A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

A Look at Today's Youth

Today's young people aged 16 through 24 are headed in the right direction. They value education, graduate from high school, enroll in rigorous courses, join academic clubs, seek postgraduate degrees, and understand that work rather than luck will lead to academic mastery and professional accomplishment. In 1990, for example, 60 percent said they hoped to graduate from college as compared with 41 percent in 1980, and 27 percent said they hoped to get a postgraduate degree as compared with 18 percent in 1980.

Another striking change has occurred in the youth experience: the transition from childhood takes longer. Between 1960 and 1992, the proportion of young people 18 to 24 living with parents rose from 43 percent to 54 percent, and the median age for first marriage for men rose from 22.8 to 26.5 and for women from 20.3 to 24.4. Nonetheless, most high school students continue to believe in the value of work, marriage, and family.

These are some of the statistical findings from Youth Indicators 1993, a new report from OERI's National Center for Education Statistics. It offers a composite picture of American youth and the environment in which they attempt to learn. Its 63 indicators cover such diverse topics as teen pregnancy, AIDS, family income, family composition, work, arrests, causes of death, values, and attitudes. Specific education indicators address such areas as enrollment, dropouts, computer use, international comparisons, and achievement. The report offers a historical perspective, since many of the indicators contain data from as far back as 1950.

Copies of Youth Indicators 1993 are available for $11 from the Government Printing Office, stock number 065-000-00611-1.

Assistant Secretary's Column Education in States & Nations