MetLife Survey of the American Teacher Shows Broad Support for College and Career Readiness

The latest MetLife Survey of the American Teacher demonstrates that there is a broad support for college and career readiness for all students being a national priority—and a recognition that some education after high school is a necessity in today’s economy. Teachers, parents and students alike understand that a high school education isn’t sufficient to prepare young people for today’s careers.

The report is a call to action, not just a study. It is a reminder that our public schools can’t prepare young people for postsecondary success unless our colleges and employers forge closer, ongoing ties with educators, students and their families.

The study shows that while the vast majority of middle and high school students aspire to attend college, many report that they don’t know how to prepare academically or financially to get there. We need to help our schools and colleges do a better job of providing students and their parents with the information they need to succeed in high school and beyond.

It is particularly important that states, colleges and employers provide secondary school educators with better information about the postsecondary performance of their students. The report shows that teachers overall are less optimistic than parents or students about the prospects of students graduating from high school prepared for college, and of students earning a college degree. If anything teachers in this survey overestimate the percentage of students who graduate college-and career-ready, and overestimate the percentage of their students who will earn a college degree. And while they understand clearly how important it is for students to be able to write clearly and persuasively, they underestimate the importance of rigorous mathematics.

College and career readiness—as this survey reinforces--is the new national expectation for all students. It is important that college and career-ready policies are grounded in the real world demands of employers and postsecondary institutions—and to the extent there is a disconnect between what the real world expects of high school graduates and the views of the public, we must all redouble our efforts to close that gap.

Download a PDF of the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher here.