College Plans Research Articles

Working at Cross-Purposes

PERHAPS it is naivete, but when it comes to making policy in education, the business community's left hand doesn't seem to know what its right hand is doing. The pell-mell rush to add more requirements and rigor to the high school curriculum, for example, is being fueled by business leaders' alarm over the performance of young people in school, over their plans for college, and over their entry-level skills (even though the hiring practices of most corporations in this country eschew the new high school graduate). Even Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates, one of the most enlightened school reformers from the business world, doesn't seem to see the connections between what business says it wants and what business actually does. He told a Senate hearing this spring that today's students are fully immersed in the digital culture, while their schools are stuck in the demands of 50 years ago. Consequently, many high school students today are bored, unchallenged, and disengaged from the high school curriculum, Gates argued. Thus they either drop out or simply try to get by. True. But when school lets out for the day, many of those same young people are engaged in propping up a consumer economy as low-wage workers. By working low-wage jobs, they help businesses make their bottom line, and, as an added benefit, those businesses prosper from the teenage buying power that comes from having part-time work. If many students fall asleep in class, don't finish their homework, read less and less for leisure, and don't care about delving deeply into academic instruction that, as Gates so rightly pointed out, has not adapted to change, who can blame them? Teenage employment is sanctioned by our laws and fostered by a low-wage economy. It also is a lot more appealing to a generation focused on instant gratification and on buying the latest digital toy. By the time they are seniors, 80% of high school students have been employed at least part time, and at any given moment, at least 30% are gainfully employed outside of school hours. Official research about youth employment is far out of date and is strongly influenced by the ups and downs of the economy. However, it is obvious that youth employment policy and business interests have intersected over the years. In the 1970s, at least three federal commissions studying high schools recommended work experience for high school students. Then A Nation at Risk came along in 1983 with a suggestion that young people should spend more time on academic studies and less on employment during high school. But some programs today incorporate work experience as a tool to keep students engaged and enrolled in high school. In 1998, a federal study recommended limiting the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds could work during the school year. This proposal, from the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Institute of Medicine (National Research Council), stemmed from concerns about child labor. While there are time limits on the 14- and 15-year-old crowd, the law was never changed for older teenagers. They can legally work as much as they want, as long as the occupation is not hazardous. Do the benefits of working outweigh its distractions? Research is mixed on the issue, but the changing demands on high school graduates probably call for a new look at the effects. Some studies cautiously concluded that adults who had been employed while in school earned slightly higher wages than those who did not work. One study found that this wage advantage dissipated over time. Another study (this one of men only) looked at income at age 27 and found that going to school and not working had much bigger payoffs than combining school and part-time work. (These studies are cited in a U.S. Department of Labor Report on the Youth Labor Force from 2000. …

Book Review: College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing and Getting in the Right College

Book Review: College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing and Getting in the Right College

地域に根ざした共同教育の提案

The purpose of this paper is to propose what is necessary for institutions of higher education to succeed in contributive activities for the local community. First, an outline of status quo of such activities is provided. Next, a discussion of how our college plans, organizes and performs such activities with “the Planning and Coordination Office” and “the Division of Cooperation with the Local Community” as the central divisions will be offered. Following this, clarification of some of the problems to be solved in regard to the activities is discussed. Finally, it is argued that organizational and continuous approaches are essential to make the activities successful.

Career and College Planning Needs of Ninth Graders— as Reported by Ninth Graders

Few researchers have asked students directly about what they know and need to know regarding college and career planning. Given the critical choices made early in high school, ninth graders (n = 222) were surveyed regarding their educational and career plans and the resources they were using in their decision-making. Overall results as well as differences by ethnicity, gender, and parent education group are reported. Results indicated a discrepancy between plans and accurate information about college costs and availability.

Career and College Planning Needs of Ninth Graders–as Reported by Ninth Graders

Few researchers have asked students directly about what they know and need to know regarding college and career planning. Given the critical choices made early in high school, ninth graders (n = 222) were surveyed regarding their educational and career plans and the resources they were using in their decision-making. Overall results as well as differences by ethnicity, gender, and parent education group are reported. Results indicated a discrepancy between plans and accurate information about college costs and availability.

