 |
You may click this link above to download a high resolution printable Adobe Acrobat3.0 version of this entire report.
|
FIRST CLASS OF
THE NEW CENTURY
1999-2000 EDITION
RESULTS:
ERCA’S ANNUAL SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOLS STUDENTS
CURRENT
INFORMATION ON COLLEGES & TRAINING
EMPLOYMENT
PROJECTIONS
LIST OF WEBLINKS
STUDENT PLANNING
SHEET
The Educational Reseach Center of America, Inc.
A Non-Profit Entity
2020 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW Room 7799
Washington, D.C.
20006
(202)393-7799
The Educational Research Center of America (ERCA) is a
non-profit corporation that conducts a voluntary survey of
high school students throughout the United States. The survey
is designed to help students further their education and
professional develop-ment by enabling institutions of higher
learning to identify potential students and to provide them
with information about curricula, extracurricular activities
and financial aid programs.
ERCA also seeks to share information of use to students,
their parents, teachers and counselors. This survey report
includes information about the college world the class of 2000
seeks to enter, and the careers and businesses available to
them over the next few years. ERCA’s goal is to support
students who will make a positive contribution, beyond their
scholarly pursuits and their careers, to their communities at
college and in the larger world. ERCA ‘s Community
Contribution Scholarship Program will provide between 25 and
100 scholarships per year to deserving students. Participation
in the survey is not a prerequisite to receiving an ERCA
scholarship. Application information is available from
ERCA.
Our survey is mailed annually to thousands of high school
educators for voluntary distribution to over 12 million high
school students, with a goal of reaching as many as possible
high school students. Survey forms go first to seniors and
juniors, then to sophomores and freshmen. This year, we
received responses from over 80% of the schools contacted and
over 10% of all U.S. high school students .
Our survey is designed to ask questions correlated with the
U.S. Labor Department’s GUIDE FOR OCCUPATIONAL EXPLORATION,
with major fields of study and degree categories offered by
colleges and universities across the United States, and with
issues of campus living.
Our survey’s results are sent to all participating members
of the education community, made available in report form,
free of charge, to participating high school educators and
institutions of higher learning. On behalf of the Educational
Research Center of America and the universities and colleges
that rely on the information collected, I want to thank all
the high school educators who helped us gather this data, this
year and every year. Sincerely,
Marian Sanjana, M.Ed.
Director of Student
Research
| STATE |
TOTAL |
STATE |
TOTAL |
| AK |
0.13% |
MT |
0.47% |
| AL |
2.84% |
NC |
3.38% |
| AR |
1.07% |
ND |
0.44% |
| AZ |
1.62% |
NE |
0.77% |
| CA |
10.00% |
NH |
0.29% |
| CO |
1.12% |
NJ |
1.65% |
| CT |
0.71% |
NM |
1.07% |
| DC |
0.12% |
NV |
0.71% |
| DE |
0.17% |
NY |
3.40% |
| FL |
6.80% |
OH |
4.50% |
| GA |
4.24% |
OK |
1.65% |
| HI |
0.62% |
OR |
0.93% |
| IA |
1.18% |
PA |
4.15% |
| ID |
0.82% |
RI |
0.18% |
| IL |
3.40% |
SC |
2.08% |
| IN |
2.39% |
SD |
0.41% |
| KS |
1.17% |
TN |
2.97% |
| KY |
2.26% |
TX |
8.53% |
| LA |
2.39% |
UT |
1.75% |
| MA |
1.05% |
VA |
1.72% |
| MD |
1.45% |
VT |
0.09% |
| ME |
0.28% |
WA |
1.20% |
| MI |
3.04% |
WI |
1.71% |
| MN |
1.64% |
WV |
0.99% |
| MO |
2.30% |
WY |
0.27% |
| MS |
2.06% |
What is your ethnic or religious background?
WHO ARE THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF TODAY?
Other than English What other languages are
spoken in your home?
