Boston Public High School Graduates' Perceptions of Their High Schools' Effectiveness in Preparing Them for College

Boston Public High School Graduates' Perceptions of Their High Schools' Effectiveness in Preparing Them for College and the Labor Market: Findings from the Follow-Up Survey of Class of 2003 Graduates

Prepared by: Joseph McLaughlin with Ishwar Khatiwada Jacqui Motroni Andrew Sum

Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University

Prepared for: Boston Private Industry Council Boston, Massachusetts

June 2005 Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 1.

The Follow-up Survey Questions on School Effectiveness in Preparing Graduates for College and/or Work ...... 2.

Class of 2003 Graduates' Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for College ...... 8.

Class of 2003 Graduates' Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for the Labor Market ...... 16.

Summary and Conclusion ...... 22.

Appendix A: Interview Completion Rates for Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates by High School...... 24. Introduction

Each year since the mid-1980s, the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) has conducted a follow-up survey of all of the new graduates of Boston public high schools. The main objective of these follow-up surveys is to obtain information on Boston public high school graduates' transitions from high school to college and the world of work in the first year following graduation. The survey is used to obtain information on the college enrollment and employment status of each graduate, the types of colleges and post-secondary training institutions attended by college students, their college majors, their financial aid status, the key characteristics of the jobs held by the employed, such as hoUrs of work, hourly wages, occupations, and industries of their employers, and their job-related training activities. During the late winter and early spring of 2004, Boston PIC staff made an effort to interview each of the more than 2,900 Class of 2003 graduates of city of Boston public high schools. The follow-up interviewing process was quite successful, yielding an interview completion rate of 80.8 percent for the Class of 2003, which was up more than 3 percentage points from that of the preceding year's graduates. 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 comments 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 above 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 comments provided by graduates from each high school is presented in an accompanying research paper. 1 Findings in this paper will reveal that the comments of Class of 2003 graduates on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college/work followed sirpilar patterns to that for the Classes of 2000, 2001, and 2002. The effectiveness of each

1 Jacqui Motroni, Joseph McLaughlin, & Andrew Sum, Boston High School Graduates' Assessments of Their High Schools' Role in Preparing Them for College and the Labor Market: Individual Comments From the F ollowup Survey of Class of 2003 Graduates, Center for Labor Market Studies at N ortheastem University, Prepared for Boston Private Industry Council, March 2005. school's overall classes/curriculum, course offerings, teachers, counseling, test preparation, job opportunities, training, etc. was given a rating based on the qualitative comments provided by Class of 2003 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. A supplementary research report will provide a summary of findings for individual high schools. The Survey Questions on School Effectiveness in Preparing Graduates for College and/or Work

As mentioned earlier, 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 had increased steadily from 1998 to 2001 before modestly declining over the past two years. The response rate for the effectiveness of high schools in preparing graduates for college or the labor market was 82.8 percent for the Class of 1998, rose to 87.7 percent for the Class of 1999, and further increased to 92.4 percent for the Class of 2000 and 93.2 percent for the Class of 2001 before dipping slightly to 92.3 for the Class of 2002, and to 91.4 percent for the Class of 2003. (Chart 1).

2 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, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003

76 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Of the 2,373 graduates from the Class of 2003 with completed follow-up surveys, 2,236 or 91.4 percent provided some response to this particular question. (Table 1). Slightly over 95 percent of the graduates from the city's three exam schools provided a response versus 90 percent of those from the district and magnet schools. Among the three exam schools, the response rate was highest for Boston Latin High School (97% ), followed closely by O'Bryant Technical High School (96%), and Boston Latin Academy (91 %). Among district schools with school-to-career programs, the response rates to the above question as a percentage of completed follow-up surveys varied from highs of approximately 98 percent for Burke High School and Dorchester High School to lows ranging from 76 to 80 percent for English, Brighton, and South Boston High Schools. Two small alternative high schools had response rates of 100 percent as shown in Table One.