The Impact of Vulnerabilities and Strengths on the Academic Experiences of Twice-Exceptional Students: A Message to School Counselors

The ever-broadening roles of school counselors range from traditional (advisor for college planning) to novel (advocating for students with learning difficulties or giftedness). A newly recognized group of learners, with both learning difficulties and academic strengths, known as twice-exceptional learners, has emerged. After a synopsis of federal legislation that has shaped the field of twice-exceptionality, the authors use two case examples to highlight the contribution of prevailing educational myths to the lack of attention to twice-exceptional students. They conclude with comprehensive recommendations.

The Impact of Vulnerabilities and Strengths on the Academic Experiences of Twice-Exceptional Students: A Message to School Counselors

The ever-broadening roles of school counselors range from traditional (advisor for college planning) to novel (advocating for students with learning difficulties or giftedness). A newly recognized group of learners, with both learning difficulties and academic strengths, known as twice-exceptional learners, has emerged. After a synopsis of federal legislation that has shaped the field of twice-exceptionality, the authors use two case examples to highlight the contribution of prevailing educational myths to the lack of attention to twice-exceptional students. They conclude with comprehensive recommendations.

Achievement and Ascription in Educational Attainment: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Adolescent Schooling

The classic (“status attainment”) model of educational and occupational attainment suffers from three related shortcomings when used as a tool for comparative or policy-oriented research on social mobility: (1) ambiguity of model parameters as measures of opportunity for achievement vs. ascription; (2) vulnerability to incomplete specification of family background; and (3) confounding of environmental and genetic influences. These issues can be addressed in part by using a (“behavior genetic”) model that distinguishes variance components associated with genetic endowment, shared (or common) family environment, and unshared (or specific) environment. Size of the genetic component (heritability) measures opportunity for achievement; size of the shared environment component (environmentality) measures social ascription. A multivariate behavior genetic model of adolescent verbal IQ, grade point average and college plans is estimated using data for six types of adolescent sibling pairs living in the same household: MZ twins, DZ twins, full siblings, half siblings, cousins and non-related siblings. Results show large genetic components, relatively small shared environmental components, and large unshared environmental components for all three outcomes. Parameters of the behavior genetic model can be used to compare mobility regimes across social contexts and the model therefore provides an important tool for comparative social mobility research.

Aspirations, Ability, and Support: Consumers’ Perceptions of Attending College

Research examines aspirations and plans for college, perceptions of social support and acceptance, and perceived intellectual and emotional capacity for college reported by 80 adults with coping with serious mental illness. The role of consumers' age, prior college experience, hospitalization history, and feelings of personal loss due to mental illness in accounting for their views about college is examined. In general, consumers expressed strong aspirations for college, provided a positive assessment of their intellectual abilities, and mixed feelings about their emotional capacity to attend college. Participants were generally very optimistic about the level of acceptance from faculty and students and support from family and friends if they were to attend college. Amount of personal loss expressed by consumers accounted for a significant amount of variance in their reported aspirations and perceived capacity for college beyond that of age, prior college experience, and number of recent psychiatric hospitalizations. Participants' perceptions of support and acceptance were not related to total number of reported hospitalizations, but were positively related to the number of hospitalizations reported in the past year.

One Group's Journey from Camp to College

ABSTRACT This paper describes the use of group work with late adolescents preparing for life after high school. One major aspect of the work with the group members, students who were not targeted for help by school personnel or guidance counselors, included the college planning process. Four elements of group work practice were integral to the development and life of this group: (1) purpose, (2) use of activity, (3) mutual aid, and (4) problem solving. Process examples from the group are included to illustrate group work's effectiveness.

Low‐Income Students and College Attendance: An Exploration of Income Expectations*

Objectives. Some have hypothesized that unrealistic expectations regarding their futures may explain the weak link between expectations and realizations among low‐income (particularly minority) youth. Unfortunately, there is little evidence characterizing students' expectations around the time that they make college decisions that would allow one to study this hypothesis.Methods. In this exploratory article, I analyze data on income expectations from a small sample of low‐income minority high school seniors in Baltimore City, MD; and use data from Dominitz and Manski's sample of higher‐income white students in Madison, WI, and the NELS88 for comparisons.Results. I find little evidence that the income expectations of lower‐income minority students are so different from those of higher‐income students. Rather, the expected returns to postsecondary education appear similar between the two samples of high school seniors. Analysis of a nationally representative sample of high school seniors suggests that lower‐income students do not place less weight on expected economic returns to college when making their plans than do more advantaged students, although low‐income students are less able to translate their college plans into actual college attendance.Conclusions. These results suggest that differing income expectations do not explain the weaker relationship between expectations and educational attainment among low‐income students.

