Rural High SchoolAspirations Study

National Research Center onRural Education Support

Judith L. Meece, Ph.D.NRCRES, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Thomas W. Farmer, Ph.D.NRCRES, Pennsylvania State University

Aims of Study

To generate new information about rural high school students’ educational, vocational, and residential plans and aspirations for the future.

To assess rural high school students’ preparatory activities and planning for postsecondary education, work, and adult life.

To examine the impact of school experiences, geographical location, economic status, cultural or ethnic origins, family background, peer relations, and community characteristics on rural students’ aspirations and preparatory activities.

Progress to Date• Extensive review of research on postsecondary transitions of

rural youth• Sample selection• Development of student, parent, teacher, administrator

measures• Data collection: 77 schools, 8,600 students, 900 teachers, &

1,200 parents• Complimentary study of rural high school students in

ELS:2002 database• Focus groups in 10 randomly selected rural sites

Rural HSA Sample Selection

• Sampling frame was 101,104 public schools in the 2004-05 U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data

• Schools were classified according to subtypes based on locale designations (6, 7, 8, & 43), and eligibility for Rural Education Achievement Programs (RLIS & SRSA)

• Sample includes 77 schools across these school types

Rural High School Aspiration Sitesby Type of School

Rural HSA Sample

School Type

Number ofSchools

SchoolSize

PovertyStatus

MinorityPercent

Locale6, 7, & 8 15 34 - 995 .15 -.75% .00 -.92%

RLIS 19 166- 863 .21 - .36% .00 - 97%

SRSA 22

76 – 471 .10 - .67% .01 - .91%

RuralRemote 18 35 – 199 .35 – .82% .05 -.92%

HSA Measures: Students

• Demographic characteristics• Educational & vocational expectations• Perceived educational & vocational barriers• Family background characteristics• School engagement, connection, and participation• Peer and friend networks• Self-reported academic achievement, efficacy, & values• Postsecondary preparation activities from school, family, and

community resources

HSA Measures: Parents & Teachers

• Items paralleled student survey with regards to:– Educational & vocational expectations for individual

students in the sample– Perceived barriers for educational and vocational plans for

individual students in the sample– Behavioral and academic characteristics for individual

students in the sample– Perceptions of academic preparation, school climate– Background information on parents and teachers

Rural Students’ Educational Plans

• Approximately 7% of youth reported that they were unsure of their educational plans after high school.

• Only a small percent (6%) of rural youth expected to discontinue their education after high school.

• Approximately 13% of rural youth expected to attend and complete two years of postsecondary education at a community college or vocational/trade school.

• Approximately 77% of rural youth plan to complete college or an advanced graduate or professional degree.

• Educational plans vary by gender, ethnicity/racial background, ability level, and economic hardship.

• The educational plans of youth in Rural Remote locations were comparable to other rural youth in the RHSA sample.

Educational Plans of Rural Remote YouthLess than high school

graduation0.6%

Don’t know8%

Obtain a Ph.D., MD or other advanced degree

16%

Obtain a Masters degree or equivalent

21%

High school graduation or GED only

5%

Graduate from col lege36%

Attend or complete a 2 year course in a

community col lege, vocational or trade

school14%

Teachers’ Expectations for Students’ Postsecondary Education

Obtain a Master's degree or equivalent

5%

Less than high school graduation

3%

High school graduation or GED

only23%

Attend or complete a 2-year course in

community college, vocational or trade

school17%

Graduate from college

24%

Obtain a Ph.D., M.D. or other

advanced degree2%

Don't know4%

Rural Students’ Perceived Educational Barriers

• Getting Married (29%)• Needing to help or support family (28%)• Not wanting to leave friends (26%)• Moving away to go to school (24%)• Not sure how additional schooling would help with future employment (24%)• Coursework at school did not help prepare for future educational plans (23%)• Not getting enough information about different schools (21%)• Variance between schools and rural geographical locations was negligible.

What Do Rural Teachers Report?

• Moving away to advance education (9%)• Needing to help support his/her family (8%)• Getting married (8%)• Not wanting to leave friends (7%)• Parents/friends not supporting educational plans (7%)• Coursework at school did not prepare student for future

educational plans (6%)• Not being sure how additional education would help with

future employment (5%)• Majority of rural teachers (42 - 58%) did not perceive above

factors as educational barriers for their students

Rural Students’ Vocational Plans

• Approximately 44% of rural students planned to work right after high school; only 16% of these students knew the type of job they planned to pursue.

• Only 9% of rural students thought they would have the same job or career as a family member.

• By age 30, 90% of rural students planned to work or to have a career.

• Nearly 50% of rural youth aspired to careers in healthcare, education, and technical fields.

Vocational Plans of Rural Youth

Service6%

Skilled Laborer7%

Art, Entertainment, Sports, Media

12%

Science & Engineering

8%

Education7%

Technical6%

Protective Service, 4%

Healthcare24%

Minimum Education Needed

College Degree38%

Advanced Degree, 18%

Less than High School10%

High School or some College

34%

Residential Plans of Rural Youth

Small city13%

Large city25%

Rura l area9%

Another country4%

Undecided35%

Same area 15%

Conclusions • The majority of rural high school students plan to continue their education

beyond high school.• A large percent of rural youth plan to pursue professional careers that require a

college degree (38%) or advanced degree (18%).• Educational and vocational plans varied by grade, ethnicity, gender, economic

hardship and language status.• Contrary to expectations, geographical isolation was not a strong predictor of

rural youths’ educational and vocational plans.• Approximately one-third of sample were undecided about their residential plans;

another 24% of the sample planned to live their own community or another rural town or area.

• The findings have important implications for secondary educational programs to prepare rural youth for their postsecondary transition to work, education, and community life.

Collaborators

Matthew Irvin, InvestigatorSoo-yong Byun, Postdoctoral ScholarRobert Petrin, Postdoctoral Scholar

Kimberly Dadisman, InvestigatorKai Schafft, Investigator

Bryan Hutchins, Research AssociateGlen Elder, Investigator

Vonnie McLoyd, Investigator

Acknowledgements

The NRCRES gratefully acknowledges the support of the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences (Grant Number R305A040056). Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency.

The NRCRES is indebted to the support of the rural schools, students, teachers, and parents who participated in this research project. Each community visited made an important contribution to this national study of the rural youths’ aspirations and preparation for the future.

Additional information about the NRCRES is available at: www.nrcres.org