This First Look report provides selected findings from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) Postsecondary Education Administrative Records Collection (PEAR). HSLS:09 follows a nationally representative sample of students who were ninth-graders in fall 2009 from high school into postsecondary education and the workforce. The PEAR…

This "College Choice Report" is part of a report series that focuses on the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013. The focus of this year's "College Choice Report" is students' selection of a college major or program of study among the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013. This year's report is provided in…

Career decision making is an important aspect of life. At some point one must decide what type of job to apply for or whether to seek education for a specific career. Many individuals struggle with these decisions. Unfortunately, multidimensional measures of uncertainty are needed in providing guidance to such persons, because it appears the…

Four problems were investigated in a study of factors contributing to teacher shortages: (1) to identify the perceptions of high school seniors, preservice teachers, and inservice teachers toward the teaching profession as a career opportunity; (2) to determine differences in perceptions of these groups categorized on the basis of background…

This paper reports on phase one of the evaluation of a career information center established in a secondary school as a demonstration projects. The evaluation is based on a questionnaire developed to probe students' views regarding future planning, and to ascertain what plans they themselves were making. Interviews were also conducted to gain…

This survey investigated the immediate after-high school plans of high school juniors, with a special emphasis on post-secondary education intentions. The survey included the responses of 1,064 students from 12 high schools. Forty-nine percent of the respondents indicated that they planned to attend a four-year college or university, 18 percent…

The relationship between secondary school students' socioeconomic status and ethnicity and their participation in vocational education programs was examined. Analysis of data from 25 secondary schools focused on three questions concerning: (1) the emphasis on vocational programs in non-white, ethnically or racially mixed, and white secondary…

A three-year program was conducted at St. Olaf College to develop new awareness and sensitivity toward changing roles of women and men among a variety of audiences including students, faculty, administrators, spouses of faculty, and parents. The major components of the program were (1) a Career Advisory Panel of ten women successful in…

The attitudes and career plans of high school juniors and seniors were examined in a telephone survey of 809 U.S. high school juniors and seniors (sampling error, +/-3.5%). The respondents ranged in age from 14 to 20 years and were evenly divided between males and females. The key conclusions were as follows: (1) students perceive a lack of career…