Boston Public High School Graduates’ Perceptions of their High School’s Effectiveness in Preparing them for College and the Labor Market: Findings from the Follow-up Survey of Class of 2009 Graduates

Prepared by: Andrew Sum and Walter McHugh Jacqui Motroni

Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University ,

Prepared for: The Boston Foundation Boston, Massachusetts And Boston Private Industry Council

March 2012

Research Project on the College Enrollment, Persistence and Graduation Experiences of Boston High School Graduates Research Paper No. 2

CENTER FOR LABOR MARKET STUDIES Northeastern University

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 2 The Survey Questions on School Effectiveness in Preparing Graduates for College and/or Work...... 3 Class of 2009 Graduates’ Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for College ...... 12 Class of 2009 Graduates’ Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for the Labor Market ...... 19 Summary and Conclusions ...... 22 Appendix A: Interview Completion Rates for Class of 2009 Boston Public High School Graduates by High School ...... 23 Appendix B: Listing of Boston Public High Schools By Type of School ...... 24

1 Introduction

Each year since the mid-1980s, the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) works with the to conduct a follow-up survey of all of the new graduates of Boston public high schools. One of the main objectives of these follow-up surveys is to obtain information on the success of Boston public high school graduates in transitioning from high school to college and the world of work and to identify variations in these transition rates across gender and race/ethnic groups of graduates and those from different high schools. The survey is used to obtain information on the college/ post- secondary training enrollment status and employment status of each graduate at the time of the follow-up survey, the types of colleges and post-secondary training institutions attended, their college majors, their financial aid status, key characteristics of the jobs held by the employed, such as hours of work, hourly wages, occupations, industries of their employers, and their job-related training activities. During the late winter and early spring of 2010, Boston PIC staff made an effort to interview each of the 3,641 Class of 2009 graduates of city of Boston public high schools. The follow-up interviewing process was modestly less successful in contacting participants compared to the previous school year, yielding an interview completion rate of 68 percent for the Class of 2009, 6.8 percentage points below that for the Class of 2008. Follow-up interview completion rates by high school are presented in Appendix A.

Beginning with the follow-up survey for graduates from the Class of 1998, the follow-up questionnaire has included an open-ended question asking graduates to assess the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college and/or work. Most of the comments were provided by the graduates themselves although some of the responses were provided by the parents/guardians of the graduates. This research paper is devoted to an analysis of the findings of the responses to the open-ended question with respect to the effectiveness of Boston public high schools in preparing graduates for their transition from high school to college and the labor market. A listing of all individual comments provided by graduates from each high school is presented in an accompanying set of research reports by the Center for Labor Market Studies. The effectiveness of each school’s overall classes/curriculum, course offerings, teachers, counseling, test

2 preparation, job opportunities, training, etc. was given a rating based on the qualitative comments provided by Class of 2009 graduates. In this research paper, an in-depth analysis of the comments is presented for all high schools combined and for selected subgroups of high schools and students. Findings in this paper will reveal that the assessments of Class of 2009 graduates on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college/work followed patterns quite similar to those for the Classes of the last seven years (2002-2008). Findings on the quality of preparation for college across high schools appear to correlate strongly with findings of on-going research by the Center for Labor Market Studies on college persistence and graduation rates.1

The Survey Questions on School Effectiveness in Preparing Graduates for College and/or Work As noted above, beginning with the Class of 1998, the PIC follow-up questionnaire has included a question asking graduates (or their parents/guardians) to assess the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college and/or the labor market. The specific wording of the question is the following:

“In your opinion, how well did high school prepare you for college and/or work?” The response rates to this question have been in the mid-80s to low 90s over the past 12 years. The Class of 2007 had a response rate of 91.3 percent before increasing slightly for the Class of 2008 to 93.6% where it has held for the Class of 2009 at an all-time high. (Chart 1).

1 A unique set of longitudinal analyses of the college enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates of Class of 2000 and Class of 2001 BPS graduates was initially prepared by CLMS research staff. See: Center for Labor Market Studies, Getting to the Finish Line: College Enrollment and Graduation, prepared for the Boston Private Industry Council and Boston Public Schools. November 2008. Similar analyses have been reported for graduates from the Classes of 2003 - 2008.

