State of Our Nation’s Youth 2008
Dodie Ownes -- School Library Journal, 9/17/2008
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans has just released its annual State of Our Nation’s Youth report, the results from a survey conducted with U.S. teens, ages 14-18. The publication analyzes the students' responses and provides insights about their opinions and attitudes. This year’s report reveals some not-so-subtle shifts.While in 2003, 75 percent of teenagers felt hopeful and optimistic about the future of their country, only 53 percent felt that way this April, when the telephone survey of 1006 students fairly equally divided by gender and age level was conducted. Another interesting fact – 79 percent of high school students indicated that the pressure for good grades creates problems, though 67 percent of them say they have mostly B’s or better on their report cards.
State of Our Nation’s Youth also looks at teen satisfaction with their schools, Internet usage (and parental oversight), college and careers, and pressure and positive influence. The full report is available online, and will make for fascinating discussion in the classroom, staff lunch room, and at administrative levels. Also of note – the Association has a variety of scholarships available on both the state and national level specifically for high school seniors that have overcome difficulty in their lives.
