Occupations of Graduates of a Small High School

Abstract

This report is a summary of a follow-up study of the graduates of a small country high school. The broad purpose of the study was to determine to what degree the graduates of this school were able to cope with social and economic problems of modern life. The high school of Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, was chosen for this study because of the author's connection with that school system for a number of years. Parkers Prairie village had a population of 383 in 1910, a 48.8 per cent increase to 570 in 1920, and a 10.7 per cent increase to 631 for 1930.' The county in which this village is located had an increase in population of 10.4 per cent during the first decade and of 0.4 per cent for the second decade mentioned. Most of the residents of the community are of Swedish, German, and Norwegian descent. The interests of the community are chiefly agricultural, and the products are small grains, potatoes, and dairy products. The commercial life of the village is largely devoted to the sale of groceries, general merchandise, hardware, oil, coal, feed, automobiles, and farm implements. The educational, religious, and social interests of the village center in the public school, three churches, an active study club, and various lodges. The method used in collecting data was to secure from the permanent record cards of the school the names of the 250 graduates of the classes of 1919 through 1934. The post-school addresses of all except four meni and two women graduates were found. Two women but none of the men were deceased. A two-page questionnaire was sent to the 244 graduates who had been located, and 192 graduates, or 79 per cent of the total, replied.