DO YOU HAVE A
COMPUTER IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD? (reported by state)
| STATE |
YES |
NO |
STATE |
YES |
NO |
| AK |
0.12% |
0.02% |
MT |
0.39% |
0.08% |
| AL |
1.98% |
0.85% |
NC |
2.56% |
0.82% |
| AR |
0.74% |
0.33% |
ND |
0.36% |
0.08% |
| AZ |
1.14% |
0.47% |
NE |
0.65% |
0.14% |
| CA |
7.55% |
2.39% |
NH |
0.27% |
0.02% |
| CO |
0.96% |
0.17% |
NJ |
1.38% |
0.26% |
| CT |
0.60% |
0.11% |
NM |
0.70% |
0.36% |
| DC |
0.08% |
0.04% |
NV |
0.50% |
0.18% |
| DE |
0.14% |
0.03% |
NY |
2.79% |
0.64% |
| FL |
5.26% |
1.47% |
OH |
3.70% |
0.86% |
| GA |
2.99% |
1.08% |
OK |
1.19% |
0.48% |
| HI |
0.48% |
0.14% |
OR |
0.79% |
0.14% |
| IA |
1.00% |
0.21% |
PA |
3.44% |
0.75% |
| ID |
0.69% |
0.13% |
RI |
0.03% |
0.03% |
| IL |
2.74% |
0.71% |
SC |
1.44% |
0.63% |
| IN |
1.91% |
0.51% |
SD |
0.33% |
0.08% |
| KS |
0.93% |
0.24% |
TN |
2.18% |
0.78% |
| KY |
1.71% |
0.58% |
TX |
5.82% |
2.71% |
| LA |
1.65% |
0.72% |
UT |
1.51% |
0.18% |
| MA |
0.94% |
0.12% |
VA |
1.36% |
0.34% |
| MD |
1.25% |
0.20% |
VT |
0.08% |
0.01% |
| ME |
0.25% |
0.04% |
WA |
1.03% |
0.18% |
| MI |
2.53% |
0.53% |
WI |
1.42% |
0.31% |
| MN |
1.41% |
0.26% |
WV |
0.71% |
0.28% |
| MO |
1.79% |
0.52% |
WY |
0.23% |
0.05% |
| MS |
1.30% |
0.74% |
|
|
|
| Total |
76.97%
| 23.03% |
WHERE DOES THIS GROUP WANT TO LIVE AND
WORK?
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE TO PURSUE YOUR EDUCATION AT A
RELIGIOUS COLLEGE, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
The Chronicle of Higher Education surveys bookstores
serving 50 college campuses, public and private, large and
small, for a list of their best-selling hardcover and
paperback trade books, excluding textbooks. The latest
bestsellers:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by
J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by
J.K. Rowling
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K.
Rowling
- ‘Tis by Frank McCourt
|
- The Professor and the Madman by Simon
Winchester
- Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
- Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
- A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
|
Where do you plan to live during your first year of
college?
“Until recently, only a few community colleges had
dormitories, mostly in rural areas, where commuting is nearly
impossible for some students. Now…an increasing number of
community colleges have either built their first dorm or are
planning to build new ones.”
| The Chronicle of Higher
Education |
IF YOU WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
ARMED SERVICE PROGRAM, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PREFER?
Which 3 choices most accurately represent your current
interests or future career goals?
Which two activities do you participate
in?
|
Department of Education
Comprehensive set
of links to information about federal student aid
programs, including information on applications.
http://www.ed.gov/finaid.html
The Student Guide to Financial Aid
US
Department of Education’s comprehensive information
about
federal student aid programs written for
prospective students.
http://www.ed.gov/
prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/1998-9/
Nellie Mae
Student loan financing and
services. Site includes entrance and exit
counseling.
http://www.nelliemae.com/
Elaine Harlan’s College Advice
College prep
advice, tips on productive campus visits, preparing
resumes and sports resumes, applying to colleges and for
scholarships, and information on summer programs.
http://www.umr.edu/~eharlan/index.html
Educaid
Specializes in financial assistance
for higher education, offering federal and private loans
to college students and their parents, including
entrance and exit seminars. http://www.educaid.com/
eStudentLoan
Marketplace where students and
parents can match their specific needs with what various
lenders can provide.
http://www.estudentloan.com/
html/whostudent.html
|
2001 Colleges, Universities, and
Scholarships
List of college and university
admissions, college scholarship and financial aid office
links and email addresses.
http://www.scholarships.com/
FinAid: The Financial Aid Information
Page
Comprehensive guide to student financial
aid. Features access to FastWEB
(Financial Aid
Search Through the WEB). Linked with college financial
aid information, applications, glossary, calculator,
loan and fellowship resources for students, including
military aid.
http://www.finaid.org/
http://www.finaid.com/
Tomorrow’s Jobs
A section of the
Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Provides projections and charts on the
future of the labor force, employment, job openings,
needs for training and education.
