Education and Career Planning in High School: A National Study of School and Student Characteristics and College-Going Behaviors
Many high schools across the country are adopting education and career planning requirements to help students prepare for postsecondary education and the labor market. The Regional Educational Laboratory West used student and counselor survey responses from a nationally representative longitudinal dataset to examine the relationships between students’ participation in three core elements of education and career planning during high school as well as students' application, course taking, and enrollment behaviors associated with the transition to college.
The study found that students who created an education or career plan upon entering grade 9 were no more or less likely to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, complete a college preparatory curriculum, apply to college, or enroll in college than students who did not create a plan. However, for students who received support from an adult figure to develop or review the plan at least once a year, developing a plan was significantly associated with several college-going behaviors.