3 Chart 1: Response Rates to the Question on the Effectiveness of Boston Public High Schools in Preparing Graduates for College and/or Work, Classes of 1998-2009

96 93.2 93.6 93.6 94 92.4 92.3 91.4 92 91.3 90 87.7 88 88 87.1 86.7 86 % 84 82.8 82 80 78 76 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Year

A review of the findings in Table 1 reveals that 2,486 graduates from the Class of 2009 completed follow-up surveys. Of those who completed surveys, 2,326 or 93.6 percent provided some response to the open-ended question on high school effectiveness. Response rates of graduates varied modestly by type of high school attended. Slightly over 92 percent of the graduates from the city’s three exam schools provided a response to this question versus 94.1 percent of those from the district, pilot, and alternative schools combined. Among the three exam schools, the response rate was highest for O’Bryant Technical High School (97.9%), followed by (91.1%) and Boston Latin High School (89.0%). Among alternative/district high schools with 30 or more graduates who completed follow up surveys, the response rates to the above question as a percentage of completed follow-up surveys varied from 100 percent for Another Course to College, New Mission, McKinley Vocational, McKinley Tech, and Boston Day Academy to lows of 58 % for Excel High School and 79% for Fenway High School. A majority of the alternative/district schools had response rates greater than 90% on this question.

4 Table 1: Number of Class of 2009 Boston Public School Graduates Replying to the College/Work Preparation Question as a Percent of Those with Completed Follow-up Interviews

(C) (A) (B) Replies as a Number of percent of Completed Surveys with Completed School Surveys Comments Surveys Boston Latin High School (1010) 283 252 89.0% Boston Latin Academy (1020) 191 174 91.1% O'Bryant High School (1030) 193 189 97.9% Exam School Total 667 615 92.2% Brighton High School (1040) 140 133 95.0% (1050) 160 157 98.1% Economics and Business Academy (1061) 25 23 92.0% Academy of Public Service (1062) 25 24 96.0% High School (1070) 144 129 89.6% English High School (1080) 133 125 94.0% Social Justice Academy (1101) 48 46 95.8% The Engineering School (1102) 30 29 96.7% Community Academy of Science and Health (1103) 50 48 96.0% Burke High School (1120) 95 88 92.6% Monument High School (1161) 56 55 98.2% Excel High School (1162) 43 25 58.1% (1163) 43 41 95.3% Boston Community Leadership Academy (1195) 43 39 90.7% Snowden International High School (1200) 44 42 95.5% Madison Park High School (1210) 185 183 98.9% Boston Adult Academy (1215) 30 28 93.3% Another Course to College (1230) 37 37 100.0% Parkway Academy of Technology and Health (1251) 25 23 92.0% Media and Technology High School (1252) 29 28 96.6% Urban Science Academy (1253) 11 10 90.9% Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy (1254) 38 37 97.4% Fenway High School (1265) 44 35 79.5% New Mission (1285) 37 37 100.0% McKinley Voc. (1293) 3 3 100.0% McKinley Tech. (1294) 4 4 100.0% Community Academy (1340) 30 28 93.3% Boston Evening (1410) 37 34 91.9% (1420) 63 60 95.2% Greater Egleston (1430) 30 29 96.7% Health Career Academy (1440) 0 0 - Quincy Upper School (1450) 31 29 93.5% Tech Boston Academy (1460) 63 61 96.8% Boston Day Academy (1490) 12 12 100.0% Boston International High School (1990) 31 29 93.5% Total 2486 2326 93.6%

5 The vast majority of the comments provided by Boston public high school graduates from the Class of 2009 were related either to the role of the high school in preparing them for college or the labor market only rather than to both activities. As a review of the information in Table 2 below shows, each of the responses was assigned to one of two broad categories: college related or labor market related. These two response categories were further broken down into different sub-categories in order to provide a more in-depth analysis of the specific role of high schools in preparing recent graduates for college or the labor market. Table 2: Types of Comments Provided by Class of 2009 Boston Public High School Graduates to the Question on High School Effectiveness in Preparing Them for College or the Labor Market, by Category of Comments

College Related Labor Market Related

Overall Classes/Curriculum Volume of work opportunities Course Offerings Quality of job opportunities English/Writing Courses Computer/technical training opportunities Math/Science Courses Vocational training Teachers Career counseling Counseling Other, Work-related Other, College Related

The specific comments provided by students on each topic were assigned a “favorable”, “intermediate” or “unfavorable” rating by CLMS research staff. The “favorable” response category was used to represent comments that were positive with respect to the role of the high school in preparing graduates for college and work. Many students simply answered the open-ended question by stating: “It prepared me very well” or “Brighton did a good job preparing me for college.” The following comments are examples of some of the favorable replies:

 The PIC helped a lot, especially working at State Street. My teachers also gave me a lot of advice.