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocochart.htm
Student's Quick Guide to the Library & the
Internet
Web resources selected by UCLA
librarians, links to Internet guides for helpful
instruction, and guides to help you evaluate and cite
Web resources:
Judging Quality on the Web Hoax?
Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion?
You Decide!
Discover how to cite Internet resources in your
bibliography http://www.library.ucla.edu/
instruc/create.htm
|
FOR COUNSELORS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS
|
U.S. Department of Education
News,
programs, services, publications and grant information
for educators, researchers and parents.
http://www.ed.gov/
The Educational Resources Information Center
(ERIC)
Part of the National Library of Education,
funded by OERI, A nationwide information network that
acquires, catalogs, summarizes, and provides information
in 16 different fields.
http://www.accesseric.org/
Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators
A
comprehensive map of the Web for integrating technology
into the curriculum in all areas and at all grade
levels, including links to curriculum and rubrics for
using the Web in classrooms.
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/index.html
http://school.discovery.com/
schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html
The Civil Rights Project
Harvard
University’s studies of civil rights on campus,
including student surveys.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/
groups/civilrights/
NCAA
Website for the National Collegiate
Athletic Association, including eligibility, graduation
rates, news, scholarships, and lists of high school core
courses.
http://www.ncaa.org/
|
EDUCATION WEEK
Information for educators,
including coverage of issues including school vouchers,
charter schools, and the Internet. May charge for access
soon.
http://www.edweek.org/
EDWEB
Links to educational reform and
information technology, including on-line educational
resources around the world, trends in education policy
and information infrastructure development, and success
stories of computers in the classroom.
http://edweb.gsn.org/
Education Index®
Annotated guide to the
best education-related sites on the Web, sorted by
subject and lifestage, created in 1996 as a service of
CollegeView, a software company based in
Cincinnati.
http://www.educationindex.com/
THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Daily
news of higher education, a guide to academic resources
and grant opportunities on the Web, searchable archive,
forum for issues. Subscribers only.
http://chronicle.com/
|
Making a realistic plan for your future involves looking at
yourself and looking at the world you will enter as you
graduate from high school.
- Who are you - how do you like to learn, what do you like
to do, how do you like to spend your time, and what would
you like to see yourself doing in the future?
- Which jobs and professions best fit your interests?
- Which jobs and professions offer the best prospects for
employment and good wages, salaries and benefits in the
foreseeable future?
- Where are the training programs, colleges and
universities that offer the training and the certifications
or degrees you will need?
|
| My name: |
Favorite or Most
Frequent
Choice |
Second Choice |
Third Choice |
Least Favorite or Frequent
Choice |
| What are my favorite subjects in
school? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| What are my best subjects in school?
Why? |
|
|
|
|
| What are my least favorite subjects in
school? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| What are my favorite activities at
school? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| What are my least favorite activities
at school? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| When I have free time, how do I prefer
to spend it? |
|
|
|
|
| Do I prefer to be with many people,
one or two, or alone? |
|
|
|
|
| Of the jobs I’ve had (paid or unpaid),
which ones do I like best? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| Of the jobs I’ve had (paid or unpaid),
which ones do I like least? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| Outside of school, which activities do
I prefer to spend as little time with as possible?
