workers that high schools produce. By and large, employers are unhappy with the skill levels of recent graduates. They are especially concerned about graduates’ abilities to think critically, communicate well and perform basic math tasks. (Achieve)
High school graduates often are not ready for entry-level positions.
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The most common types of jobs for which employers hire recent high school graduates with no further education include labor; construction; and skilled trades (38 percent) and services, including food service, personal services and cashiers (34 percent).
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Employers estimate that 39 percent of recent high school graduates with no further education are unprepared for the expectations that they face in entry-level jobs, which is identical to the proportion of non-college students who say that they have gaps in their preparation.
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Employers also estimate that 45 percent of graduates are not adequately prepared for the skills and abilities they need to advance beyond entry level.
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Only 18 percent of employers say that most recent high school graduates with no further education are prepared for advancement in their company, which is only 8 percent more than those who say the same thing about applicants who don't have a high school diploma.
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40 percent are inadequately prepared in math.
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38 percent are inadequately prepared for the quality of writing that is expected.
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41 percent of employers are dissatisfied with graduates’ ability to read and understand complicated materials.
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42 percent are dissatisfied with their ability to think analytically.
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39 percent are unhappy with graduates’ ability to apply what they learn to solve real-world problems.
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34 percent are unhappy with graduates’ oral communications skills.
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A majority (95 percent) of employers say that providing opportunities for real-world learning and making coursework more relevant would improve things.
College professors are unhappy with the level of knowledge that high school graduates have when they arrive - and they spend too much of their time reviewing skills that should have been learned and mastered in high school. (Achieve)
College professors do not think students are ready to tackle college-level work.
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48 percent of college professors are dissatisfied with the job that American public high schools are doing in preparing students for college.
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Only 18 percent of college professors feel that most of their students come to college extremely or well prepared, with just 3 percent saying they are extremely well prepared.
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A quarter of college professors say that students are not well prepared at all.
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84 percent of professors say that high school graduates are unprepared or only somewhat prepared for college.
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Only 7 percent of college instructors at two-year institutions say that most of their students come to college extremely or very well prepared.
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Instructors at two-year colleges estimate that nearly half (49 percent) of students are inadequately prepared, while instructors at four-year colleges say that 39 percent of students are not adequately prepared.
The public has clearly identified education as a resource for the new economy and finds it necessary for us to improve our high school education as soon as possible to maintain our economic edge and standard of living.
The general public agrees that students are unprepared for college and careers.
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The public told the Alliance for Excellent Education that the most important goal for high school is to prepare students for a full range of opportunities and prepare them for the workplace and college — something that needs to urgently change according to 83 percent of respondents. Yet, a jarring 65 percent of respondents said that the high school diploma does not mean students are prepared for well-paying jobs. (See the Alliance poll to get a breakdown of these data.)
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More broadly, a majority (72 percent) are concerned that most students are unaware of the preparation needed to excel in college and careers. (Alliance)
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More than half of the general public, polled by the Educational Testing Service, say that high schools need a major overhaul and they are not preparing students to be successful in two- or four-year colleges. (ETS)
The public see the connection between education and economic competitiveness.
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A majority (76 percent) of the public say that America’s ability to compete in the global marketplace will be weakened if far more high schools haven't changed in the next 25 years. (ETS)
There is widespread agreement that changes need to be made.
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Less than one out of 10 adults think expectations are high enough and that students are being significantly challenged. (ETS)
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States need to develop more academically rigorous standards with a greater emphasis on Advanced Placement, according to 36 percent of those polled by the Educational Testing Service. (ETS)
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80 percent favor requiring students to pass a statewide graduation test. (ETS)
The general public identifies college prep as the ideal core curriculum.
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All groups polled by ETS thought some students are better off outside of a college-prep education and should instead receive specific job training. Yet the public defined the core knowledge students should learn before graduation, and it aligns with a college-prep curriculum.
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85 percent say students should have four years of English.
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73 percent say students should have four years of mathematics.
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63 percent say they should have two years of a foreign language.
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69 percent say they need three years of science.
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81 percent say they need three years of history/civics.
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95 percent say they need at least one year of computer science.
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57 percent strongly favor a change in the basic approach to the senior year, giving students an option to spend less time in high school classes if they qualify for a work-study program, are working toward industry certification or are taking college classes.
Even educators and administrators say their schools are doing a poor job of preparing students.
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65 percent of teachers surveyed don’t feel graduates are adequately prepared for college. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
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Up to 35 percent of administrators say high school is not preparing students well for the workforce. (ETS)
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Approximately 30 percent of high school teachers are not clear on what colleges expect of students. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
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A majority of administrators (65 percent) say they are coming up short in supporting struggling students and preventing dropouts. (ETS)
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Major changes or an overhaul is needed, according to more than 30 percent of teachers and nearly a quarter of administrators. (ETS)
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