 I enjoyed my time at the school. It gave me every chance to succeed.

 Very well. The PATH program was very helpful.

6  Very well. I am not scared of the amount of work I may get because O’Bryant gave me a lot and I am used to it.

 Fenway did a great job preparing me. One thing I liked was there were a lot of essays. To be able to learn how to write was the greatest thing. Being able to improve writing style and learn to research was a good way to prepare for college.

 The lessons on Engineering were very helpful. One teacher gave me what I never received from my family.

 Excellent job. The guidance department was remarkable-got students thinking about college and careers right away.

 I think BAA prepared me immensely well for college between writing skills and learning how to control my time, not to mention the skills that are transferrable from our majors.

 Prepared me very well. BLS challenged us with the right amount of work. I got out of BLS with a good work ethic and appreciation for the school.

 I think it prepared me well. One Teacher opened my eyes and told me I could do it.

 ACC did prepare me! Excellent faculty!

The “intermediate” response category was used to represent comments citing either neutral views or a mix of favorable and unfavorable effects. For example, a student may have replied “some courses were very helpful, others were not”. Below is a brief list of some of the intermediate responses given by Class of 2009 graduates.

 The school should have more pathways and guidance counselors.

 They could have improved diversity awareness among students. It seemed students stayed with their own groups and there should have been more done to encourage students to better understand one another.

 Some vocational counseling would have been nice. They also need some more hands on guidance.

 It could have been better. The classes didn’t challenge me.

 If there were more choices it would have been better. More company connections would be good. And more advice about college would be better.

7  There were not enough career development opportunities for students.

 They should have emphasized the importance of doing well in high school all four years.

 We should have done more writing. I am struggling with writing in college.

 There was a lot of unnecessary work, the time we spent on it could have been used more proactively.

 My adviser didn’t have time to meet with students.

 They didn’t prepare me like other students with applications, recommendations, and the whole college admissions process.

 I wished the school would have provided my son more opportunities to visit colleges and to get a better sense of what he was looking for in a college.

The “unfavorable” category was used to represent comments that were negative with respect to the influence of high school upon college and/or work preparation. Such unfavorable comments included the following:

 Did not prepare me well. I placed really low on placement exams for college. I can’t even get into a community college nursing program.

 I do not think my high school experience was as good as it could have been. I wish the teachers had more control of their classes. My classes were loud and out- of-control.

 Not at all! I think senior year was a waste. If you don’t take certain careers, most classes won’t apply to you.

 I had to do everything on my own. No one helped me do anything.

 Didn’t help at all. Very disappointed with everything. Never supported me while I was getting bullied. Teachers were not encouraging.

 I don’t feel that they prepared me at all, considering I have to take pre-college level classes at college.

 Not well. The classes I was taking were useless and didn’t help me for the future.

8  Not very well. Really didn’t like it. Students are seen as a group to make school look good rather than as individuals who have needs.

 Not at all. College is totally different. And I can’t find a job.

 Not at all prepared. No textbooks in high school. The amount of writing we did at Fenway was nothing compared to college.

 The worst preparation. They only prepare you for the MCAS, not for going to college. I am way behind. They didn’t teach us study skills or time management. My Math and English skills are way behind.

 APS was a big step down from the private school I went to.

 Bad, I feel like everyone went on to college and I was left behind.

In Table 3, the distribution of all comments of BPS graduates from the Class of 2009 by their favorability status is displayed. There were a combined total of 2.489 comments2 of which 1,827 or 73.4% were favorable comments, another 13.4% of the comments were intermediate in nature, and 329 or 13.2% were unfavorable comments. Favorable comments outweighed unfavorable comments by a multiple of between 5 and 6 times.

Table 3: Distribution of Comments Provided by Class of 2009 Boston Public High School Graduates on the Effectiveness of High Schools in Preparing Them for College or the Labor Market, by Favorability of Comments (Multiple Responses Allowed)

Type of Comment Frequency Percent

Favorable 1827 73.4 Intermediate 333 13.4 Unfavorable 329 13.2 Total 2489 100.0

Table 4 below displays the ratings of the college-related and work-related comments for those who completed the survey. Approximately 73 percent of the school- related comments were favorable, another 13.5 percent were intermediate, and 13.1

2 These findings are based on multiple responses from individual students. For example, an individual graduate could provide multiple favorable, mixed, or unfavorable comments on different school and work related issues.

