(NAPSA)—Teachers today say that students are more ambitious and parents more involved than in the past. Those are some of the key findings of the recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, an annual survey of the opinions of teachers, principals and students. The survey found that 90 percent of students questioned indi- cated they are likely to attend col- lege, which represents a 10 percent increase from when the question was asked 20 years ago. At the same time, the majority of teachers (67 percent) now rate parental and community support for their school as good or excellent. Preparing For College While ambition and parental involvement can be important elements of success after high school, there are other things students can do—with the support of their parents and teachers—to increase their chance for successin college. Recent Findings from the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher Students are more ambitious. Students reporting that they are “very likely” to attend college increased from 58 percent to 73 percent between 1988 and 2008. Parent relationships have improved. More teachers today (67 percent) than in 1984 (54 percent) rate parental and community support fortheir school as good or excellent. Academic preparationslips as students moveto higher grade levels. Teacher ratings of studentskill are substantially lower for secondary schools than elementary schools in core areas, such as reading (67 percent vs. 83 percent), writing (53 percentvs. 68 percent) and math (53 percent vs, 79 percent). a lowing through on priorities. Learn to use time wisely. “The MetLife Survey of the Get involved. Community service and membership in clubs can help you develop leadership skills. Balancing your interests is also a good preparation for college. Additional Resources newsis encouraging, the survey of online resources available to help students ensure they’re fully prepared for college. This includes www.knowhowtogo.org, a site that helps students in middle school and high school answer questions about college preparation on a grade-specific, step-by-step basis. It also contains valuable information about college funding. American Teacherfindings clearly show that students are more interested than ever before in pursuing higher education,” said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “While this findings also raise concern about how adequately students are preparingfor college.” Here are sometips: Rememberthat grades still matter—even during senior year. Grades alone may not get a student into college, but they arestill one of the first indicators used to exclude a candidate. e If you can, take advanced placement courses. They can strengthen an application, help prepare a student for college-level courses and allow a student to get credit for college. Success at college—and beyond—calls for setting and fol- In addition, there are a variety Another resource is www. firstinthefamily.org, which helps students whoare thefirst in their family to aspire to college learn what it takes to get going and keep going. For additional information on the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, visit www.metlife.com/ teachersurvey.