Why? |
|
|
|
|
| Outside of school, which activities do
I prefer to spend the most time at? Why? |
|
|
|
|
| What volunteer activities have I done
that I enjoyed? What made them satisfying? |
|
|
|
|
| What volunteer activities have I done
that I disliked? What made them less preferred? |
|
|
|
|
| How much more time would I prefer to
spend in formal schooling, going to classes to
learn? |
|
|
|
|
| How do I learn best (writing/
discussing/ working with my hands/ working with a team/
working alone/ listening and taking notes/ working with
an expert)? |
|
|
|
|
| Is it important is it to me to start
earning money right away or to have a long-term
career? |
|
|
|
|
| Do I like to take risks? What kinds of
risks (physical, intellectual, monetary,
personal)? |
|
|
|
|
Looking at who I am, I think my future can include:
Forecasting the future is only an educated guess, but a lot
of educated people are at work gathering statistics and
comparing trends in the past to projections for the future. In
the next few pages, we offer a number of charts that show
predictions about where workers will be needed, how much money
and job security they are likely to offer, and what kinds of
training and degrees workers in those fields will need.
More Education: Higher Earnings, Lower
Unemployment
“The more you learn, the more you earn-and the less
likely you are to be unemployed. Earnings increase and
unemployment decreases with additional years of
education. But completing a program is worth more than
attending college without earning a
degree.
“Education pays, in part, because
employers believe educated workers learn tasks more
easily and are better organized. However the data here
are averages; variations occur at all educational
levels. The biggest reason for the variety in earnings
is the different occupations people enter as a result of
their education.”
Occupational Outlook
Quarterly |
Where will workers be needed?
Look at these charts together to see where job
growth is most likely and what levels of training and
education are most likely to ready you for a growing job
market. They will also show you which job fields are
shrinking, and where workers will be needed to replace
those who leave or retire versus those where workers
will be needed because the field itself is
growing.
In using these charts, remember that a
job field can grow very fast, but employ a total of very
few people, while a job field that offers lots of
employment to lots of people might grow very slowly. A
field with lots of jobs might offer lower pay and
benefits; one that is growing rapidly or is limited to a
few highly skilled people might pay much better
compensation. Also, remember that these are projections,
not guarantees of what will happen in the future.
The source for all charts on pages 16-19 is the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
These two charts tell you where the most jobs, and
the least will be created. They report total numbers of
increase and decrease, not percentages. The chart on the
right only looks at the most desirable jobs, not at all
job categories. The chart on the left tells you where
jobs are disappearing.
It’s important to choose a
job field that offers opportunity and good financial
prospects. It’s also important to choose a field where
you will be happy and productive, and one that fits the
kind of person you are and want to be in the future.
|
They also show you how the balance between those in the
work force and those not working will shift, as our general
population becomes older. These projections could shift if
work patterns change, however. Older workers might decide to
stay in the work force longer. Businesses may find themselves
so in need of workers that they make jobs more attractive so
that older workers stay on. According to the NRTA Bulletin,
“The Committee for Economic Development…says in a recent
report that [making reforms to encourage baby boomers to work
past the traditional retirement age of 65] are needed to avert
a sharp slowdown in economic growth due to a scarcity of
workers as the American population ages over the next few
decades.” Some of these changes, such as an increase in
job-sharing opportunities, could affect younger workers as
well.
“The rosy job market for new college graduates will
be even better this year. The number of jobs available
will grow by about 10 to 15 percent….
“'All
academic majors will benefit from the increase in hiring
levels,’ says Philip D. Gardner, director of the
Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan
State University, which conducts the annual study. ‘This
is definitely a labor market for everyone.’
“The
sectors with the strongest growth are manufacturing,
financial services, construction, professional and
technical jobs, and food and lodging services….”
The Chronicle of Higher
Education |
New Programs and Majors
This year, new
programs and majors on campus included such diverse choices as
information technology, ministry, pharmaceutical marketing and
management, national forest management, genomic science,
fund-raising, literary publishing and forensic
nursing.
Thirty-two percent of the new majors will
prepare students in medical fields such as cardiac health and
nursing, legal nurse consulting, nurse midwifery, and
pharmaceutical product development. In thirty percent,
students will focus on media and technology, including new
media and networking technology. Twenty-four percent of the
new majors will prepare students in management, such as supply
chain management, hospitality management, health systems
management, and a master’s in business administration for
doctors.
According to the US Department of Education, by 1998 the
number of distance-education programs increased to 1190.
Offered by 1680 institutions, in about 54,000 online courses,
distance-education online enrolled 1.6 million students in
1998, and the number is growing rapidly.
