Ready for What?
Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life After High School
June 12, 2007
- Education What It Takes to Graduate for the Class of 2007To provide context for understanding high school graduation rates and the high school reform debate more generally, the EPE Research Center collected data on 16 state policy indicators in four categories related to graduation.Education Implementing Graduation Accountability Under NCLBResults of this analysis reveal that states are beginning to respond to mounting pressure to produce more accurate graduation rates.Education High School Assessments 2006-07One idea driving reform in American education is the notion that schools should be held accountable for performing to meaningful standards for learning.College & Workforce Readiness What Does ‘Ready’ Mean?There is plenty of confusion about what it means to fully prepare students for life after high school.States Few States Define ‘Ready’Only a handful have spelled out what it means for students to be ready for college or the workplace.College & Workforce Readiness Careers Come Into FocusSome states are placing their bets on blending academics with high school classes related to the world of work.Teaching ‘Soft Skills’ in Big DemandInterest in teaching students habits of mind for success in life is on the rise.College & Workforce Readiness Learning and EarningAn analysis shows the relationship between education and pay.Student Achievement Executive SummaryThe findings from Diplomas Count 2007 underscore that to earn a decent wage in the United States, young people need to anticipate completing at least some college.Mathematics What Kind of Math Matters?Some experts say the push for higher-level coursework isn’t a good fit with the skills used in the workplace.Education Sources & NotesDEFINING READINESS
State has defined college readiness: State has formal expectations for what students will need to know and be able to do in order to be admitted to the state’s two-year and/or four-year institutions and enroll in credit-bearing courses. EPE Research Center annual state policy survey, 2006.Education About This ReportThis year’s Diplomas Count explores what it means to ensure that high school students graduate are prepared for both higher education and the workplace.
Education Graduation ProfilesAbout 70 percent of all students in the nation graduate from high school with a regular diploma, according to 2003-04 data from the EPE Research Center.College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Prepared for What?The belief that all students need college skills to enter the workforce doesn't match reality, James E. Rosenbaum says.Education Opinion Life After High SchoolWe should take the Education Gospel—a view that schooling focused on preparing students for the world of work can solve society's problems—very seriously, writes W. Norton Grubb.College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Access to OpportunityA dramatic boost in postsecondary degree attainment will prevent us from further expanding the American family-income divide, Anthony P. Carnevale says.Education Graduation BriefsAn original analysis drawing on two national databases shines a spotlight on “jobs with a future” nationally and for each state.