3 Table 1: Number of Class of 2003 Graduates Replying to the College/Work Preparation Question as a Percent of Those with Completed Follow-up Interviews

Replies as a Number of Percent of Completed Surveys With Completed School Survey Comments Surveys

Boston Latin High School 286 278 97.2 Boston Latin Academy 191 174 91.0 O'Bryant High School 187 180 96.2 Exam Schools Total 664 632 95.1

ACC 48 46 95 .8 Boston Arts Academy 64 59 92.1 Boston Community Leadership 98 87 88.7 Brighton High School 139 109 78.4 Burke High School 107 105 98.1 Charlestown High School 129 121 93.7 Community Academy 2 2 100.0 Dorchester High School 95 ·93 97.8 Eagleston 6 4 66.6 East Boston High School 153 138 90.1 English High School 128 97 75.7 Fenway Park High Schol 41 36 87.8 Health Care Academy 36 33 91.6 Hyde Park High School 112 106 94.6 Madison Park High School 159 155 97.4 McKinley Voe. 3 3 100.0 New Mission 27 22 81.4 Snowden International High School 55 49 89.0 South Boston High School 134 106 79.1 West Roxbury High School 173 167 96.5 District/Magnet Schools' Total 1709 1538 89.9

Total, All Schools 2373 2170 91.4

Most of the comments provided by Boston public high school graduates from the Class of 2003 were related either to the role of the high school in preparing them for college or the labor market only. Comparatively, few graduates provided comments on both their college and labor market preparation. All of the responses were assigned to one of two broad categories: college related and labor market related. These two response

4 categories were further broken down into different sub-categories in order to provide a more in-depth analysis of the specific roles of high schools in preparing graduates for college or the labor market. (Table 2). Table 2: Types of Comments Provided by Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates by Category of Comments

College Related Labor Market Related

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

The specific comments provided 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. The following comments are examples of favorable replies: • "The AP classes helped me develop strong study skills" • "I learned a lot at CHS. The counselors helped me with college applications. The teachers challenged us." The "intermediate" response category was used to represent comments citing a mix of favorable and unfavorable effects. For example, a student may have replied "some courses were very helpful, others were not". 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 as "inadequate academic preparation" or a "lack of adequate work experience opportunities." There were a total of2,324 comments provided by Class of 2003 graduates who completed follow-up surveys. We classified the comments into favorable, mixed, and

5 unfavorable comments. Of the 2,324 comments2, 1,742 or 75% were favorable comments, 288 or 12% were unfavorable comments, and the remaining 294 or 13% were mixed comments. (Table 3). Favorable comments outweighed unfavorable comments by a ratio of six to one.

Table 3: Distribution of Comments Provided by Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates, by Favorability of Comments (Multiple Responses Allowed)

Type of Comment Frequency Percent

Favorable 1,742 74.9 Intermediate 294 12.6 Unfavorable 288 12.4 Total 2,324 100.0

Table 4 displays the favorability ratings of the school-related and work-related comments. Nearly 75 percent of the school-related comments were favorable, only 12 percent of the school-related comments were unfavorable, and the remainders were categorized as mixed. Generally, similar patterns were observed in the distribution of work-related comments. Slightly more than 71 percent of the work-related comments were favorable, 13 percent of the work-related comments were unfavorable, and the remaining 15 percent were mixed. (Table 4). Table 4: School Related and Work-Related Comments Provided by Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates by Favorability Ratings of Comments (Multiple Responses Allowed)

School Related Comments

Frequency Percent

Favorable 1,687 74.8 Intermediate 287 12.7 Unfavorable 280 12.4 Total 2,254 100.0