9 percent were unfavorable. Among those students commenting on work-related issues, 74.3 percent provided favorable commentary. Favorable comments outweighed unfavorable comments on work-related issues by a multiple of nearly 4 to 1.

Table 4: College Related and Work-Related Comments Provided by Class of 2009 Boston Public High School Graduates by Favorability Ratings of Comments (Multiple Responses Allowed)

College Related Comments

Type of Comment Frequency Percent

Favorable 1,817 73.4 Intermediate 333 13.5 Unfavorable 325 13.1 Total 2475 100.0

Work Related Comments

Type of Comment Frequency Percent

Favorable 150 74.3 Intermediate 10 5.9 Unfavorable 42 20.8 Total 202 100.0

Findings on the distribution of favorable, intermediate, and unfavorable comments regarding the effectiveness of high schools in preparing graduates for college varied only moderately for the graduating classes of 1999 to 2002, but they became somewhat more favorable for the next three graduating classes (the classes of 2003, 2004, and 2005). The percentage of favorable school-related comments ranged from 66 to 70 percent over the three graduating classes from 2000 to 2002, but then increased by nearly 8 percentage points to 75 percent for the Class of 2003. The Class of 2003 was the first to have passed the state MCAS exams as a requirement for graduation. These graduates reported a higher rate of adequate preparation for college. Over the next two graduating classes (2004 and 2005), 73 percent of the comments were favorable ones. For the Class of 2006, the share of favorable comments on school-related issues declined by 5.7

10 percentage points to 67.7 percent. A higher share of the comments on college preparation fell into the intermediate or unfavorable category in 2006. In 2007, the share of favorable comments rose to 73.1 percent and has stayed in that general range, remaining at 73.1 percent for the Class of 2009. Table 5: Trends in College Related and Work Related Comments On School Effectiveness Provided by BPS Graduates by Favorability of Comments, Classes of 2000-2009 (in %)

College Related Comments Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class of ‘00 of ‘01 of ‘02 of ‘03 of ‘04 of ‘05 of ‘06 of ‘07 of ‘08 of ‘09 Favorable 70.0 68.7 66.6 74.8 72.5 73.4 67.7 73.1 72.7 73.4

Intermediate 11.5 11.0 14.7 12.7 11.9 12.8 15.8 9.1 13.8 13.5

Unfavorable 18.6 20.3 18.8 12.4 15.6 13.7 16.5 17.8 13.5 13.1

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Work Related Comments Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class Class of ‘00 of ‘01 of ‘02 of ‘03 of ‘04 of ‘05 of ‘06 of ‘07 of ‘08 of ‘09 Favorable 72.0 75.8 64.0 71.4 76.2 77.1 71.0 83.7 69.6 74.3

Intermediate 9.3 6.6 12 15.6 7.6 7.8 10.2 3.3 12.3 5.9

Unfavorable 18.7 17.7 23.6 12.8 16.1 15.0 18.7 13.0 18.1 20.8

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

The distribution of comments with respect to the effectiveness of high schools in preparing graduates for the world of work has exhibited somewhat greater variability over the years. This may be partly due to the smaller number of comments provided in this area. The percent of graduates providing favorable comments had ranged from a low of 64% for the Class of 2002 to a high of 84% for the Class of 2007.. The percent of graduates providing favorable comments on work preparation was slightly over 74% for the Class of 2009.

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Class of 2009 Graduates’ Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for College While a substantial majority of the Class of 2009 graduates provided favorable comments on the role of their high schools in preparing them for college, how did these ratings vary by type of high school attended? In Table 6, findings on the distribution of comments from Class of 2009 Boston public high school graduates are displayed by selected types of high schools (Exam, Large District, Small District, Pilot, and Alternative)3, the actual college enrollment status of the graduates, and their participation in school to career programs during high school. Exam school graduates were considerably more likely than graduates from many of the city’s district and pilot schools to provide favorable comments on the adequacy of their high schools in preparing them for college. A very high share of exam school graduates (80.0%) provided favorable comments on their high schools’ role in preparing them for college, and only 9.3 percent of the graduates from the exam schools gave negative comments on this issue. The positive/negative response ratio was between 8 and 9 to 1. In comparison, approximately 70 percent of the large and small district high school graduates provided favorable comments on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college while approximately 15 percent of them provided negative comments on this issue, yielding a favorable/unfavorable ratio of between 4 and 5 to 1.4

3 In Appendix B, a listing of the schools that fall into each category is provided. 4 The positive/negative ratio on this measure was between 8 and 9 to 1 for exam school graduates, but only between 4 and 5 to 1 for graduates of the district/magnet high schools.

