Justin Sarratt Clemson University Youth Development Leadership

 Do students understand why they go to school and how education will open the doors that they wish to go through?  Do H.S. students have specific goals for achievement and to graduate?  Are high schools setting up students for employment and being able to be fiscally responsible?

 Many high school students do not understand: What awaits them after high school The cost of living in this world How education can help them afford this price and succeed.  Graduation rates and employment rates need to be improved today in order to set students up for a life where they can afford to live and prosper in American society.

 By The Numbers 72%: 2008 national high school graduation rate. 1.2 million: Students that did not graduate from high school in  $154 Billion: Total lost life-time earnings for this class of dropouts alone. 52.4%: Percentage U.S. high school seniors scored on a 30 question financial literacy survey

 The purpose of this study is to educate high school students:  Of the responsibilities that await them in the working world  How to be fiscally responsible, and  To understand how and why education will put them on them on the path to independence.  Improve Graduation Rates and Employment Rates

4 Year High School Program One day event at the Beginning of each School Year Freshman: Why they attend high school and creating a plan to graduate. Sophomore: Higher Education Requirements and Employment. Junior: Financial Literacy. Senior: Career Research and Applying to Colleges.

 What is the level of educational aspirations and financial literacy of high school students prior to participating in a focused intervention designed to improve these outcomes ?  Will participating in the “Your Future” program improve students’ future educational aspirations after completing the program?  Will participating in the “Your Future” program increase students’ level of fiscal responsibility upon completing the program?  Will participating in the “Your Future” program increase educational aspirations and fiscal responsibility relative to a control group of students who did not participate in the program?

 By The Numbers 72%: 2008 national high school graduation rate. 1.2 million: Students that did not graduate from high school in  $154 Billion: Total lost life-time earnings for this class of dropouts alone. 52.4%: Percentage U.S. high school seniors scored on a 30 question financial literacy survey

 9.1% Unemployment Rate in August 2011  High School dropouts have a greater chance of unemployment during economic downturns Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2011

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011

 Located in Gaffney, SC  Grades 9 – 12  2,200 Students  Class Levels College Prep / Tech Prep Honors Advanced Placement / Dual Credit

 Quantitative Research Design  Survey Research  Survey administered to 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students at Gaffney High School in Gaffney, SC  Stratified Random sample because will include students of all academic levels within each grade (i.e. college prep, honors, advanced placement)  Survey looks into high school students’ knowledge of goals, requirements for higher education and employment, and financial literacy.  Survey will determine a need for the “Your Future” program.

 Will provide accurate findings of students’ knowledge of the topics under review.  Will determine the need for the “Your Future” program.  Will determine exact information students need to be taught to prepare them for the world after high school.

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