Surveys of 11th- and 12th-grade students from rural schools in 21 states and their parents and teachers revealed significant coefficients of concordance among the three groups' expectations for adulthood. While aspirations for personal and economic success were highly prized, community-minded goals for civic responsibility were ascribed far less…

Cites statistics characterizing the growing problems faced by students, such as violence, drug use, declining trust, and cheating. Summarizes the contributions of this issue's articles with regard to the influence of early experience on aspirations, and observes that surveys and interview techniques can enrich understanding of the problems and…

Drawing on prior research on aspirations and achievement motivation, a view of aspirations is proposed that incorporates the present and future--a student with aspirations undertakes various activities for both their inherent value and enjoyment and their connection to future goals. Social comparison theory teaches that group pressures may limit…

Educators have the responsibility to encourage youth to aspire by providing inspiration, realism, the experience of mastery, and respect. Schools should hire "interesting" staff, become smaller, arrange schedules so students have time to pursue their interests, and be flexible. Rural schools have many of these conditions; the potentials…

Interviews with 33 teenagers from three small rural Midwest towns examined how they saw themselves, their families, friends, communities, and futures. Interview excerpts illustrate ambivalence about rural experiences, desire to move elsewhere, and Hispanic students' experiences with racism, but also convey positive attitudes about family, friends,…

A shortened and revised Student Aspirations Survey was administered to 1,160 students in rural middle schools and high schools. Evidence of construct validity was considerable for student responses to the aspirations scales and very limited for student responses to the school climate scales. Suggestions for improvement of score interpretation are…

Data on 3397 students from 28 high schools in the Western Australian School Effectiveness Study revealed that self-concept had a mitigating effect on student aspirations and achievement; urban students had higher aspirations and achievement than rural students, but similar self-concept; and classroom environment was a powerful determinant of…

Twenty-six work-bound, college-able, rural high school seniors were interviewed regarding their post-high-school aspirations, their views of the transitions associated with leaving high school, and the processes by which they came to think of themselves as work-bound. One of several emergent themes is presented: students' perspectives of the real…

Surveys of 158 West Virginia Governor's Honors Academy (GHA) students and 644 seniors in rural West Virginia high schools suggest that, compared to the latter, GHA students are less alienated; are not more eager to leave their community; exhibit stronger modern dispositions, but not weaker rustic dispositions; and are equally satisfied with their…

The New England Association of Schools & Colleges' Rural Partnerships for Students' Success Project is a three-year project to improve equity and access to postsecondary education at four rural high schools. The project links institutions' ability to meet accrediting standards to efforts to raise student aspirations by changing school culture…