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

6 Work Related Comments

Frequency Percent

Favorable 255 71.4 Intermediate 56 15.6 Unfavorable 46 12.8 Total 357 100.0

Findings on the distribution of favorable, intermediate, and unfavorable comments related to the effectiveness of high schools in preparing graduates for college and/or the labor market have varied only moderately over the past four years; however, a number of the changes between the 2002 and 2003 graduating classes have been larger than normal (Table 5). The percentage of favorable school-related comments was nearly 74 percent in the initial year of 1998, fell to 67 percent in 1999, rose back to 70 percent in 2000, declined-slightly to 69 percent in 2001 and then to 67 percent in 2002, but then increased by nearly 8 percentage points to nearly 75 percent for the most recent graduating class. The 2003 graduates provided the highest percentage of favorable comments since this open-ended question has been included in the survey. The share of students providing unfavorable school-related comments had varied over a fairly narrow range from 16 to 20 percent over the past five years, but fell to just under 13 percent for the class of 2003. The distribution of comments related to the effectiveness of high schools in preparing graduates for the world of work has exhibited greater variability over the years. The percent of graduates providing favorable comment has ranged from a high of 76% for the Class of 2001 to a low of 64% for the Class of 2002. Greater difficulty in finding employment in the past two years was likely a factor underlying the less favorable ratings for the Classes of 2002 and 2003.

7 Table 5: Trends in College Related and Work Related Comments Provided by Boston Public High School Graduates by Favorability of Comments, Classes of 1998-2003 (Numbers in Percent)

School Related Comments Class of Class of Class of Class of Class of Class of 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Favorable 73.8 67.3 70.0 68.7 66.6 74.8 Intermediate 10.3 15.6 11.5 11.0 14.7 12.7 Unfavorable 15.9 17.1 18.6 20.3 18.8 12.4 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Work Related Comments · Class of Class of Class of Class of Class of Class of 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Favorable 72.4 66.1 72.0 75.8 64.0 71.4 Intermediate 9.7 11.8 9.3 6.6 12.0 15.6 Unfavorable 17.9 22.0 18.7 17.7 23.6 12.8 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Class of 2003 Graduates' Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for College

Results in Table 6 display the distribution of the comments of Class of 2003 Boston public high school graduates in selected types of high schools and college enrollment statuses on the effectiveness of their high schools' classes/courses/teachers in preparing them for college. The exam school graduates (those who graduated from Boston Latin, Latin Academy, and O'Bryant Technical) were more likely than graduates of the city's district and alternative schools to provide favorable comments on the adequacy of their high schools' classes/curriculum/teachers in preparing them for college. A very high share of exam school graduates (86%) provided favorable comments on their high schools' role in preparing them for college, and only 7 percent of the graduates from the exam schools made negative comments on this issue. Approximately 71 % of the district/magnet high school graduates also made favorable comments on the effectiveness

8 of their high schools in preparing them for college; and 14 percent of them provided negative comments on this issue. 3

Table 6: Distribution of Class of 2003 Graduates by Their Responses to How Well Their Classes/Courses/Teachers Prepared them for College, Total and by Type of High School and College Enrollment Status

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

1643 277 264 2184 All Graduates (75.2) (12.6) (12.0) (100.0)

555 50 43 648 Exam Schools (85.6) (7.7) (6.6) (100.0)

1088 227 221 1536 District/Magnet Schools (70.8) (14.7) (14.3) (100.0)

1300 198 181 1679 Enrolled in College (77.4) (11.7) (10. 7) (100.0)

343 78 81 502 Not Enrolled in College (68.3) (15.5) (16.1) (100.0)

645 143 122 910 STC Participant (70.8) (15.7) (13.4) (100.0)

90 25 22 137 STC Non-Participant (65.6) (18.2) (16.0) (100.0)

For graduates from the Classes of 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 it was observed that graduates of district high schools who did not participate in school-to-career programs were somewhat more likely to provide favorable comments on the adequacy of ' their high school programs in preparing them for college than their counterparts who participated in school-to-career programs. For Class of 2003 graduates, however, those youth who participated in school-to-career programs during high school were somewhat more likely than their counterparts who were not enrolled in such programs to make

3 The positive/negative ratio was nearly 13 times for exam school graduates, but only 5 times for graduates of the district high schools.