12 Table 6: Distribution of Class of 2009 Graduates by Their Responses to How Well Their High School Prepared them for College, Total and by Type of High School5

Ratio of Favorable to Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total Unfavorable

All Graduates 1817 333 329 2475 5.5 (73.8%) (13.5%) (13.1%) (100.0%)

Exam Schools 533 71 62 666 8.6 (80.0%) (10.7%) (9.3%) (100.0%)

Large District 542 116 120 778 4.5 (69.7%) (14.9%) (15.4%) (100.0%)

Small District 314 75 65 454 4.8 (69.2%) (16.5%) (14.3%) (100.0%)

Pilot 388 60 72 520 5.4 (74.6%) (11.5%) (13.9%) (100.0%)

Alternative 40 11 6 57 6.7 (70.2%) (19.3%) (10.5%) (100.0%)

Enrolled in College 1488 237 237 1962 6.3 (75.8%) (12.1%) (12.1%) (100.0%)

Not Enrolled 339 96 92 527 3.7 (64.3%) (18.2%) (17.5%) (100.0%)

STC Participant 311 65 82 458 3.8 (67.9%) (14.2%) (17.9%) (100.0%)

STC Non-Participant 234 49 47 330 5.0 (70.9%) (14.8%) (14.2%) (100.0%)

5All comments 1 through 7 are included.

For Class of 2009 graduates, those youth who did not participate in school-to- career programs during high school were slightly more likely than their counterparts who

13 were enrolled in such programs to make favorable comments on the role of high school in preparing them for college (70.9% vs. 67.9%). The gap, however, is quite small. Unsurprisingly, findings of the follow-up data for the Class of 2009 also showed that those graduates who were enrolled in college at the time of the follow-up survey were more likely to provide favorable comments on the role of their high schools in preparing them for college than their peers who were not enrolled in college. Seventy six percent of college-enrolled graduates felt that their high schools had adequately prepared them for college as opposed to 64 percent of non-enrolled graduates. Non-enrolled high school graduates were more likely than their college-enrolled peers to indicate that their high schools had not adequately prepared them for college, (18% vs. 12%). Responses provided by last year’s graduates also can be used to examine the role of individual school courses and the overall high school curriculum in preparing them for college. Results appearing in Table 7 below reveal that these two categories accounted for a total of 1,782 comments, of which 73.8 percent were favorable, 13.6 percent intermediate, and another 12.6 percent were unfavorable. District and pilot school5 graduates were more likely than their exam school counterparts to express a need for a more rigorous curriculum or more demanding academic courses in preparing graduates for college. Only 70% of graduates from the district schools and 75% from the pilot schools felt that their school curriculum and courses were sufficient to prepare them for college versus 81 percent of the graduates from the exam schools. The share of graduates from the district/pilot schools who made unfavorable comments on the adequacy of their classes and courses in preparing them for college was between 5 and 6 percentage points higher than for those from the three exam schools (14.6% and 14.1% versus 8.6%). With respect to the adequacy of their individual school classes or curriculum in preparing them for college, those graduates enrolled in college were more likely to make favorable comments than non-enrolled graduates (76% vs. 64%). Again, there was little difference in the comments provided by STC program participants and non-participants.

5 The graduates of alternative schools provided an average share of favorable comments (70.2 percent); however the total number of responses from alternative schools was very low compared to other types of schools.