Redefining self and success: becoming teachers and doctors

This study explores how twenty‐eight women graduates of a liberal arts college renegotiate personal and professional identities over a ten year period. Approximately half of these women entered college planning to pursue a career in medicine; the other half indicated some interest in the field of education. Each participant was interviewed six times over the course of ten years. Analysis suggests that prior designations of women's careers as “traditional” (i.e. teaching) and “non‐traditional” (i.e. medicine) no longer apply as women actively reconceptualize their lives, their identities, their definitions of success, and the meaning of their chosen career. Prior studies that examine the balancing of personal and professional lives also simplify a more complicated process experienced by women who explore multiple understandings of themselves within personal and social structures. The women in this study draw on the critical perspectives learned in college as they recognize and respond to competing social and cultural definitions and discourses of success, work, and self.

The Relation of Early Adolescents’ College Plans and Both Academic Ability and Task-Value Beliefs to Subsequent College Enrollment

Although it is likely that plans to attend a 4-year college are made much earlier than the last 2 years of high school, few researchers have assessed the pre–high school factors that influence high school performance and course-enrollment decisions, which, in turn, affect college attendance. The data presented in this article were collected as part of the longitudinal Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions. In this article, we used data from 681 adolescents in sixth grade and from their mothers to predict college attendance 2 years after high school graduation. Hierarchical logistic regression revealed the following as significant predictors of full-time college attendance: youth’s grade point averages, their plans for college, their resiliency, family income, mother’s education level, and mother’s educational valuing.

Nontenure-Track Faculty and University Status

These words are echoed in the documents of many universities. Schools and colleges of pharmacy have hired many nontenure-track faculty members over the past decade mainly to meet the expanding needs for experiential instruction. The latest AACP Profile of Pharmacy Faculty reports that 40% of 3798 full-time faculty members at our schools and colleges are on a nontenure track. This documents a consistent yearly increase and doubling of nontenure-track faculty representation over the past decade, from 22% in 1991-1992. As schools and colleges plan further increases in class sizes, the number of nontenure-track faculty members in our institutions will further increase. The need for nontenure-track faculty members, particularly clinical faculty members, is apparent; however, many of our universities hold the contradictory stance of defending the importance of tenure while expanding the ranks of nontenure-track faculty members. The continuation of the tenure system along with the denial of its “protection” from “dismissal except for cause” for many of our faculty members is difficult to justify, but my purpose is not to debate the merits of tenure in our universities but to question the inequities that are fostered when differences between nontenureand tenure-tracks go beyond protection from dismissal. “Protection” may not be the critical issue since our organizations have formal systems for personnel review, appeals, and due process that protect all faculty members from dismissal without cause.

Youth preferences for cigar brands: rates of use and characteristics of users

Objective: Youth use of cigars has increased in the USA. Understanding brand preference among youth could help explain the attraction to cigars, and develop prevention strategies. This study reports on...

African American teens discuss their schooling experiences

Preface Introduction Elementary School Experiences Elementary School as a Precursor to Subsequent Schooling Experiences Early Reading Habits and Attitudes About Reading Elementary Teachers Elementary Course Work and Homework Middle School Experiences Middle School Issues Middle School Teachers Middle School Course Work and Homwork High School Experiences High School as an Ending and a Beginning High School Teachers High School Course Work and Homework Other Issues Attitudes About College and Future Plans Racism at School School Safety Parent Involvement Conclusion References Index

What is “SCUP” and so what?

Library planners often have the problem of finding institutional or organizational support to assist them with their building projects. The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) is a professional association composed of university planners, architects and administrators. SCUP addresses three campus planning‐related functions: academic planning, institutional decision making and resource planning, and facilities planning. The centerpiece of its activities is a large yearly conference in which members convene to share innovative ideas and developments in planning. This year’s conference in Boston was highlighted by a discussion on the future of resource planning in non‐traditional universities like The University of Phoenix.