9 favorable comments on the role of high school in preparing them for college (71 % vs. 66%). The frequency of unfavorable comments from school-to-career program participants was also somewhat lower than that of non-participants (16% vs. 13%). Not surprisingly, our analysis 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. Slightly over 77% of college-enrolled graduates felt that their high schools had adequately prepared them for college as opposed to only 68% of non- enrolled graduates. A slightly higher fraction of the non-enrolled graduates than their enrolled counterparts indicated that their high schools had not adequately prepared them for college (16% vs. 11 %). Responses provided by Class of 2003 graduates also can be used to examine the role of individual high school courses and the curriculum in preparing them for college. These two categories accounted for a total of 2,153 comments, of which 75 percent were favorable, 13 percent mixed, and 12 percent were unfavorable. (Table 7). District school 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 students for college. Only 71 % of graduates from the district schools felt that their school curriculum and courses were sufficient to prepare them for college in contrast to 86 percent of the graduates from the exam schools. This 86% favorable response rating from exam school graduates represents a very positive reflection on their high schools ability to train and prepare their graduates for college. The positive responses from the exam school graduates outweighed the negative by a multiple of 13 to 1. The following are some of the favorable comments provided by exam school graduates: • "I'm glad I went to BLA. It is a private school education for free." • "I am prepared more than most students in college." • "I really enjoyed BLA. I'm a step ahead of my peers." • "The workload prepared me for college." • "College is a breeze. I sleep thru classes. BLS was insanely difficult." • "My writing and math skills are much better than those of my (college) classmates."

10 The percentage of graduates from the district/magnet schools who made unfavorable comments on the adequacy of their classes and courses in preparing them for college was almost 8 percentage points higher than for those from the three exam schools (14.4% versus 6.7%). Those graduates enrolled in college were more likely than their non- enrolled counterparts to make favorable comments regarding the adequacy of their individual school classes or curriculum in preparing them for college (78% vs. 68%). The non-enrolled graduates were somewhat more likely to provide negative comments on this topic than their enrolled counterparts (16% vs. 11 %). Table 7: Distribution of Class of 2003 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 Program and College Enrollment Status

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total 1620 273 260 2153 All Graduates (75.2) (12.7) (12.1) (100.0)

553 49 43 645 Exam Schools (85 .7) (7.6) (6.7) (100.0)

1067 224 217 1508 District/Magnet Schoo ls . (70.8) (14.8) (14.4) (100.0)

1287 195 178 1660 Enrolled in College (77.5) (11.7) (10.7) (100.0)

333 77 80 490 Not Enrolled in College (67.8) (15.7) (16.3) (100.0)

632 141 118 891 STC Participant (70.9) (15.8) (13.2) (100.0)

84 25 22 131 STC Non-Participant (64.1) (19.1) (16.8) (100.0)

11 Table 8: Representative Comments on How Well High School Classes Overall and Individual Courses Prepared Graduates for College

Favorable

1. High school helped prepare me very well. It pus~ed me to do my best and put a lot of pressure on me about the real world. 2. It helped me a Jot, especially the business classes. 3. The AP classes helped me develop strong study skills for college. 4. The Burke provided me with the building blocks and a foundation with which to continue my education in life. 5. My writing and math skills are much better than my classmates in college. 6. Burke did prepare me academically in regards to the curriculum. 7. Science and math were very good at South Boston. 8. Snowden prepared me very well. The workload I have at Curry is not as hard. 9. The Burke prepared me very well, especially the MCAS prep courses. The teachers were always helpful. 10. ACC prepared me very well in terms of the amount and level of work we did. 11. ACC prepared me very well for college and it taught me to think critically. 12. I learned how to write papers and manage time. 13 . High school provided me with the core courses that I need. 14. My English and Math classes really prepared me for college. 15. The AP classes prepared me well for college.

Unfavorable

1. I wasn't prepared at all. The writing I did in high school was insufficient for college, and I'm struggling in math. 2. I wish Brighton had more to offer. There are too many disruptive students. Brighton should concentrate more on academic programs. 3. Not well! College is much harder than high school. 4. They could have done better. Now I'm struggling a Jot. I have so many tutors. College is really hard for me. 5. I feel like the other students at my current school are much smarter than me. Other students seem to have had more experience than me.