14 Table 7: Distribution of Class of 2009 Graduates by Their Responses to How Well Their Overall Classes/High School Curriculum Prepared Them for College, All Graduates and by Type of High School and College Enrollment Status

Ratio of Favorable to Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total Unfavorable

All Graduates 1782 329 304 2415 5.9 (73.8%) (13.6%) (12.6%) (100.0%)

Exam Schools 527 70 56 653 9.4 (80.7%) (10.7%) (8.6%) (100.0%)

Large District 531 115 111 757 4.8 (70.1%) (15.2%) (14.6%) (100.0%)

Small District 306 74 62 442 4.9 (69.2%) (16.7%) (14.1%) (100.0%)

Pilot 378 59 69 506 5.5 (74.7%) (11.7%) (13.6%) (100.0%)

Alternative 40 11 6 57 6.7 (70.2%) (19.3%) (10.5%) (100.0%)

Enrolled in College 1459 234 220 1913 6.6 (76.3%) (12.2%) (11.5%) (100.0%)

Not Enrolled 323 95 84 502 3.8 (64.4%) (18.9%) (16.7%) (100.0%)

STC Participant 303 64 75 442 4.0 (68.6%) (14.5%) (17.0%) (100.0%)

STC Non-Participant 229 49 45 323 5.1 (70.9%) (15.2%) (13.9%) (100.0%)

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The attainment of solid basic skills in writing, reading and math are of paramount importance for high school graduates attempting to make a successful transition from high school to college and the labor market. Graduates lacking these skills are considerably less likely to attend or succeed in college, and workers with stronger literacy/ numeracy proficiencies have higher long term earnings in the labor market.6 High schools, thus, need to set a high priority in developing such academic skills in their students. One part of our analysis sought to identify whether graduates of Boston public high schools felt that their high school English, math, and science courses had adequately prepared them for college. Only 219 graduates provided responses in this area, and the findings are presented in Table 8 below. Approximately 66 percent of the graduates provided favorable comments in this area while 22 percent provided unfavorable comments on this critical issue. The vast majority of the comments in this last area were provided by students from the district/ alternative/ pilot high schools. Nearly 64 percent of the 149 respondents from these schools provided favorable responses; however, a significant share of them (24%) also provided unfavorable comments on their core academic courses in preparing them for college. Sixty-seven percent of those graduates who were enrolled in college provided favorable comments but a relatively significant share (20%) also provided an unfavorable assessment of their core English, Math, and Science courses. This relatively high ratio suggests the existence of some academic problems in their college preparation (Table 8). The findings on college persistence from the National Student Clearinghouse will be used to examine this hypothesis.

6 See: (i) Philippe Belley and Lance Lochner, “The Changing Role of Family Income and Ability in Determining Educational Achievement,” Journal of Human Capital, Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 2007, p. 37-50; (ii) Andrew Sum, Literacy in the Labor Force, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, D.C., 1999.

16 Table 8: Distribution of Class of 2009 Graduates by Their Responses to the Adequacy of Individual High School Offerings and Usefulness of English/Math/Science Classes in Preparing Them for College, All Graduates and by Type of High School Program and College Enrollment Status

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

145 25 49 219 All Graduates (66.2%) (11.4%) (22.4%) (100%)

49 8 13 70 Exam Schools (74.5%) (5.9%) (19.6%) (100%)

District/Pilot/ 96 17 36 149 Alternative Schools7 (64.4%) (11.4%) (24.2%) (100%)

130 23 40 193 Enrolled (67.4%) (12.0%) (20.1%) (100%)

15 2 9 26 Not Enrolled (57.7%) (7.7%) (34.6%) (100%)

36 9 17 62 STC Participant (58.1%) (14.5%) (27.4%) (100%)

17 3 3 23 STC Non-Participant (74.0%) (13.0%) (13.0%) (100%)

During the follow-up survey, approximately 252 of the Boston public high school graduates also provided comments on the adequacy of individual high school teachers and counselors in preparing them for college (Table 9). Approximately 75% of the graduates providing comments in this area felt that the assistance they received from teachers and counselors was adequate to help them prepare for college while only 13.9 percent of the comments on this issue were unfavorable, a positive/negative ratio of between 5 and 6 to 1. The majority of the comments on teachers were made by non-exam school graduates. Only 25 comments on teachers and counselors were provided by exam school graduates. Alternative/Pilot/District high school graduates provided substantially more favorable than unfavorable comments on the adequacy of their teachers and

7 Due to the lower number of responses in these sub-topic areas, we grouped large district, small district, pilot, and alternative schools’ responses together in the remainder of this paper.

