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MIRS, May 29,
2008
One out of five young adults lack job or career goals, leading
to increased dropout and jobless rates, an EPIC-MRA poll
released today found. Additionally, 25 percent of young adults
surveyed blamed their high school for failing to give them the
direction they were seeking to achieve job or career goals.
The Michigan Education Association (MEA) commissioned the poll
as part of an initiative to end Michigan's dropout crisis.
"We want to learn as much as we can about why students drop out
of high school so we can work with community stakeholders to
find ways to help them come back," said MEA President Iris K.
SALTERS.
The survey found that students with role models, career guidance
and other vital supports are more likely to graduate and either
find a job or go on to post-secondary education.
The findings come amid rising dropout rates across the state and
concern over the cost to taxpayers, currently pegged at $2.5
billion per year (see, "High Costs Of High Dropout Rates",
5/28/08). At the same time school districts are forced to cut
the number of guidance counselors on their payroll to meet
increasingly smaller budgets, in some cases leaving just one
counselor to work with 500 students.
Other notable findings:
- 11 percent of high school juniors or seniors plan to end their
education with high school, will not graduate on time or will
dropout. For those lacking job or career goals, the number jumps
to 21 percent.
- 25 percent of all respondents said they didn't receive job or
career direction in high school; among dropouts, that number
more than doubles to 55-percent
-Survey participants identified parents, teachers or counselors
and siblings as the most influential people in their lives.
The poll was conducted May 12-21, 2008 and has a margin of error
of 4.4 percentage points.
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