12 The attainment of solid basic academic skills in writing, reading and math are of paramount importance for all high school graduates attempting to make the transition from high school to college. Graduates lacking these skills are not likely to attend or succeed in college.4 High schools, thus, need to set a high priority in developing such 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. (Table 9). Approximately 75 percent of the comments provided by graduates in this area were favorable while only 25 percent provided mixed or unfavorable comments on this particular topic. Exam school graduates were slightly more likely to provide favorable comments on this topic than their counterparts from district schools (79 vs. 74 percent). School-to-career program participants from the class of 2003 were somewhat more likely to provide unfavorable comments regarding the adequacy of English, math, and science classes than their district school counterparts not participating in such programs; however, school-to-career program participants provided 90% of the comments in this area.

4 See: i. Andrew Sum, Literacy in the Labor Force, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, D.C., 1999. 11. Gordon Berlin and Andrew Sum, Toward a More Perfect Union: Basic Skills, Poor Families, and Our Economic Future, Ford Foundation, New York City, Project on Social Welfare and the American Future, 1989.

13 Table 9: Distribution of Class of 2003 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

206 31 37 274 All Graduates (75.2) (11.3) (13.5) (100.0)

51 4 10 65 Exam Schools (78.5) (6.2) (15.4) (100.0)

155 27 27 209 District/Magnet Schools (74.2) (12.9) (12.9) (100.0)

178 27 35 240 Enrolled in College (74.2) (11.3) (28.1) (100.0)

28 3 1 32 Not Enrolled in College (60.6) (11.7) (27.7) (100.0)

89 14 14 117 STC Participant (58.8) (13.0) (28.2) (100.0)

12 2 1 15 STC Non-Participant (68.3) (9.8) (22.0) (100.0)

Table 10: Representative Comments on How Well Particular High School Courses, Teachers or Counselors Prepared Graduates for College

Favorable

1. I had great experiences with my teachers. 2. All my teachers at BLA were great. 3. The Burke prepared me well. Teachers taught me about tardiness, time management, academics, and missed days. I really got a lot of help and support in order to change my attitude. 4. The support at BLA was great. Mr. George and staff were very helpful. 5. Mr. Corneau's English class prepared me to write and read well. 6. The teachers really cared.

14 7. The teachers at Dorchester were extremely supportive. 8. Mr. Casillis English class was very helpful, as was the Network. 9. Pathway classes and Mr. Carey were good. 10. The teachers were very helpful. 11. Law and Justice class was great. 12. Ms. Chan is great. She made sure we were prepared for college. 13. I learned a lot and the teachers and guidance counselors were great. 14. It really helped prepare me for math classes. Mr. McShane helped me.

Unfavorable

1. The guidance counselors were awful. 2. High school did not help prepare me with my college application or financial aid. 3. The Burke did not prepare me at all. At times I didn't feel supported; the teachers didn't care enough. 4. Charlestown did not prepare me well. The classes are too big, and teachers do not challenge the students. 5. Brighton did not help me. The teachers need to be more involved. 6. If you were not in the top ten percent of the class, no one cared about you.

At the time of the follow-up survey, 311 of the Boston public high school graduates from the Class of 2003 provided some comments on the adequacy of individual high school teachers and counselors in preparing them for college (Table 11 ). Seventy- one percent of the graduates providing comments in this area felt that assistance from teachers and counselors was helpful in preparing them for college. Some of the more common favorable comments in this area include: "the teachers really cared," the teachers motivated me to succeed, and "my guidance counselor helped with college applications." The remaining 29 percent of the comments on this issue were either mixed (12%) or unfavorable (17%). Both exam school and district/school graduates commenting on this topic expressed the need for more assistance from counselors and teachers, although exam school graduates were nearly twice as likely to provide an unfavorable comment about their teachers or counselors (27% to 14%). The absolute . number of exam school graduates providing negative comments, however, was quite small and were exceeded by positive comments by a 2.5 to 1.0 ratio. Nearly three-fourths

15 of the comments made by participants in school to career programs in district/magnet schools were favorable. The frequency of favorable comments on the role of counselors and teachers in preparing Boston public high school graduates for college was essentially equal for college-going graduates and graduates not enrolled in college at the time of the followup interview (73% versus 72%).