17 counselors in preparing them for college. The percentage of favorable comments provided by participants in school-to-career programs (63.1%) also was high, approximately 3 times the share of respondents providing unfavorable comments. Table 9: Distribution of Class of 2009 Graduates by Their Responses to the Adequacy of Individual High School Teachers and Counselors in Preparing Them for College, All Graduates and by Type of Program and College Enrollment Status

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

188 29 35 252 All Graduates (74.6%) (11.5%) (13.9%) (100%)

25 7 7 39 Exam Schools (64.0%) (18.0%) (18.0%) (100%)

163 22 28 213 District/Magnet Schools (76.6%) (10.3%) (13.1%) (100%)

151 24 26 201 Enrolled in College (75.1%) (11.9%) (13.0%) (100%)

37 5 9 51 Not Enrolled in College (72.6%) (9.8%) (17.6%) (100%)

41 11 13 65 STC Participant (63.1%) (16.9%) (20.0%) (100%)

27 5 7 39 STC Non-Participant (69.3%) (12.8%) (17.9%) (100%)

18 Chart 2: Ratios of Favorable to Unfavorable Comments On the Role of Teachers/ Counselors in Preparing High School Graduates for College, All and Selected Subgroups of Respondents (Class of 2009)

7 5.8 5.8 6 5.3 5

4 3.1

Ratio 3 2 1 0 All Graduates District / Pilot / Enrolled in College STC Participant Alternative

Class of 2009 Graduates’ Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for the Labor Market

A variety of school-to-career programs in Boston public high schools are designed to prepare students for the labor market after graduation. They provide combinations of occupational training, work based learning opportunities, and employability skills instruction. Class of 2009 graduates provided 202 comments on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for the world of work. As was the case for earlier surveys, the majority of these work related comments (85.6%) were provided by graduates from the district/ pilot and alternative high schools. Of those graduates who provided some comments regarding the role of their high schools in preparing them for the labor market, a substantial majority of them were positive. Nearly 74 percent of the remarks were favorable, slightly over 5 percent were intermediate, and the remaining 21 percent were unfavorable (Table 10). Some of the favorable comments included the following:  The school did a great job, the PIC program really helped me and gave me work experience and training that will help in the future.

 Mr. PK prepared me for interviews. Gave me a better understanding of the community which helped with my after school job.

19

 Very well. Workload is manageable. Work experience made it easy to find jobs.

 The PIC and Mr. Rosenthal helped me in terms of finding employment and job readiness. The teachers really helped.

 In terms of employment Eastie prepared its students well. They always helped you find a job and teach you how the business world works.

 BAA-well prepared. Lots of opportunities to network.

The “unfavorable” category was used to represent comments that were negative with respect to the influence of high school upon work preparation. Such unfavorable comments included the following:  Didn’t prepare for work. I was not prepared for Math.

 Brighton didn’t prepare me for work or school.

 Not at all! I think senior year was a waste. If you don’t take certain careers, most classes won’t apply to you.

Table 10 below shows the distribution of the Class of 2009 graduates by their assessment of how well their high school prepared them for work after school. School-to- career program participants and graduates from Alternative/District/Pilot were just as likely to provide positive comments on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for work. Approximately seventy-five percent of the graduates who participated in an STC program or graduated from an Alternative/District/Pilot school provided favorable comments versus 20% with unfavorable comments, a relative difference of nearly 4 to 1.

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Table 10: Distribution of Class of 2009 Graduates by Their Assessments of the Adequacy of Their Classes, Teachers, Counselors and School to Career Programs in Preparing Them for Work After High School, All and by Type of School and Employment Status

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

150 10 42 202 All Graduates (74.2) (5.0) (20.8) (100.0)

19 1 9 29 Exam Schools (65.6) (3.4) (31.0) (100.0)

District/Pilot/Alternative 131 9 33 173 Schools (75.7) (5.2) (19.1) (100.0)

78 5 27 110 Working (70.9) (4.5) (24.5) (100.0)

72 5 15 92 Not Working (78.2) (5.4) (16.4) (100.0)

45 3 12 60 STC Participant (75.0) (5.0) (20) (100.0)

23 2 4 29 STC Non-Participant (79.3) (6.9) (13.8) (100.0)

There were only 39 comments provided by graduates from the Class of 2009 on the adequacy of job opportunities during high school, with comments being favorable by a multiple of 5 to 1.

There were 95 comments provided by Class of 2009 graduates on the adequacy of the technical/occupational training they received in high school in preparing them for the world of work. About 74 of every 100 graduates providing such responses felt that such training in high school had helped them prepare for the labor market.