Most of these courses were offered by large public
four-year institutions. Seventy percent offered English,
humanities and social/behavioral science courses. Fifty-five
percent offered courses in business/management, 29 percent in
education, 26 percent in computer science, 17 percent in
vocational and technical education. In most, tuition was the
same as for on-campus courses. Most courses were offered on
the Internet.
Officials warn that “students need to be aware of course
quality.”
Apprenticeship offers work with training
“Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and
related instruction in which workers learn the practical and
theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation.
Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by joint employer and
labor groups, individual employers, and/or employer
associations,” says the U.S. Department of Labor.
Apprenticeships, like other labor-sponsored worker-centered
training programs, use participatory, hands-on learning.
Novices work beside experts on problem-solving and critical
thinking, learning basic skills and concepts along with the
collaborative skills necessary for working with others in
real-world situations. Apprenticeship programs include
Typical qualifications to enter an apprenticeship program
usually include high school completion or a GED. Those
entering apprenticeships can be of any age over 18, though
some program partnerships with schools may accept younger
apprentices. A record of success in certain basic courses such
as math may be required.
School-to Apprenticeship programs are offered to 11th and
12th grade students through a partnership between school and
the program. Some states, for example New Jersey, West
Virginia, Michigan and Arkansas, support such partnerships
with state legislation. Unions are strong supports of these
programs in many areas of the country.
“Apprenticeship offers the best of both worlds: paid
on-the-job training and related classroom instruction. The
vast majority of union Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbers,
Sheet Metal Workers, Elevator Constructors and Glaziers
learned their trade through formal Apprenticeship” according
to Apprenticeship USA.
|
“Would I go back to the same college? Probably
not….let’s face facts. Six months at a trade school that
teaches air-conditioning repair will make you the most
beloved man in town from late May to the end of
September. And being beloved is what life’s all about.”
| Mark Golin, Editor-in-chief,
Details |
“Can you rely on choosing one career for life? Sure,
until someone invents a replacement for what you make.
Once the car was invented, most people who made buggy
whips were permanently out of work.”
“Unions long have been a key force in workplace
education programs [to upgrade workers’ skills and for
retraining]-training programs by construction trades
unions, teachers’ unions and other unions rival the
nation’s community college system, ranking second only
to the U.S. military in workplace education.”
|
If you believe the current mythology, young workers surf
the 'Net trolling for dollars as day traders, or inhabit
cubicles at software startups inventing lucrative new packages
while their stock options ripen. But the reality looks a bit
different. A recent national study by Peter D. Hart Research
Associates interviewed over 750 workers age 18-34 to learn
more about how they see their present and their future.
These young workers say they lack time to spend with their
families because of the pressures of their jobs. They say they
need more affordable and available child care and more
flexible work hours and leave policies.
| |
WOMEN |
MEN |
| Percent who say they lack time for both family and
work responsibilities |
49% |
45% |
| The workers surveyed reported that they
lack employer benefits for both health care and a secure
retirement when the time comes to need them. |
| |
ESSENTIAL OR
IMPORTANT |
AVAILABLE TO ME AT
WORK |
| Health benefits: essential or very important
ingredient for a good job |
93% |
45% |
| Retirement benefits: essential or very important to
a good job |
81% |
43% |
| Young workers want to advance both in
their pay and in their productivity. Nearly 90% of them
believe opportunities to advance are essential or very
important if a job is to be considered a good job. They
want to increase their skills and knowledge so they can
do a better job for their employers, and they find that
only a little over half of their employers will supply
them with the training they need. |
| |
EMPLOYER
FALLS SHORT ON PROVIDING THIS |
| Opportunity to advance |
37% |
| Investment in employees through training and
education for job needs |
43% |
|
GENERATION Y AND MONEY
"Now 70 million strong and ranging from 5-22 years
old, Gen Y is the first generation raised in the brand
era and has become a critical consumer group. According
to Teen Research Unlimited, teens alone spent $94
billion of their own money last year, $10 billion more
than in 1997"
| Cristina Merrill in American Demographics,
November 1999 |
"Teens spent $16.7 billion on food in 1996, of which
24 percent was family groceries….When teens go shopping,
it is with a combination of allowance money from their
parents and earnings from work, according to the Rand
[Youth] Poll."
| Bill Stoneman, Intertec Publishing,
1998 | |
|