Table 11 : Distribution of Class of 2003 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

222 36 53 311 All Graduates (71.4) (11.6) (17.0) (100.0)

48 6 20 74 Exam Schools (64.9) (8.1) (27.0) (100.0)

174 30 33 237 District/Magnet Schools (73.4) (12.7) (13.9) (100.0)

170 28 39 237 Enrolled in College (71.7) (11.8) (16.5) (100.0)

52 8 14 74 Not Enrolled in College (70.2) (10.8) (18.9) (100.0)

112 19 21 152 STC Participant (73.7) (12.5) (13.8) (100.0)

14 3 1 18 STC Non-Participant (77.8) (16.7) (5.5) (100.0)

Class of 2003 Graduates' Assessments of the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for the Labor Market

Class of 2003 graduates provided 357 comments on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for the world of work. The overwhelming majority of these work related comments (92%) were provided by graduates from the district and magnet

16 high schools. Of those graduates who provided some comments regarding the role of their high schools in preparing them for the labor market, 71 percent of the remarks were favorable, 16 percent were intermediate, and 13 percent were unfavorable. (Table 12). Some of the favorable comments included: • "West Roxbury helped me a lot because they had a lot of job opportunities." • "Mr. McGrath got me jobs and taught me how to act in the workplace." • "My experience at the Federal Reserve Bank helped prepare me for work." Among the unfavorable comments were the following: • "My high school should have done more to stress the importance of work." • No, my high school did not prepare me. I now realize how difficult it is to get a job." The unfavorable share was markedly lower than that for the previous year's graduating class.5 The unfavorable share of comments was 24 percent 2002 versus only 13 percent for class of 2003 graduates. Exam and district school graduates provided favorable comments on the role of their high school in preparing them for work after graduation at about the same frequency (73 versus 71 percent). As expected, a higher proportion of graduates participating in school-to-career programs provided favorable comments on their schools' role in preparing them for the world of work than their peers who did not participate in such programs (73% vs. 58%). Graduates who were working at the time of the follow-up survey were only modestly more likely to provide favorable comments than their counterparts who were not working on the adequacy of their high schools in preparing them for the labor market. Of the comments provided by graduates who were working at the time of the follow-up survey, 72 percent were favorable, 17 percent were mixed, and 10 percent were unfavorable. Favorable comments exceeded unfavorable comments by a multiple of more than seven to one. The comments provided by graduates who were not working at the time of the follow-up survey were 70 percent favorable, 13 percent mixed, and 17 percent unfavorable.

5 This finding is somewhat surprising since employment rates for Class of 2003 graduates were below those of the preceding graduating class. An explanation may partly lie with the decline in the number of graduates due to their inability to pass the MCAS test. A much higher fraction of them would have been expected to be active in the labor market, and some would have found it difficult to obtain a job.

17 Table 12: Distribution of Class of 2003 Graduates by Their Assessments of the Adeguacy of Their

Classes2 Teachers/Counselors and School to Career Programs in Pre2aring Them for

Work After High School2 All and by Type of High School Attended and Em2loyment Status at Time of the Follow-uQ Survey

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

255 56 46 357 All Graduates (71.4) (15.7) (12.9) (100.0)

22 3 5 30 Exam Schools (73.3) (10.0) (16.7) (100.0)

233 53 41 327 District/Magnet Schools (71.3) (16.2) (12.5) (100.0)

155 37 22 214 Working (72.4) (17.3) (10.3) (100.0)

100 19 24 143 Not Working (69.9) (13.3) (16.8) (100.0)

196 44 29 269 STC Participant (72.9) (16.4) (10.8) (100.0)

7 0 5 12 STC Non-Participant (58.3) (0.0) (41.7) (100.0)

There were only 136 comments provided by graduates on the adequacy ofjob opportunities during high school, with nearly 70 percent of the comments being favorable, 17 percent unfavorable, and 14 percent mixed (Table 13). District/magnet school graduates provided almost 90% of the commentary in this area, with seven out of ten graduates from the district and magnet high schools providing favorable comments. Relatively few (14) exam school graduates made comments on this issue. Both working graduates and graduates not working at the time of the survey were equally likely to provide favorable comments on the adequacy ofjob opportunities after high school.