21 Summary and Conclusions

Of the 2,486 graduates from the Class of 2009 that completed the Boston PIC follow-up survey, 2,312 or slightly below 94% responded to the following open-ended question: “In your opinion, how well did high school prepare you for college and/or work?” Approximately 73% of all responses provided by high school graduates were favorable, and the favorable comments outweighed unfavorable comments by a ratio of between five and six to one. Favorability ratings varied by type of high school, demographic characteristics, and MCAS test scores of those enrolled in college. White females were the most likely to provide favorable ratings for college preparation as were those graduating with advanced scores on MCAS reading and math. Exam school graduates typically felt that their high schools did an excellent job in preparing them for college-level coursework. Their perceptions of the adequacy of their high school preparation for college is in strong accord with recent research findings from the Center for Labor Market Studies on exam school graduates’ persistence in and graduation from college8. The majority of the comments provided by graduates were categorized as college-related comments rather than work-related comments, and of these college- related comments, 73% were favorable, 13% were intermediate or mixed responses, and 13% were unfavorable comments. Overall, the majority of comments provided by graduates on the role of schools in preparing them for work were favorable both overall and in each of the key topic areas analyzed. An accompanying comprehensive research report from the Center for Labor Market Studies will provide all of the specific college- related and labor market-related comments of individual graduates for each high school in the city and a summary scorecard on the ratings of Class of 2009 graduates in each high school with a minimum number of graduates.

8 See: Center for Labor Market Studies, Getting to the Finish Line: College Enrollment and Graduation, prepared for the Boston Private Industry Council and Boston Public Schools, forthcoming (2012).

22 Appendix A: Interview Completion Rates for Class of 2009 Boston Public High School Graduates by High School

(A) (B) (C) Number of Completed Interview Number of Follow-up Completion High School Graduates Interviews Rate Academy of Public Service (1062) 25 24 96.0% Another Course to College (1230) 37 37 100.0% Boston Adult Academy (1215) 30 28 93.3% Boston Arts Academy (1420) 63 60 95.2% Boston Community Leadership Academy (1195) 43 39 90.7% Boston Day Academy (1490) 12 12 100.0% Boston Evening (1410) 37 34 91.9% Boston International High School (1990) 31 29 93.5% Boston Latin Academy (1020) 191 174 91.1% Boston Latin High School (1010) 283 252 89.0% Brighton High School (1040) 140 133 95.0% Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy 38 37 97.4% Burke High School (1120) 95 88 92.6% Charlestown High School (1050) 160 157 98.1% Community Academy (1340) 30 28 93.3% Community Academy of Science and Health (1103) 50 48 96.0% (1070) 144 129 89.6% Economics and Business Academy (1061) 25 23 92.0% English High School (1080) 133 125 94.0% Excel High School (1162) 43 25 58.1% Fenway High School (1265) 44 35 79.5% Greater Egleston (1430) 30 29 96.7% Health Career Academy (1440) 0 0 - Madison Park High School (1210) 185 183 98.9% McKinley Tech. (1294) 4 4 100.0% McKinley Voc. (1293) 3 3 100.0% Media and Technology High School (1252) 29 28 96.6% Monument High School (1161) 56 55 98.2% New Mission (1285) 37 37 100.0% O'Bryant High School (1030) 193 189 97.9% Odyssey High School (1163) 43 41 95.3% Parkway Academy of Technology and Health (1251) 25 23 92.0% Quincy Upper School (1450) 31 29 93.5% Snowden International High School (1200) 44 42 95.5% Social Justice Academy (1101) 48 46 95.8% Tech Boston Academy (1460) 63 61 96.8% The Engineering School (1102) 30 29 96.7% Urban Science Academy (1253) 11 10 90.9%

23 Appendix B: Listing of Boston Public High Schools By Type of School

Exam Schools Boston Latin High School Boston Latin Academy O'Bryant High School

District -- Large Schools Brighton High School Charlestown High School East Boston High School Burke High School Snowden International High School Madison Park Technical Vocational High School (Madison Park High School)

District -- Small Schools Economics and Business Academy Academy of Public Service Social Justice Academy The Engineering School Community Academy of Science and Health Monument High School Excel High School Odyssey High School Parkway Academy of Technology and Health Media and Technology High School Urban Science Academy Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy McKinley Vocational McKinley Tech. Boston Day Academy Boston International HS

Pilot Schools Boston Community Leadership Academy Another Course to College Fenway High School New Mission High School Boston Evening Boston Arts Academy Greater Egleston Health Careers Academy Quincy Upper School Tech Boston Academy English High School

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Alternative Schools Boston Adult Academy. Community Academy

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