McGraw-Hill Survey Provides Insight Into U.S. College and Career Readiness Issues

NEW YORK, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Although guidance counselors generally characterize high school students as well prepared for the next phase of their lives following graduation, a majority of students indicate that they could benefit from increased proficiency in technology applications, financial literacy, time management, communication and study skills, according to a recent survey from McGraw-Hill Education.

The survey, which sought to gain insight into college and career readiness issues, polled 160 high school guidance counselors, 120 college freshmen and sophomores and 100 recent high school and college graduates who are in the workplace today.

Guidance counselors indicated that they tend to focus on student populations who represent the extremes of the achievement spectrum, with more than 50 percent of their time spent dealing with students who may not graduate, and 36 percent of their time spent on those who are college bound.  Guidance counselors also pointed toward college 'eligibility' as a measure of student success, as opposed to 'readiness,' with nearly 70 percent of respondents defining success as a student receiving a high school diploma.  College students, however, indicated that they could have been better prepared to meet college academic standards and relied primarily on close friends and family members as mentors.

"Ensuring that our students are prepared to reach their academic and professional goals goes beyond closing the gap between what high schools teach and what colleges expect," said Jeff Livingston, senior vice president of McGraw-Hill Education's College and Career Readiness Center. "This survey confirms what we've long believed and are striving to change in the educational system: the distinction between college eligible and college ready. Being eligible for college is simply not good enough in the global economy of the 21st century; our high school students must be richly and rigorously prepared for a lifetime of learning and professional development."

According to the survey, nearly half of recent high school graduates feel they did not choose the right career – 61 percent felt practical work experience would have helped them make a better choice, and an overwhelming amount (96 percent) said that an internship would have made them feel better prepared for the work force.  The top three areas where graduates would have liked to receive further instruction in high school/college included technology applications (31 percent), people skills (30 percent) and communication skills (28 percent). Further, 72 percent of college graduates selected time management as the biggest differentiator between high school and college, which remained a common theme, as the majority (43 percent) also identified time management as an area where they would have liked further instruction in high school.

The issue of college and career readiness will be further discussed today at the McGraw-Hill College & Career Readiness Symposium in Washington, D.C.  McGraw-Hill Education (@MHEducation) will also be live tweeting additional insights from symposium participants and keynote speaker Greg Darnieder, senior advisor on college access to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, at http://twitter.com/MHEducation.

About the Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by OLC Global and Vision Critical on behalf of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, between April 29, 2010, and May 6, 2010, among 380 respondents, consisting of 160 high school guidance counselors, 120 college freshmen and sophomores and 100 recent high school and college graduates who are in the workplace today.

All sample surveys and polls are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with non-response, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading innovator in the development of teaching and learning solutions for the 21st century. Through a comprehensive range of traditional and digital education content and tools, McGraw-Hill Education empowers and prepares professionals and students of all ages to connect, learn and succeed in the global economy. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 65 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education

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