Over four-fifths of our high school students yearn to be challenged. According to The State of Our Nation’s Youth, a survey conducted by the Horatio Alger Association, 88 percent of high school students say that if schools set higher standards and raised expectations, they would work harder. A majority would also like to see opportunities for more challenging courses, provisions for real-world learning, and early advice from guidance counselors and teachers.
Another recent report, The Silent Epidemic, a study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that 90 percent of high school dropouts reported having passing grades when they left school. The number one reason they left? They were bored.
The message is coming through: Today’s youth want more from their high schools. Access the full reports to find out more about students and their opinions.
“The State of Our Nation’s Youth,” Horatio Alger Association, 2005.
“The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts,” by J. Bridgeland, J. Dilulio, K. Morison, March 2006.