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A FIVE YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF FALL 1950 AND SPRING 1951 GRADUATES OF SACRAMENTO AND c. K. Moc LATCHY HIGH SCHOOLS--EVALUATION ON HIGH SCHOOLS CURRICULA AS PREPARATION FOR ADULT LIFE by Alfred Warren McClaskey A. B., Sacramento State College, 1950 THESIS Submitted in partial satisfaction or the requirements for the degree or MASTER OF ARTS AT THE SACRAMENTO STATE COLLEGE Approved: Kenneth D. Norberg, Chair H. Orville Nordberg Jesse E. Young ACKNOWLEDG~ENTS To Dr. Kenneth Norberg, my advisor, and Drs. H. Or­ ville Nordberg and Jesse E. Young, members of my advisory committee, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for their assistance throughout the preparation, refinement, and completion of this work. I also wish to thank Dr. Arthur H. Polster, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Sacramento City Unified School District, for his cooperation throughout this investigation. I particularly thank him for his counsel on the preparation of the questionnaire, for making available the student per­ sonnel records, for enlisting the cooperation of other members of the administrative staff, and for providing clerical assistance from his office staff. I am deeply indebted to Mr. A. R. MacFarland for his assistance in ell phases of the work, but especially for the many hours spent during the revision and rewriting period. To Miss Catherine Patterson for her reading of the manuscript and assistance in the final polishing go my sin­ cere thanks. My grateful thanks to my wife, for her assistance, both direct and indirect, and for the correct portioning out of encouragement, indulgence, patience, and prodding throughout the duraticn. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM . 1 Purposes of this study • • . 1 Scope or the study • . 4 The problem . 5 Statement of the problem • . 5 Importance of this study • . 5 Delimitation of the problem. • • • . 9 Definitions of terms used ••• . 9 Background of the community. • . 10 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE • • • • . 15 Lit era tu re on the questionnaire method • • • • • 15 Literature on the findings of similar studies. • 24 Su.n:uneey • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 7 A summary of the findings, as reported by Guen­ ther, on twenty-seven Califo:m.ia high school follow-up studies, made from 1928 to 1948 in- elusive . 38 III. STATEMENT OF METHOD OF PROCEDURE • . 40 IV. ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS • • • . 48 Percentage of returns •••••••••••••• 48 Marital status of graduates •••••••••• 51 Location of respondents five years after gradu- ation ..................... 54 iii CHAPTER PAGE Occupation of graduates ••••••• . 56 Post high school education ••••• . 59 Length of attendance end degrees earned. • • • • 60 Type of post high school training taken. • • • • 63 Vocational choice at the time of graduation from high school. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 65 Help graduates received from high school in eer- tain areas • . 67 Post high school employment. • • • • . • • • 72 Salaries received on post high school jobs • • • 75 Extent high school helped the graduates in their current jobs • • . 77 High school classes and activities that have been of special help to graduates • • • • • • 79 Courses graduates wished they had taken while in high school. • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 82 Where the knowledge or training needed in the graduates• current job was acquired. • • • • • 86 Recommended changes in the school program made by graduates • • • • • • • • • • • 89 Summary of the . findings. • • • • • • • • • . • • 98 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ••••• 106 Method of procedure. • • • • • • • • • • 106 Summary of findings. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 107 iv CHAPTER PAGE Percentage of returns ••••••••••••• 107 Marital status, residence, and employment ••• 108 Post high sohool education • • • • • • •••• 109 Type of education chosen for post high school study. • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 110 Quality of preparation for life's activities • 112 Post high sab.ool employment ••••••••• 113 Salaries • • • • . • • •• 116 Degree of help received from high school train- ing. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 117 Courses of special help •• . 119 Sources of job training. • . 123 Suggestions by graduates on improving the achoo ls •• . • • • • • • • • . 124 BIBLIOGRAPHY • . • • . 131 APPENDIX ••• . • • • . • • 139 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. The Number and Percentage of Returns for the Various Segments of the Sample and the Total Sample Population ••••••• . • • 50 II. Marital Status and Family Size of Graduates. • • 53 III. Location of the Respondents Five Years after Gra du a ti on • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55 IV. Activity of Former Students Five Years after Graduation. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 58 V. Post High School Education Sought by Graduates • 62 VI. Length of Attendance and Degrees Received by Graduates Attending Post High School Insti- tutions . .. 62 VII. Areas of Study Chosen by Graduates in Post High School Education • • • • • • . • • • • . 64 VIII. Vocation.al Choices of Students at the time of Gradlation from High School •••••••••• 66 IX. Help Graduates Received from their High School on the Following Problems. • • • • • • • • • • 69 X. Students Who Reported a Great Deal of Help Re­ ceived from their High School on the Follow- ing Problems. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 71 XI. Types of Jobs Held by Graduates. • • • • • • • • 73 vi TAB IE PAGE XII. Where the Graduates Were Working Five Years After Graduation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 74 XIII. Starting Salaries on the First Jobs After Grad­ uation frcm High School and the Salary on the Current Jobs . • • . 76 XIV. The Extent High School Helped the Graduates in their Current ·Job . 78 XV. High School Courses or Activities Graduates Felt Have Been of Special Help in Post High School Life. • . 81 XVI. Courses or Activities Graduates Wished They Had Taken While in High School • • • • • • • • • • 83 XVII. Summary of Courses and Activities Students Took in High School and Found Helpful and Those Courses and Activities Students Did Not Take But Wished That ~ey Had • • • • • • • • • • • 85 XVIII. Where the Graduates Obtained the Knowledge or Training Required on Their Current Jobs. • • • 88 XIX. Requests for Counseling and Guidaice • • • • • • 90 .xx. Suggestions for Additional Courses or Increased Emphasis on Existing Courses •• . 92 XX!. Graduates Sugge~ted Improvements in the Staff •• 93 XX:II. General Suggestions for rmproYeIIBnt in the School Training ••••••••••• . 95 vii TABLE PAGE XXIII. Voluntary Compliments to the Schools Paid by the Respondents •••• . 97 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM Purposes !2!_ .!!!!! studz. Educators are continually seeking better ways to teach, and new and augmented subjects which will better adapt the majority of students to their . social and cultural environment. In professional terms, this means continually changing and improving the curriou- lum. As society advances and becomes increasingly complex, and new information is added to the total reservoir of know- ledge, this new information must be passed on to succeeding . generations of students by changes in the curricula. The curricula, therefore must always be dynamic--never static-- to be effective. The nature and scope of such changes is a perplexing problem.. confronting every educator because no standard curriculum can be universally adopted to serve all com- munities. Basically, the curriculum adopted to serve a par­ ticular community should represent the philosophy of edu­ cation held by that community. The complexity of the prob­ lem, however, is increased within any given community by reason of the divergenc~ of parental attitudes. At one ex­ treme, for instance, are those parents who would like to divorce themselves of the responsibility of rearing their 2 children and demand that the schools assume this responsib- ility. At the other extreme are the parents who maintain that the role of the school is to supplement parental edu­ cation only in those areas where the parents are unable or unwilling to do the job. Any school program must necessar­ ily be a compromise somewhere between these extremes. The curriculum problem is further complicated by reason of the changing aspects of democracy. Historically, formal education in the United States was considered primarily for the children of the wealthier and aristo- cratic classes. Even the names of the earlier schools in- dicate that they were designed primarily to prepare stu- dents for college or for entrance into one of the learned professions. They were privately endowed institutions and tuition fees precluded wide-spread matriculation. Gradually at first, then more rapidly in recent decades--eduoation has taken a much broader application. Today, it is generally accepted that education is. for the children of all the people and the educational programs are, for the most part, no longer designed to be merely prepara­ tory for advanced study, but include many studies and sub- jects which will aid the student in stepping directly from high school into industry, commerce or home-making. - - The building of an effective curriculum is still 3 further complicated by many special interest graips that want to impress their educational ideas on the school curricula. Church groups, higher educational institutions, traditionalists, professional organizations, patriotic societies, political group:i, alumni, commerce and industry, and a multitude of social organizations all bring degrees of pressure to bear on the curriculum builder to include some philosophy

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