Should U.S. Military Recruiters Write Off the College-Bound?

This article examines trends and relationships involving high school seniors' military service plans, their college plans, and their actual entry into military service. Crosssectional and longitudinal data from the Monitoring the Future project show that, although individuals planning to complete college are less likely than average to plan on military service, the upward trend in college plans cannot account for many of the yearto-year changes in military propensity. Moreover, it now appears that the majority of young men expecting to enter military service also expect to complete a four-year college program. Most important, planning for college does not reduce enlistment rates among high propensity males, although for some of them it may delay entry by several years. These findings suggest that educational incentives for military service are now particularly important, given the high proportions of potential recruits with college aspirations.

The art and science of personnel selection assessing “goodness of fit” with organizational culture

Performance ImprovementVolume 40, Issue 1 p. 32-37 Article The art and science of personnel selection assessing “goodness of fit” with organizational culture John E. Burk PhD, John E. Burk PhD atjburk@dlrgroup.com. John Burk PhD, is currently an education consultant. He provides instructional technology planning and educational specification services to higher education and K-12 clients across the country. Additionally, John taught for five years at the university level. He has published articles on organizational culture, cross-cultural training of multinational employees, and technology planning in such journals as Human Resource Development Quarterly, Public Relations Quarterly, and College Planning & Management. He has made several presentations on communication and performance technology at conferences throughout the United States, including three ISPI conferences. John received his doctorate and master's degrees from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and his bachelor's degree from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.Search for more papers by this authorThomas A. Birk PhD, Thomas A. Birk PhD tbirk@unmc.edu. Thomas A. Birk, PhD, is a Designer for the Learning Environment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he creates virtual learning environments for medical students with a strong emphasis on instructional design. He has 17 years of broadcast marketing and management experience, in addition to six years as a university professor. Tom also works as an education consultant. He has published articles on mass communication and technology planning in such journals as American School & University and School Planning & Management and has presented workshops nationally on the topics of performance technology and communication, including three ISPI conferences. Tom received his doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, his master's from University of Nebraska-Omaha, and his bachelor's from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Search for more papers by this author John E. Burk PhD, John E. Burk PhD atjburk@dlrgroup.com. John Burk PhD, is currently an education consultant. He provides instructional technology planning and educational specification services to higher education and K-12 clients across the country. Additionally, John taught for five years at the university level. He has published articles on organizational culture, cross-cultural training of multinational employees, and technology planning in such journals as Human Resource Development Quarterly, Public Relations Quarterly, and College Planning & Management. He has made several presentations on communication and performance technology at conferences throughout the United States, including three ISPI conferences. John received his doctorate and master's degrees from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and his bachelor's degree from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.Search for more papers by this authorThomas A. Birk PhD, Thomas A. Birk PhD tbirk@unmc.edu. Thomas A. Birk, PhD, is a Designer for the Learning Environment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he creates virtual learning environments for medical students with a strong emphasis on instructional design. He has 17 years of broadcast marketing and management experience, in addition to six years as a university professor. Tom also works as an education consultant. He has published articles on mass communication and technology planning in such journals as American School & University and School Planning & Management and has presented workshops nationally on the topics of performance technology and communication, including three ISPI conferences. Tom received his doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, his master's from University of Nebraska-Omaha, and his bachelor's from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Search for more papers by this author First published: 08 February 2007 https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.4140400109Citations: 2 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume40, Issue1January 2001Pages 32-37 RelatedInformation

Are risk and protective factors for substance use consistent across historical time?: national data from the high school classes of 1976 through 1997.

Researchers have seldom examined whether risk and protective factors are consistently linked to substance use across historical time. Using nationally representative data collected from 22 consecutive cohorts of high school seniors (approximate N = 188,000) from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) project, we investigated whether correlates of substance use changed across historical time. We found a high degree of consistency across historical time in predictors of past month cigarette use, past month alcohol use, past year marijuana use, and past year cocaine use. Some predictors such as religiosity, political beliefs, truancy, and frequent evenings out were consistently linked to substance use. The consistency of other predictors such as region, parental education, and college plans was contingent in part upon historical time period, the particular substance, and its level of use.