The third and final phase of a new national survey released by Achieve – Rising to the Challenge: Are Recent High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work – shows that better communication between high schools and parents is needed to address the disconnect between parents and students, faculty, and employers in perceptions of recent graduates’ readiness for life after high school. This survey builds upon Achieve’s 2014 survey of recent high school graduates and 2015 survey of employers and college faculty about recent graduates’ preparedness for success in college and careers.
84% of parents are at least somewhat satisfied with the job their child’s high school did of preparing them for success after high school, but only 56% of employers and 35% of college instructors are satisfied with the preparation of the graduates they teach and hire. Similarly, 73% of parents of college students believe that high school prepared their children extremely or very well for academic work in college – but only 53% of students themselves agree.
Parents of children who attended high schools with low academic expectations were most likely to report that the school fell short in other areas as well.
- 72% feel their schools fell short in providing real-world learning opportunities to their students, compared with 48% of parents whose children attended schools with moderate expectations and 20% of parents whose children experienced high expectations.
- 54% feel their schools fell short in their Honors, AP, IB, and college-level course offerings, compared with 22% of parents at moderate expectations schools and 7% of parents at high expectations schools.
- 64% feel their schools fell short in urging students to take the most advanced math and science course offerings, compared with 33% of parents at moderate expectations schools and 8% of parents at high expectations schools.
For more information, see http://www.achieve.org/rising-challenge-survey-3-powerpoint
