EAST LANSING, Mich., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Young adults in Michigan
whose parents "insisted" they get an education beyond high school are
considerably more likely to have the best jobs, and to be richer, better
educated and happier than those whose parents who weren't as demanding,
according to the fourth Your Child study of Michigan's culture of education.
"Clearly, the children of pushy parents win on all counts," said Ed
Sarpolus, vice president of EPIC-MRA, the Lansing-based firm that did the
research. "This study suggests there aren't enough pushy parents in
Michigan."
In the survey of 1,126 respondents aged 18 to 30 years old (conducted
Sept. 6 - 27, 2005, margin of error plus or minus 3.1 percent), fewer than
one-in-three (30 percent) said their parents "insisted" they continue going to
school after the 12th grade.
Of respondents whose parents "insisted" on post-high school education,
two-thirds (65 percent) have either completed or are pursuing a four-year
degree, compared to just one third (33 percent) of those whose parents merely
"suggested" they continue their education.
Parental insistence on post-secondary education put young adults on the
path to the higher paying jobs in professional and technical fields: 41
percent of respondents who said they work in professional or technical jobs
also said their parents "insisted" they pursue higher education, compared to
just 24 percent of those whose parents "suggested" it.
School support lacking, too
Many respondents said support was lacking at their high schools as well.
While fully 70 percent said "all" or "most" of their teachers and counselors
cared about them, 29 percent said "few" or "none" did. Only 24 percent said
someone in the school setting talked to them about the relevance of their
education, and three-quarters said no one helped them make the connection
between academics and the world of work.
When asked if the classes they took in high school seemed relevant, only
seventeen percent of respondents said "all" were relevant. "Math" and
"science" classes topped the list of courses respondents said were "most"
relevant, while at the top of the list of courses respondents identified as
the "least" relevant were "gym," and, interestingly, "math" and "science."
"Too many students are wandering the halls of our high schools without
purpose or direction. Educators must search for new ways to communicate and
connect with students and their families," said Margaret Trimer-Hartley,
director of communications of the Michigan Education Association (MEA), which
is a member of Your Child. "Rebuilding relationships with students and
families isn't something that is easily measured on a standardized test, but
it is critical to our students' success."
Schools are "rigorless"; senior year is a waste for many
Only 12 percent of those polled said they had felt really challenged in
high school, while more than one-in-four (28 percent) said it was not
challenging at all.
Fewer than half of the survey respondents (44 percent) said they really
applied themselves during the senior year in high school. The negative impact
of this lack of commitment shows up among those respondents who have not
pursued a post-secondary education, 72 percent of who said they regret not
having more than a high school diploma.
Challenges and hope
Other survey results show it will not be an easy task to double the number
of college graduates in Michigan, as called for by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
For example, more than one-third (36 percent) of respondents said they think
"only some people" should get additional education beyond high school (62
percent said "everyone" should do so).
The current survey provides some rays of hope when results are compared to
the Your Child/EPIC-MRA study of parents in Michigan, conducted in the spring
of 2005. In that study, only 27 percent of respondents said a good education
is "essential" for success. Among the younger respondents in the current
survey, 56 percent said that a good education is "essential" for success.
The challenge is to ensure that these 18 to 30 year olds maintain this
attitude as they raise their own families, so their children will understand
that higher education is the path to success -- be it quality of life,
career/job choices or above-average income.
Your Child is a coalition of education and family organizations dedicated
to improving the culture of education in Michigan and increasing the number of
college graduates in the state. Participants who paid for the survey research
study include the President's Council, State Universities of Michigan; the
Michigan Education Association; the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians; the Great
Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice and Michigan Virtual
University.