18 Table 13: Distribution of Class of 2003 Graduates by Their Assessments of the Adequacy of Job Opportunities During High School, All Graduates and by Type of High School Attended and Employment Status at Time of the Follow-up Survey

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total

94 23 19 136 All Graduates (69.1) (16.9) (14.0) (100.0)

10 2 2 14 Exam Schools (71.4) (14.3) (14.3) (100.0)

84 21 17 122 District/Magnet Schools (68.9) (17.2) (13.9) (100.0)

55 14 11 80 Working (68.8) (17.5) (13.8) (100.0)

39 9 8 56 Not Working (69.6) (16.1) (14.3) (100.0)

67 16 11 94 STC Participant (71.3) (17.0) (11.7) (100.0)

3 0 3 6 STC Non-Participant (50.0) (0.0) (50.0) (100.0)

Table 14: Representative Comments of Graduates on the Effectiveness of Their High Schools in Preparing Them for Work

Favorable 1. High school helped me a lot because I was able to get internships from The Academy. 2. I was prepared well for employment opportunities. 3. I got good work experience. 4. Mr. McGrath got me jobs and taught me how to act in the workplace. 5. The summer jobs at Sovereign Bank helped me learn professionalism. 6. The PIC office always got me jobs. 7. Boston Community helped me be prepared for real work. 8. West Roxbury prepared me well for work because they had a lot of jobs.

19 9. High school and my summer job prepared me since my course work and summer job were related. 10. My experience at the Federal Reserve Bank helped prepare me for work.

11. School prepared her well by teaching her interviewing skills and how to build a resume.

Unfavorable 1. Charlestown should have done more to stress the importance of work. 2. West Roxbury did not prepare me well for work or school. 3. No it did not prepare me. I now realize how difficult it is to get a job.

4. I don't think high school prepared me at all for the world of work.

There were 229 comments provided by graduates from the class of 2003 on the adequacy of technical/occupational training in high school in preparing them for the world of work. (Table 15). More than three-quarters of the graduates providing such responses felt that technical/occupational training in school had helped them prepare for the labor market. As expected, graduates who had participated in school-to-career programs during high school were more likely to comment on this topic than their counterparts who did not participate in such programs, and approximately 76% of those · comments were favorable and less than 9 percent were unfavorable.

20 Table 15: Distribution of Class of 2003 Graduates by Their ResQonses to the Adeguacy ofTechnical/OccuQational Training in PreQaring Them for the Labor

Market2 All Graduates and by Type of High School Attended and EmQloyment Status at Time of Survey

Favorable Intermediate Unfavorable Total 176 32 21 229 All Graduates (76.9) (14.0) (9.1) (100.0)

8 0 0 8 Exam Schools (100.0) (0.0) (0.0) (100.0)

168 32 21 221 District/Magnet Schools (76.0) (14.5) (9.5) (100.0)

101 24 13 138 Working (73 .2) (17.4) (9.4) (100.0)

75 8 8 91 Not Working (82.4) (8.8) (8.8) (100.0)

147 28 17 192 STC Participant (76.6) (14.6) (8 .8) (100.0)

2 0 0 2 STC Non-Participant (100.0) (0) (0) (100.0)

ParticiQants in school-to-career Qrograms freguently Qrovided very favorable comments (77%) on the imQacts of their Qrograms in QreQaring them for the labor market UQOn graduation from high school. Positive comments from this group of graduates exceeded negative comments by a multiple of nearly 9 to 1. Two examples of favorable comments on school-to-career programs are the following: • "ROTC and the Academy of Finance helped a lot. ROTC taught me self- discipline and the AOF taught me the importance of work and business." • "Madison did a great job preparing me for an auto body shop career." A representative set of favorable and unfavorable comments on this topic is displayed in Table 16.

