Poll Reveals Youth "Readiness" for the Future

How ready do America's youth feel for the future? What level of hope and engagement do they have? What sense of wellbeing? According to a recent Gallup poll (pdf), more than 1/3 of the students surveyed feel ready for the future ("ready" being defined as "hopeful for the future, engaged at school and thriving in life"). The online poll tracked the "hope, engagement and wellbeing" of 450, 000 students, ages 10-18.

According to the survey results, the 34% of students who reported being ready for the future:

• are more likely to succeed academically.
• are more likely to maintain good health over time.
• have fewer health concerns that interfere with their day-to-day functioning.
• get more rest than their peers.

Only 16% of students reported feeling "discouraged"; 31% felt "stuck."

The survey also revealed important insights about how engaged students are in school and the role that praise and recognition play in their level of engagement. The survey highlighted the trend of declining student engagement during middle school and early high school and reported that "Around 74% of fifth-grade students gave a 5 (out of 5) to the item 'In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good schoolwork.' Only 31% of ninth-grade students gave a 5 to this item."

Read the complete report. (pdf)

I think the report is useful for humane educators in recognizing that, despite our global challenges, about 1/3 of students are maintaining high levels of hope and engagement in the world. A great opportunity to involve these students in becoming changemakers for a better world. But, it's also a confirmation that schools as they are aren't meeting the needs of the majority of students. Additionally, the report stated that even students who felt hopeful weren't necessarily confident that they possessed the tools and skills to reach their goals. Both these latter realities lend additional importance and urgency to our goal to transform the purpose of schooling into focusing on providing young people with the tools, skills and motivation to become changemakers and problem solvers for a better world.

~ Marsha

Image courtesy of Where There Be Dragons via Creative Commons.

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