Rural High School Aspirations Study

This three-year research project will generate new information about the educational opportunities and needs of rural high school students in relation to their current educational opportunities and their preparation for adulthood. Using surveys and interviews of students, parents, teachers, and key school administrators, the specific purposes of the study are to address three distinct but related tensions: (1) place-based education vs. national standardized college preparatory curricula; (2) commitment to the community and rural life vs. career and lifestyles opportunities; and (3) pursuing educational and personal goals that may reflect cosmopolitan values while simultaneously maintaining rural linkages and identity. The study designs calls for a national survey of 15,000 high school students (grades 9-12), their parents, teachers, and administrators. The students will represent 80 randomly selected rural high schools from geographically and economically diverse communities across the United States. Survey data will be collected in the early spring of 2008 and will include a focus on educational and career aspirations, adult residential plans, relevancy of academic curriculum, career planning activities, school performance and engagement, and school social networks. Parents and teachers will be asked to complete forms that parallel the student surveys. The study will examine commonalities and differences across geographic, economic, community, and school characteristics, with the goal of generating information that can be directly translated into the development and evaluation of high school intervention programs for rural youth.

Why This Matters

Current educational policies and practices focus on schools in suburban and metropolitan areas of the country even though rural schools comprise nearly 40% of the national school population. Research to facilitate the post-secondary transition of rural youth is not readily available. Before effective high school reform programs can be developed for rural districts, there is a need to clarify tensions between various perspectives (i.e., students, parents, educators), to identify the types of outcomes that are desired by the various groups, and to gain their viewpoints on the types of programs that work best to prepare rural youth for adult life. The goal of the Rural High School Aspirations project is to generate information regarding the future aspirations of rural youth and the availability of high schools programs and activities to help them prepare for their futures.

Rural High School Aspirations Staff

Dr. Judith Meece— Principal Investigator

Dr. Thomas Farmer— Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Kim Dadisman— Co-Principal Investigator

Mary Cleary—Project Director

Dr. Glen Elder— Investigator

Dr. Matthew Irvin—Investigator

Dr. Vonnie McLoyd—Investigator

Dr. Dylan Robertson— Investigator

Diane Joyal—Social Research Assistant