21 Table 16: Representative Comments Related to the Effectiveness of School-to-Career Programs

Favorable Comments

1. The Media Arts pathway really helped me. 2. The Health Careers helped a lot and gave me job opportunities. 3. The PIC career training center helped me obtain my current job. 4. His vocation studies really helped him decide he wants to be a graphic designer. 5. Madison did a great job preparing me for an auto body shop career. 6. ProTech prepared me for the real world. 7. The Academy of Management showed me how to write a business plan and gave me real world experience. 8. ROTC and the Academy of Finance helped a lot. ROTC taught me self-discipline and the AOF taught me the importance of work and business. 9. I really enjoyed my medical-assistant class. Unfavorable Comments

1. The vocational classes were the worst. 2. I'm upset that Madison didn't help me get certified as a Medical Assistant. 3. Charlestown did not help me with my plans to learn about business.

Summary and Conclusions Of the 2,373 graduates from the Class of 2003 that completed the Boston PIC follow-up survey, 2, 170 or 91.4% responded to the open-ended question: "In your opinion, how well did high school prepare you for college and/or work?" Approximately 75% of the responses were favorable, and favorable comments outweighed unfavorable comments by a ratio of six to one. This ratio was 13 to 1 for exam school graduates. Exam school graduates typically felt that their high schools did an excellent job in preparing them for college-level coursework. The majority of comments from graduates were categorized as school-related comments, and 75% were favorable, 12% were intermediate or mixed responses, and 13% were unfavorable comments. Overall, the majority of comments provided by graduates were favorable in the key topic areas analyzed. The historically high percentage of favorable comments from the Class of 2003 may be due in part to their smaller graduating class. Some potential graduates from

22 this class failed the MCAS exam and thus, did not graduate in 2003 . Those students that failed the MCAS exam may have been more critical of how well their high school prepared them for college and/or work. The findings from the follow-up surveys on graduates' responses to the question on the effectiveness of their high schools in preparing them for college and/or the job market were analyzed and tabulated for each high school separately. For each high school, a scorecard containing an analysis of the college and labor market responses in total and for major response categories separately was prepared. The total number and percent of graduates providing favorable, unfavorable, and mixed responses are displayed in the scorecard for each high school listed in alphabetical order. These findings are presented in a separate research paper. An accompanying research paper provides all of the specific college-related and labor market-related comments of individual students for each high school in the city.6

6 See: Jacqui Motroni, Joseph McLaughlin, & Andrew Sum, op. cit.

23 Appendix A: Interview Completion Rates for Class of 2003 Boston Public High School Graduates by High School

School Number Number of Interview of Completed Follow- Completion Graduates up Interviews Rate

Exam Schools Boston Latin Academy 219 191 87.2 Boston Latin High School 335 286 . 85.4 O'Bryant High School 218 187 85.8

ACC 57 48 84.2 Boston Arts Academy 68 64 94.1 Boston Community Leadership 113 98 86.7 Brighton High School 175 139 79.4 Burke High School 140 107 76.4 Charlestown High School 179 129 72.1 Community Academy 4 2 50.0 Dorchester High School 124 95 76.6 East Boston High School 176 153 86.9 Eagleston 7 6 85.7 English High School 190 128 67.3 Fenway Park High School 55 41 74.5 Health Care Academy 39 36 92.3 Hyde Park High School 153 112 73.2 Madison Park High School 193 159 82.4 McKinley Tech. 5 0 0.0 McKinley Voe. 8 3 37.5 New Mission 32 27 84.4 Snowden International High 73 55 75.3 South Boston High School 155 134 86.5 West Roxbury High School 220 173 78.6 Total 2938 2373 80.8